Tomasz Stanko Biography

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko already gave us enough reasons to trust his idiosyncratic music. Deeply associated with the ECM Records, Stanko, whose sonorous creativity is almost tactful, has one foot on the adventurous modern creative jazz and the other on a relaxing, sometimes-cerebral post-bop.
His Polish quartet, which included the pianist Marcin Wasliewski, was active from 2002 to 2006, being responsible for great albums such as The Soul of Things, Suspended Nights, and Lontana.
In 2013, Stanko formed his New York quartet, a stellar project that featured Cuban-born David Virelles on piano, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. They recorded the critically acclaimed double-disc CD Wislawa.
For the quartet’s new work, December Avenue, Stanko was forced to give Morgan’s position to Reuben Rogers. The outcome remains bold and innovative, as well as immediately identifiable with the author’s compositional style.
The group’s elasticity can be verified in “Yankiels Lid”, a jubilant and emotionally charged upheaval deployed with easy confidence and featuring intermittent double-tempo passages. Fueling the already optimistic posture, we have invigorating solos by Virelles, technically remarkable in his inspired incursions, and Rogers, whose self-assuredness makes us forget Thomas Morgan.
In addition to Stanko’s compositions, one may also experience three more abstract tunes composed by all the four members of the quartet – “Conclusion”, “David and Reuben”, and “Sound Space” are consequences of musical reactions and conversations.
December Avenue is an example of honorable musicianship. The passion is invariable, whether in its sharply angled forms or silky soft curves, and the New York quartet dishes out every ingredient needed to Stanko’s delicious