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ECSTASY PROJECT:
Rafal Gorzycki - drums
Lukasz Gorewicz - violin
Tomasz Pawlicki - flute
Pawel Nowicki - vibes
Pawel Urowski - double bass

SING SING PENELOPE:
Wojciech Jachna - trumpet
Tomasz Glazik - tenor sax, electronics
Daniel Mackiewicz - Rhodes piano, organ, percussion
Patryk Weclawek - bass
Rafal Gorzycki - drums

Über Rafal Gorzycki Ecstasy Project

Rafal Gorzycki has started preaparings for Ecstasy Project third album. The album`s titled "EUROPAE". It is going to be a special homage payed to the XX century`s european music. It is also going to be a special trial for answering the question : Where does jazz drive to? “European legacy as a key to the future.”Recording session on may 2007, Premiere on Autumn 2007 Band established in 1998 (Bydgoszcz/Poland) is one of the bands connected to Club "Mozg" (Brain; eng.) named by top european newspapers as "the most creative place of recent years". The group performs modern jazz inspired by european jazz legacy and modern chamber contemporary. The band`s first album was released in 2001 by famous jazz label - Not Two Records (Cracow/Poland). The second Ecstasy Project Trio album "Realium" is released by polish-american label "Polish Jazz Network" by Cezary Lerski, (USA) "I worked over one year on the conception of my second album. I meant to describe some kind of melancholy. I exposed visions appearing during my stay at the countryside. This is European jazz - my favorite." Rafal Gorzycki After releasing in 2006 by PJN a compilation album called: "The Best of Polish Jazz 2005" with Ecstasy Project piece, Ecstasy Project has started its european carier. The latest Ecstasy Project Trio album “Realium" was very well reviewed and recommended by the most important American jazz media. The world`s biggest jazz site "All About Jazz" has recommended Ecstasy Project as a one from couple of hundred premieres in "new releases albums" section on the starting page. In June`s issue (06.2006) of "JAZZIZ" and “CADENCE” - two of three the biggest jazz magazines in USA a great review of album "Ecstasy Project Trio - Realium" has also appeared. That is why, "Gazeta Wyborcza" - the biggest polish newspaper, "Playboy" magazine and "Onet.pl" in theirs 2006 summary classified Rafal Gorzyckiego and his "Ecstasy Project" and "Sing Sing Penelope" to the most interesting and most important musical appearance of recent year. All members of the group has taken part in numerous important recordings, projects and concerts with some of the most creative European ensembles and musicians, including: Peter Kowald, Jon Rose, P. Friis-Nielsen, O. Magieres, N. Winther, C. Irgens-Moller, John Doobie, Brandon Furman, Jorgos Skolias, Loco Richter, Pomeranian Philharmony, National Opera House, National Theatre in Cracow, Leszek Mozdzer, Milosc, Hanna Banaszak, Ryszard Tymanski, Marek Kazana, Olo Walicki, Mikolaj Trzaska, Maestro Trytony, Antoni Gralak, Fire Birds,A. Maksymiuk , Andrzej Przybielski, Krzysztof Herdzin, Grzegorz Nadolny, Tomasz Pacanowski and many others. Ecstasy Project successfully performed at major jazz festivals in Poland and Europe, including performances at : Jazz Jamboree, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Gdynia Summer Jazz Days, Big Jazz Ear Budapest, Construction in Process, The Polish Year in Austria, France, Greece, Germany and Jazz Week in Berlin. ARTISTS: Rafal Gorzycki (Bydgoszcz) - drums, the leader, well known from bands Sing Sing Penelope and Maestro Trytony , is a artist of jazz upbringing. In the past interested in trans aspect of M-base and downtown New York`s scene , now studies and works on modern european jazz and contemporary scene&sound. Tomasz Pawlicki (Bydgoszcz) - flute player/composer. Plays as a First flute player in Notional Opera House in Bydgoszcz. One of the greatest flute virtuoso in Europe. Patryk Weclawek (Bydgoszcz) - bass player. He plays swing, free, he`s a bass player in heavy-metal band, pop group, used to play on trombone in brass band. He also produces an electronic music Lukasz Gorewicz (Szczecin) - violin. He plays in Pomeranian Philharmony in Szczecin. 3 times awarded in International Music Competitions for young violinists in Poland, Austria, Hungary. Pawel Nowicki (Gdansk) - vibes. A new artist in EP. Graduated Music Conservatory in Strasburg - modern chamber specialist . Awarded in Contemporary Music Competition in Rotterdam and Clarmont-Ferrand . Close cooperator with "Warsaw Autumn Festival". Leader of contemporary drums quartet - Kwartludium. Ecstasy Project successfully performed at major jazz festivals in Poland and Europe, including performances at : Jazz Jamboree, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Gdynia Summer Jazz Days, Big Jazz Ear Budapest, Construction in Process, Polish Year in Austria, France, Greece, Germany and Jazz Week in Berlin. REVIEWS: 1) Review of Ecstasy Project Trio album "Realium" "Jazziz" - USA (07.2006) Although its name conjures a trippy techno soundtrack, Ecstasy Project Trio crafts lilting melodic music that has more to do with the arty ECM label than rolling on ecstacy at an all-night rave. “It is a retreat >from the avant-garde,” drummer-composer Rafal Gorzycki says of the Polish band’s engaging blend of modern jazz, chamber music and rock aesthetics. On Realium, Ecstasy Project Trio’s second recording, electronics are used subtly, providing an aural bed for Lukasz Gorewicz’s gorgeous violin, which weaves through Gorzycki’s compositions — all titled “Realium” and numbered 1 through 8. While a leaden organ sound reminiscent of Deep Purple or Iron Butterfly is a bit cheesy and dated on the opening track, Gorewicz’s melancholy bowing and chiming piano leaven the proceedings about midway through the relatively short piece. From there