Steve: "Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko turns in one of the finest efforts of his four-decade career with Suspended Night, an album that can only be described as haunting and gorgeous. It is one of those rare discs a..."   more

Steve: "Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko turns in one of the finest efforts of his four-decade career with Suspended Night, an album that can only be described as haunting and gorgeous. It is one of those rare discs able to reach any level of listener, from casual types who will find his seductive tone ideal background fodder to purists able to appreciate a stunning depth that all but demands multiple playbacks. Stanko, 61, built his reputation as a free jazz and avant garde player, and he works those elements here with deceptive and devastating effectiveness. The textures of most of the songs are so smooth and sparse the casual listener may never realize how Stanko is exploiting the space provided. He also does so in a way that even those normally put off by the chaos of free jazz are more apt to see his acoustic brushstrokes as rich and colorful elements of a master painting rather than random splatters of paint on canvas. The quartet, featuring a group of fellow Polish musicians Stanko started working with a decade ago, start with the lush ballad “Song For Sarah;” Stanko takes a back seat and leaves it to pianist Marcin Wasilewski to set up Jarrett-esque tones and melodies. It is perhaps Stanko's greatest achievement that (again, like Miles) he has the ability to push his much younger protégées to achieve their maximum potential. Wasilewski's piano, Slawamir Kurkiewicz on double-bass and Michal Miskeiwicz on drums combine to provide a creative yet rock solid palette upon which all the members can feel free to express themselves without fear of falling off."