A few years ago, a very interesting relationship began to develop. A bridge was built out of Jaubi's releases on Astigmatic Records and the increasingly frequent collaborations between musicians from Europe and Asia - out of Latarnik's trip to Pakistan resulting in the widely acclaimed album Nafs at Peace and Zohaib, Dhani and Ali's revisit to Poland, which has been recorded as the EABS meets Jaubi In Search of a Better Tomorrow longplay.
Wrocław and Lahore are almost 7,000 kilometers apart. And despite this immense distance that separates the EABS and Jaubi musicians, the two bands find a surprising amount of common ground that determines their musical explorations. These include both a strong attachment to locality and respect for tradition, a penchant for weaving in some hip-hop elements, and the basis of a love of improvisation and spiritual jazz. It was therefore only a matter of time before they joined forces. And so, they proceeded to build a (cross)cultural bridge between Poland and Pakistan. A bridge whose pillars are Hindustani ragas, polish jazz understood in a variety of ways, and brotherhood in sound. This merger's finale is surprising to such an extent that it is difficult to pigeonhole this collaboration in any way.
They met through the Get Your Jazz Together programme, which was launched by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute to help build such bridges. The following day after Jaubi's premiere concert at the OFF Festival in Katowice, the musicians went to Monochrom Studio in Kłodzko Valley, where they spent a week making music together, exchanging ideas and compositions. The outcome of the collaboration surprised them all, materializing in rather dark shades. So how did this happen, given that the recordings were realized in picturesque natural circumstances mid-summer? It was only yesterday that the pandemic restrictions were lifted, the inflation is raging, Russia has invaded Ukraine and no one in our region can be sure of peace anymore, while Pakistan has faced the worst floods in years. So much upheaval has been delivered by the world in recent times that the experience of the past has left its mark even on a sunny present day. Against all odds, however, the musicians are seeking solace, hoping that the tomorrow that is yet to come will finally bring something better.
Even after the darkest night, however, comes day. It is known to the group from Lahore, who, often challenged by life, have already sent prayers for peace through their previous album. This is also known to the band from Wrocław, whose musical paths are inextricably bound up with the difficult and painful history of their homeland, and who have already experienced the era of unearthing their foundations and cosmic escapism in the spirit of Sun Ra. Today, they are walking swiftly towards the sun, all together, a group of eight artists whose lives are separated by their place of birth – the cultural education they received and the musical tradition they grew up in – but who are united by that one phrase, melody or emotion which gave origin to each of the compositions collected on the album titled In Search of a Better Tomorrow.
The joint album by EABS and Jaubi will be released by Astigmatic Records in digital, CD and LP versions, as well as a limited edition designed by Sainer, one of Poland's most exciting visual artists. The album is scheduled for release on 12 May 2023.
credits
releases May 12, 2023
Members of EABS:
Marek “Latarnik” Pędziwiatr - Grand piano, Fender Rhodes Mark II, Nord Stage 2, Moog Voyager;
Marcin Rak - Drums;
Paweł “Wuja HZG” Stachowiak - Bass guitar, Moog Little Phatty;
Olaf Węgier - Saxophones: tenor, sopran; bass clarinet;
Jakub Kurek - Trumpet;
Members of Jaubi
Ali Riaz Baqar - Guitar
Kashif Ali Dhani - Tabla, Vocals
Zohaib Hassan Khan - Sarangi
Executive production, A&R: Łukasz Wojciechowski, Sebastian Jóźwiak
Studio: Monochrom (07-11.08.2022)
Engineered by: Ignacy Gruszecki
Mixed by: Ignacy Gruszecki & EABS
Mastering: Marcin Kwazar (BazaRec)
Graphic design: Sainer
Text: Filip Kalinowski
Translation: Magda Marcinkowska
Photo: Hubert Misiaczyk



© 2023 EABS & Jaubi
(P) 2023 EABS, Jaubi & Astigmatic Records
All Rights Reserved
license