on, however, the music becomes increasingly rewarding. Despite his earlier protestations, Gorzycki doesn’t exactly run away from avant-garde leanings. While most of the music here is thoroughly melodic and composed, some interesting things happen when the band slips the tether, as it does on the rather abstract “Realium 4.” Gorzycki, who opens the piece with a rumbling solo intro, is fully engaged with his bandmates as he drives the action from behind his kit, never slipping into the monotonous timekeeping that usually powers pop or dance music. “Realium 3” displays a lilting, sprightly quality akin to the playful melodicism of some of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever compositions. While you’d never guess it from his light touch and marvelous tone, bassist Patryk Weclawek also plays bass in a heavy metal band. Like the Swedish-based E.S.T., the trio puts its own spin on centuries-old native traditions of folk and classical music, infused by the pop, rock and electronic influences upon which they no doubt were raised. Bob Weinberg 2) Review of Ecstasy Project Trio album "Realium" "Cadence Magazine" - USA (05.2006) While many of the CDs in this batch fall into the worlds of ambient and electronic new music, let’s start off with the more Jazz related items first... From Poland the ECSTASY PROJECT TRIO makes the most of an unusual ensemble too. On REALIUM (Polish Jazz 89) this trio uses violin and electronics to get an impressive range of sounds out of so few performers (Rafal Gorzycki, d, elec.; Lukasz Gorewicz, g, p, vln; Patryk Weclawek, b. January 2003, Bydgoszcz, Poland). With tasteful overdubbing, and clever composing, the trio often sounds like a much bigger ensemble, though Gorewicz’s violin is generally the solo voice. Often draping the violin in organ-like sounds, evoking Bach at one moment and Larry Young the next, Gorewicz fills the recording with a flow of melody hinting at some gypsy heritage, but never with empty pyrotechnics. This one deserves a careful listen. Hodgepodge & Shorties 3) Review of Ecstasy Project Trio album "Realium" "All About Jazz" - USA (04.2006) If the Ecstasy Project Trio recorded for a label along the lines of Thirsty Ear rather than Polish Jazz, the group would surely garner some worthwhile press attention in the US. Nonetheless, with releases like Realium this may be a mute point before too long. Featuring instrumentation that varies from moment to moment but centering around violin, bass, and drums, Lukasz Gorewicz, Patryk Weclawek, and Rafal Gorzycki create music that may not be as stylistically “out” as many Thirsty Ear projects are--however, they do achieve a similar musical amalgamation that bridges modern musical aesthetics with an established medium. Gorzycki describes the project as “the way to peace and harmony. A retreat from the avant-garde” and the music achieves this aesthetic but does not rest there. These players are well aware of where different genres of music have been and what they have accomplished. They are also well aware of where they are interested in taking their style of music and how to utilize these various elements to achieve it. Although Gorzycki provides all the compositions, classically trained violinist/guitarist/pianist Gorewicz provides a lot of the calculated aural impetus. His keyboard playing can easily be identified as a relative of electronic chill music or drum 'n' bass--as can many of the bass parts--and his violin playing usually provides a lyrical arc that exemplifies the moods of Gorcycki’s compositions, from heartfelt elongated tones to dissonant passages. The key to success here, though, is the way the recording is layered and the way it uses space between instruments and passages in a fashion similar to the so-called ”ECM sound.” And in the end, the compositions entitled “Realium 1-8,” carry the weight of all these references beautifully. The album is a journey, opening with a dirge-like organ sound that builds like an electronic piece of music to “Realium 5,” which opens with strummed guitar backed by snare rolls that provide a light propulsive groove. As the music moves forward, the violin enters to state a theme, followed by a wah-wah guitar solo that never betrays the time or feel of the song but seemingly lifts the track and lunges it forward. Gorewicz is leading here once again, featured on both guitar and violin, and he does so with grace and vigor. Throughout, the band bridges silence, avant leanings, and unabashed lyricism, pacing and molding a consistently engaging and thoughtful album. Gorzycki took over a year to craft this recording, and the results reflect a shifting landscape of sound that can be identified as part of numerous musical contexts. Even within the same song, instruments flow to and from the foreground with a sense of pacing and spatial design. And while the settings are varied, Gorzycki's violin provides the real arc, sometimes plaintive, other times dissonant, but always reflective of his surroundings. Ultimately this is a unique album which ought to be particularly rewarding for listeners interested in discovering what jazz and its many variants have to offer outside of the US. Michael McCaw 4) Review of Ecstasy Project Trio album "Realium" "Polish Jazz" (03.2006) ..jazz, ambient, new age, whatever, it has much beauty. The drumming percussion is fantastic, very pretty, and the bass is great, lots of atmosphere, very visual, and it has the special Polish magic that draws me in. If people could hear this, they would like it. There is tons of stuff like this out there on the market with crappy drum machines and overdone bass and effects, but this is the real thing. I think it is a winner. Its different, but very nice, not jazz, but something that transcends the jazz genre.... Mike Keefer

