Maciek Pysz is a Polish guitarist, who has been living in London for more than ten years. He is self-taught, and specialises in acoustic guitar. His primary influence is Al Di Meola, but one can also hear hints of Ralph Towner in his playing. Pysz actually namechecks Towner in the liner notes, and includes one of his tunes on the album. It’s worth noting that the album was also recorded at the Artesuono studio in Italy, which has also been used for a number of ECM recordings.
None of this is to suggest A Journey, his second album, tries to replicate the famous ECM sound. Pysz is accompanied on the album by his regular rhythm section of Yuri Goloubev on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums. Both musicians also appeared on his debut album, Insight, which was released in 2013 to critical acclaim. On the new album they are joined by the celebrated Italian jazz musician, Daniele Di Bonaventura, who plays piano and bandoneon – a type of concertina. As a result, the new album has a warm, Mediterranean flavour, which is well suited to the travel theme that runs through the album.
Most of the tunes on the album are original compositions, and were inspired by the guitarist’s journeys across Europe over the last year or so. His playing on Fresh Look, which opens the album, sounds clean and clear, like a bright sunny day. The warm sound of Di Bonaventura’s bandoneon adds to that feeling; he initially plays a subtle support beneath the guitarist, before taking a solo of his own. Water Streets, which follows, was inspired by a trip to Venice, and the subtle shifts in the music suggest a gradually changing view as the gondola navigates the city’s ancient waterways.
I Saw You Again is a more ambitious composition, which sees the classically-trained Goloubev play a more prominent role, taking a lengthy and impressive solo, before handing over to the band’s leader. Di Bonaventura switches to piano here, but is equally effective, and prevents the journey from becoming in any way monotonous. He stays on piano for Story Of A Story, which is more stripped back and delicate, but no less enjoyable.
Paris is short and sweet, carried along by a skipping drumbeat from Sirkis, the bandoneon close enough in sound to an accordion to lend the tune an authentic Parisian feel.
The Ralph Towner composition, Innocente, is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The tune originally featured on Oregon’s 1987 album, Ectopia. Di Bonaventura is given more space to improvise here, playing foil to Pysz’s wonderfully free-form playing.
Undeniable is another highlight, an eight-minute train journey across the countryside. Sirkis’s cymbal work denotes the sound of the train, whilst Pysz and Di Bonaventura, on guitar and piano, capture the ever-changing scenery. As the track builds to a climax, Sirkis comes to the fore for the first time on the album, and finally lets loose, suggesting a dramatic change in the landscape. Powerful stuff.
Until Next Time and Peacefully Waiting are both ballads, the latter the pick of the two, whilst Always On The Move has a more restless feel, like the guitarist himself, one suspects.
A Journey represents a significant step forward for Maciek Pysz. Di Bonaventura adds a new dimension to the band; the guitarist claims that the classical guitar and bandoneon is a perfect musical marriage, and after listening to this album, you’ll find it hard to disagree. It may have been a long journey since Pysz arrived in London, but it’s been well worth the wait.
