Grzegorz Karnas. Ballady na koniec świata, 2006.
"Karnas is something completely different. First of all, I know him - even personally - and his new album is something that I take into my hands with interest. This is the third that I've gotten from him, and thus far Karnas has never failed to surprise, to my great enjoyment. Initially, I heard a Polish Kurt Elling. That's precisely the impression I got from his first album - and I was right, as it turned out, because Grzegorz admitted to me that he was going to have to work hard to 'get himself out of that bag'. His second CD proved that he'd been successful in doing this, creating an album that had an overall concept to it - original musical material which I intentionally avoid referring to as 'songs'. Ballady is a continuation of this trend. Karnas penned all of the lyrics, though they might more aptly be called loose assemblages of thoughts than lyrics in the classical sense of the word. The individual pieces are not songs; sketches, or outlines would be a more accurate term. Don't look for verses or refrains here. This album simply develops as a whole, gradually, going through successive phases with a brief instrumental solo appearing from time to time, after which it ends. Karnas produced this CD as well. The composing work was shared with Adam Oleś, who plays on the album too. The instrumentation of the accompanying group is also distinctive - although actually, it's not so much an accompanying group as it is musicians who, collectively, enable Karnas to better express his thoughts. Tenor sax, cello, and percussion instruments - that's all. Fender - Rhodes electric piano and guitar make no more than guest appearances. I used the word 'concept' earlier, and I'd like to return to it because it is the word that probably best depicts the nature of the entire album. I get the impression that Karnas knows exactly what he wants - and what's more, that he was able to realise his intentions here. This feeling emanates from the music itself, from the certainty with which he embarks upon his experimental, uncharted digressions, momentarily resuming his initial train of thought. Karnas is an exceptionally fine singer - although that designation doesn't fully reflect the quality of the project, the whole of which he subordinates his vocal talents to. This album is the result of well over a year's work on his part, realised between 2004 and 2005, and bears witness to the fact that projects such as this one are much more than just the result of musicians casually meeting in a recording studio. I'd like to record an album of this sort myself, but I won't even attempt to do so, due to the fact that - among other things - I'm also an admirer of the common song." (Peter Lipa)
Grzegorz Karnas. Ballady na koniec świata: "Ballada o kapryśnym człowieku", "Dwie wieże", "Ballada o rygorze", "Jasnowidz", "Dwie powietrzne trąby", "Znowu sny", "Inny", "Ballada o odwecie", "Studnia", "Góral z Alhambry", "Dylemat", "Zimna strefa", "Zaśnij dziwactwo". Grzegorz Karnas - voice, udu; Radosław Nowicki - tenor saxophone; Tomasz Kałwak - electronics, synth. piano; Adam Oleś - cello; Bogusz Wekka – percussion; Michał Tokaj - Fender piano; Damian Kurasz - guitars. Ninth Floor Productions, 2006.
Marek Romański
January 2009