Pokusa

Founded in 2012 by Natan Kryszk (baritone saxophone), Tymek Bryndal (bass) and Teo Olter (drums), the band derives its sound from the uncompromising nature of free jazz but combines it with influences ranging from electronic and experimental music to hip-hop.

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Before the three musicians formed Pokusa, they had already performed together on stage. Olter and Kryszk have known each other since childhood. Together, they went through various musical fascinations to finally form a vocal/drums duo. At a similar time, Kryszk appeared at a rehearsal of the band Dorób Psu Ogon, in which Tymek Bryndal played the bass. When the three musicians decided to form a band, Kryszk had already switched to baritone saxophone. Recalling those times, he remembers their first rehearsals at the Warsaw hall Rock Farm, rented for hours.

Pokusa played their historic first concert at the Ćwiczeniówka of the Krasiński Library in September 2012. Shortly afterwards, the trio performed at the Niewinni Czarodzieje festival in the respected Pardon, To Tu club. They shared a stage there with some established improvisers, including saxophonist Ray Dickaty. Shortly afterwards, Dickaty formed the Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra, and members of Pokusa contributed to its first line-up. Olter recalls:

We were there at the first W.I.O. show at the Sztuki i Sztuczki club when the binding formula was still to combine musicians into 3-4 person line-ups playing for 10-15 minutes at a time […] It was only later that it transformed into an orchestra. It certainly had an impact on the way we think about music and improvise. Playing in W.I.O. was also an opportunity to meet some brilliant musicians. However, not the only one. Impro meetings at Eufemia or gatherings around the ping-pong table in the basement of Pardon, To Tu, gave us just as much inspiration.

The worst thing is to stand still

Members of Pokusa's musical education differed substantially. Teo Olter – privately the son of the drummer of the Yass band Miłość, Jacek Olter – explored this world on his own in the spirit of Do It Yourself philosophy. Kryszk took some lessons privately, at home. Bryndal, who attended music school, had the most contact with institutional music education. Years later, however, Bryndal does not recall this period in the best light:

In the schools I attended I could not have found anything that corresponded to my understanding of music. I then entered the world of free jazz, consciously wanting to escape from the institution of state music school.

What the musicians have in common, however, is their interest in other fields of art. Kryszk and Brydnal are both graduates of Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts – the former is a sculptor, the latter specialises in posters and media art.

Pokusa. Tymek Bryndal - bas guitar, Natan Kryszk - saxophone, Teo Olter - drums

What the founders of Pokusa also shared are musical inspirations. 'We listen to various genres of music, but at the beginning of our activity, when we were 15-17 years old, we were fascinated by avant-garde music', recalls Kryszk. Amongst their influences at that time were John Zorn and his Tzadik label, The Thing and other bands by Mats Gustaffson, and the body of work of other giants of European free jazz: William Parker or Peter Brötzmann. Olter admits:

Now, after nine years, it is only natural that this pantheon has changed, as we also feel the need to develop in terms of our style and musical language. The worst thing is to stand still and repeat the same things.

From 'Zero' to XXL

Pokusa's first album was released in 2016. Entitled Zero, it was comprised of songs recorded in the first years of the trio's existence. The album was met with mixed reviews. Later that year, on the Jasień label, the cassette 0.Phife was released, containing songs recorded during the tour promoting Zero. Piotr Strzemieczny wrote about 0.Phife for Vice:

A lot of emotion, a lot of good inspiration, which flows from the tracks here and there, but something else is crucial. There is a soul in this music, which captivates the listener or forces him to concentrate completely.

Amongst the names cited by the reviewer as clear inspirations of the group, Gustaffson or Brötzmann appeared.

A breakthrough in terms of the trio's recognisability was certainly Pokusa's second album, released on the distinguished Warsaw label Lado ABC. Regardless of the underground origins of the band, Einz was reviewed in the strict jazz press. Adam Kiepuszewski wrote in the pages of JazzPRESS:

Someone claimed that their music is actually post-jazz. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pokusa draws heavily on the tradition of the giants of free jazz of the 1960s. Associations with Albert Ayler's trio are probably not unjustified.

The reviewer also noted that the trio compensates for their lack of technical skills through expression and their distinctive sound.

The album Einz became the band's ticket to major Polish festivals. In 2018, Pokusa played at both the most relevant events for the alternative scene (OFF Festival, Unsound) as well as at leading festivals of domestic jazz (Jazz nad Odrą). The trio promoted Einz also during the tour in Belgium and Germany.

The same year, the band presented its new side to the audience. During a concert at Warsaw's Pardon, To Tu, they performed as an octet under the moniker Pokusa XXL. 'Big bands have enormous firepower, especially with such talented personnel', remarks Bryndal.

We have never treated Pokusa XXL as an expansion of the original trio. We wanted to create something brand new with a larger group of people. The pieces we play then only sometimes refer to our old compositions.

Kryszk adds that the goal of this line-up was also to combine the different musical worlds that fascinate the members of Pokusa. In the octet, they were joined by guitarist Piotr Pawlak (Łoskot, Kury, Bielizna), drummer Dominika Korzeniecka (Klezmer Orchestra of the Sejny Theatre), saxophonist Kuba Więcek (Kuba Więcek Trio), saxophonist Tomasz Duda (Jazz Band Młynarski-Masecki, Tomasz Duda Quartet, Mitch and Mitch) and vocalist Gosia Wrzosek (DOGONI, Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra).

Priorities and perspectives

Members of Pokusa participate in many other bands and artistic projects. Bryndal explains:

I divide my activities into musical and artistic ones. It allows me to distance myself from both these worlds and thus maintain a fresh perspective on what I do.

The environment that attracts all the members of Pokusa is the hip-hop scene. As Monster Zero, Olter has performed solo mixing percussive improvisations with beats. Kryszk's saxophone can be heard on Tonfa's debut album Klątwa. Bryndal, on the other hand, produced the beat for Bryndal/Eklektik’s album, a duo made up of Jakub Bryndal & Bartosz Kuśmierczyk. 'We are very much into hip-hop,' admits Kryszk. 'Probably simply because it is a very active musical environment.' Olter goes a step further, calling Pokusa a part of the Warsaw hip-hop scene.

Despite numerous projects, the band still holds a special place in the hearts of the musicians. Bryndal admits:

Amongst my musical activities, Pokusa has priority. It is the mothership.

Written by Jan Błaszczak Nov 2021, edited by AZ.