Sing Sing Penelope

The band established in Bydgoszcz (Poland) in year 2000 by young musicians playing in important polish and european jazz,free jazz, avant-garde and postrock formations. Connecting theirs experience and musical background, they created a new and interesting modern electro-acoustic style and musical language. Band comes from the legendary polish modern music club" BRAIN" (Mozg) They released debiut album in march 2005 by Tone Industia- The Warsaw label. At the moment, the band is preapering its second album, which is going to be a very mature presentation of modern jazz music`s concept.Premiere soon (26.06.2006) Recently, In Summer 2005, the band has been invited to present its music during Warsaw Summer Jazz Days- the biggest international modern jazz festival in Central Europe.Also invited to Oxford University, CamerImage Festival, Polish Year in Germany 2006, etc. Sing Sing Penelope has been classified by the biggest polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza to the most important new bands of 2006 in Poland next to: Leszek Mozdzer, Mikolaj Trzaska ,Oles Brothers, and Simple Acoustic Trio from Tomasz Stanko Quartet . Sing Sing Penelope has been classified to 10 the best jazz/impro albums of 2005 by the London Radio Station Last.fm JAZZ, IMPROV ETC. 1. Free Music Ensemble Cuts 2. The Core Vision (2004) 3. The Vandermark 5 The Color of Memory 4. Bar Kokhba Sextet 50th Birthday Celebration 5. Henry Grimes Trio Live at Kerava Jazz Festival 6. Crimetime Orchestra Life is a Beautiful Monster 7. Atomic Bikini Tapes 8. The Thing Live at Bla 9. Otomo Yoshihides New Jazz Orchestra ONJO 10. Sing Sing Penelope Sing Sing Penelope All members of the group has succesfully taken part in important recordings, projects,festivals and concerts all over the Europe,playing with: John Dobie, Peter Kowald, Jon Rose, O.Magieres, P.Friis-Nielsen, N.Winther, C.Irgens-Moller, Brandon Furman, Loco Richter, Leszek Mozdzer, Tomasz Szukalski, Hanna Banaszak, Milosc, Ryszard Tymanski, Marek Kazana, Olo Walicki, Mikolaj Trzaska, Maestro Trytony, Jorgos Skolias,National Opera House,Pomeranian Philharmony, Polish National Theatre.