RGG - Straight Story (2004/2019)

This is the 2nd album (and first studio recording) by the Polish Jazz ensemble RGG, which consists of pianist Przemyslaw Raminiak, bassist Maciej Garbowski and drummer Krzysztof Gradziuk. The album's title track was inspired by the classic film of the same name, directed by David Lynch. Of the eleven tracks on the album ten are credited to the trio and one is a standard.

Considering the fact that this album is in many respects the artistic debut by three young musicians, the quality of the music and the performances are absolutely phenomenal. All the qualities, which will be fully developed on the RGG trio's later recordings, are already there: the incredible interplay, the lyricism and unique perception of melody and above all the freedom of expression. It is almost frightening to see anonymous (at the time) musician create such a sophisticated, advanced and complex music, often years ahead of many Jazz veterans, who made little advance during their entire career.

It is pretty obvious that these young musicians knew pretty well where they wanted to go musically. Their self-confidence, as demonstrated by their performances here, is remarkable and was about to become a key element in the development of their future careers, both as an ensemble and as individuals. A certain level of naïveté is apparent, but it is charming and in retrospect only emphasizes how good the trio was even at the outset of their musical path.

This is a beautiful and almost perfect piano trio album, which should be part of even the most selective record collections. It is a gem, not only among the Polish Jazz albums, but among anything recorded in first decade of the 21st Century. Satisfaction guaranteed!

By Adam Baruch

Tracklist:

01. Straight Story
02. Eposs
03. Psalm I
04. Wait
05. Frozen People
06. Sange
07. No One Knew
08. Psalm II
09. Blue Bossa
10. Nordic Storm
11. Innocence