Fragile Ego Kasia Pietrzko Trio

• 1Shiny Spirit05:17
• 2Blue, Deep and Wide05:45
• 3Foggy Dreams07:37
• 4Widow (feat. Klara Cloud)06:20
• 5Cloudy Sky03:42
• 6CHLS05:36
• 7Blending Reality05:23
• Total Runtime39:40

Info for Fragile Ego

No other country in Europe can look back on such a long, continuous and rich jazz history as Poland. In regular waves, new generations of Polish jazz musicians find independent idioms and modes of expression. For the last five years or so, a new one of these waves of young musical personalities can be observed, completely free of fear, detached from the overpowering Komeda-Stanko tradition and individually strongly positioned, finding exciting hinges between art and society. One of these impressive artists is the pianist Kasia Pietrzko, who presents the album "Fragile Ego" with her trio in the tradition-rich series "Polish Jazz".

From the very first note, you can feel Pietrzko's irrepressible urge to communicate. She doesn't need a long intro to introduce herself or to hint at her statements. Playful minimalism is not her thing. And yet not a single note that she brings to the ear is wasted. Together with bassist Andrzej Święs and drummer Piotr Budniak, she moves in a constant cycle of culminations and relaxations, in which the three individual voices sometimes unite in a supernova, only to go their separate ways again in the universe of individual possibilities. Aggressiveness and tenderness do not seek the famous balance, but rather a constant confrontation between masculine and feminine values. Fragility and strength belong together in her playing just as much as spontaneous creative will and long-term calculation in composition and sound. Her playing, like that of her companions, reveals new facets and nuances in every piece. And by the way, Kasia Pietrzko surprises not only as a pianist, but also as a singer who subtly uses her voice as a non-verbal timbre.

Kasia Pietrzko, piano
Andrzej Święs, bass
Piotr Budniak, drums

Kasia Pietrzko
In 2017, Kasia Pietrzko and her trio released their debut album "Forthright Stories" - the beginning of a success story that would bring the album prizes such as the "Mateusz" of the Polish station Radio 3, the Grand Prix Jazz Melomani as well as a Fryderyk nomination and recognition for Pietrzko as a pioneering young artist. And that far beyond the borders of her Polish homeland.

In recent years, the pianist, composer and arranger has performed regularly on major stages and festivals around the world. She has made guest appearances at the NDR Studio in Hamburg, the 12 Points Jazz Festival in Dublin, the Jazz Forum Showcase, Jazz Au Chellah in Morocco, JazzFest Brno in the Czech Republic and the most important Polish jazz festivals such as Jazz nad Odra, the Tomasz Stańko Jazzherbst Bielsko-Biała and the Sopot Jazz Festival. In addition, their success in 2018 led to performances in Tomasz Stańko's quartet. The chemistry between Pietrzko and the Polish jazz icon was so good that she was to accompany the entire concert tour of his new quartet. However, the tour plans came to an abrupt halt when Stańko succumbed to cancer in the summer of 2018.

Then came the pandemic - and touring was out of the question either way. All the more reason for the Kasia Pietrzko Trio to immerse themselves in studio work. The result: 'Ephemeral Pleasures', the second album by the group around Kasia Pietrzko, Andrzej Święs and Piotr Budniak, released in 2020. Building on their traditional style, the musicians further developed their unmistakable signature. 'Ephemeral Pleasures' is carried by the spirit of collaboration and a powerful energy that come together in a rare combination of harmonic inventiveness, lyricism and boundless creativity. In May 2021, the Kasia Pietrzko Trio could be seen as Poland's only representatives at the international jazz fair Jazzahead! Bremen.

The high status of the Kasia Pietrzko Trio today is also shown by the fact that their upcoming album "Fragile Ego" will be released as part of "Polish Jazz" /1965-2022/ (Polskie Nagrania / Warner Music), the world's oldest and longest-lived jazz record series. Kasia Pietrzko's third album thus joins the pantheon of recordings by the most outstanding Polish jazz artists: inside this series, including, in addition to Tomasz Stańko, Zbigniew Jacek Namysłowski, Michał Urbaniak and Krzysztof Komeda, among others.

This album contains no booklet.