What do jazz improvisation, Polish Radio, dingy rap from Memphis, cassette tapes, trap, drill elements and hip-hop loops have in common? These are the ingredients that the Błoto quartet used in their lab to cook an explosive mixture for their third LP entitled “Kwasy i zasady” (eng,“Acids and bases”).
Nobody thought that a band who appeared suddenly and unexpectedly on the jazz scene would develop so rapidly and in such an unforeseen direction. A year ago, critics and music journalists treated Błoto only as a one-off spin off of a larger band, EABS, when the debut album “Erozje” (eng,”Erosion”) was released. The band used their momentum and decided to release the second album “Inflorescence, all in 2020. Both albums resonated strongly enough to be at the top of many annual charts, and receive nominations for the most important music awards in Poland.
The reality around us continued to inspire the band to create. The Błoto quartet only needed a small spark to make another burst of creativity. The igniter turned out to be Polish Radio, which came up with the initiative to invite the band to a new project. This was the starting point for the creation of "Kwasy i zasady", Błoto’s third album within twelve months.
Wuja HZG, Cancer G, OlafSaxx and Latarnik already had the opportunity to use high-end equipment in well-equipped recording studios, so this time the musicians decided to go in the opposite direction - lo-fi. The recordings were made with a minimum number of microphones, and the whole thing was recorded on a cassette with a Tascam 122 MKII stereo tape recorder, giving a dirty and warm character to Błoto’s sound, which can be clearly heard from the first minutes of the disc.
The team has always operated in the sphere of metaphors close to nature. It is similar this time, but Błoto has gone deeper into "chemical compounds" called acids and bases. Ultimately, the album's theme cleverly avoids the direct meaning of these words, playing with the convention. A set of improvised beats refers to interpersonal relationships, which nowadays often have an extreme, corrosive and explosive nature, so we need a framework that will allow us to counteract them.
The album "Kwasy i zasady" will be released on Astigmatic Records under the patronage of the Second Polish Radio Program on April 30, 2021. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and on all streaming platforms.
CREDITS:
Wuja HZG - gitara basowa
Latarnik - pianino, Moog Voyager, Korg MS-20, Nord Stage 2
OlafSaxx - Roland Aira System-1, AKAI EWI 5000, saksofony: baryton, tenor, sopran; perkusjonalia
Cancer G - perkusja
Nagrania zostały zrealizowane 24.01.2021 we Wrocławiu w studiu Izabeli Skrybant-Dziewiątkowskiej (Tercet Egzotyczny).
Realizator dźwięku: Maciej Jakimiuk
Realizator video: Marcin Chydziński
Mix: Błoto
Mastering: Latarnik (Tascam 122 MKII) & Marcin Cichy - Plug Audio Mastering
Producent wykonawczy, A&R, manager: Sebastian Jóźwiak
Projekt graficzny: Animisiewasz

Tracks listed sequentially on the release.

More Music Agency – MMA004, Astigmatic Records – AR006LP
Copyright © – EABS
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EABS
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – More Music Agency
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Astigmatic Records
Recorded At – Jazz Club Hipnoza
Comes in gatefold sleeve with 24 page booklet about Tauron Nowa Muzyka Katowice Jazz Festival
Limited to 1000 copies.
[Liner notes]
Recorded live at Jazz Club Hipnoza, Katowice on December 10, 2017 by Michał Rosicki & Maq Records.
© 2018 EABS
℗ 2018 EABS & More Music Agency & Astigmatic Records

"There are aspects of Time Travel Dilemma that most certainly play to genre, but even these do so with a palpable intention toward leaving an individualized mark rather than simply repeating what’s come before. To call that admirable would be an understatement."
-TheObelisk
"This is an album that catapults us into the coldest and loneliest stars of spatial infinity. Enter 'Time Travel Dilemma' orbit and witness one of the most aesthetic matches between opulence, delicacy and rhythmicity."
-velho-coyote.blogspot.pt

Bass – Hans Hartmann
Design – Witold Popiel
Drums, Percussion – Janusz Stefański
Engineer [Recording] – Ulrich Kraus
Liner Notes – Milo Kurtis
Photography By – Andrzej Tyszko
Remastered By – Piotr Safjan
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Percussion – Janusz Muniak
Trumpet – Tomasz Stańko
Violin, Alto Saxophone – Zbigniew Seifert
Recorded on March 9th, 1973, Musikhochschule Munchen
Remastered at Recording Studio Kraków / Poland

"With hearts toward none", 2nd album of Mgła, is out now on Northern Heritage (CD) and Malignant Voices (CD, Poland only).
LP version coming on Northern Heritage in March.

7" EP limited to 500 copies.
Because of a mistake in printing plant, the 7" comes without the insert which
originally was supposed to be there.

Released on CD and 12" one-sided MLP.