The Jazz Project - Album 97: Tomasz Stańko - "Soul Of Things"

        To further my understanding of Jazz, I'm listening through Jazzwise Magazine's "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". Each album is presented with my stream-of-consciousness thoughts for each track, my general thoughts of the album as a whole, and any relevant information I can capture about the album. Also included is my drink of choice while taking the album in. Thank you for joining me on my journey to [partial] Jazz enlightenment.

Album 97

Tomasz Stańko - Soul of Things

Drinking: French press coffee with a splash of Glenlivet 12

1. "Soul Of Things, Var. 1": I love the soft, elegant start to this track! The trumpet achieves this slow slinky sound that is really tasty. The experience is very reminiscent of Miles Davis to me. Part of me feels like I'm watching a Bogart film or parts of "La Dolce Vita". I'd throw this on for some good reading with a favorite scotch or sipping gin. As this song continues on I start getting this feeling of a lonely soul searching for something, and it's not sure what it's searching for. Bittersweet. 
   
   
2. "Soul Of things, Var. 2": My immediate feelings are a smokey room through the eyes of a femme fatale. It bounces through moments of aloofness, melancholy, and sass. At ~1:45 there is a moment that feels like someone walked into the room and caught their eye. The tone shifts to a casual romance feeling, like a silent walk together through spring rain. At ~3:13 the song returns to that smokey room moment. Again, like Var. 1, I get this feeling of someone searching, unsure of what they're looking for. The musicians interplay extremely well and the recording is super crisp. At ~5:55 the mood shifts again, this time to a cool and classy bass-line. Perhaps another interesting person walked in, or the main character has surrendered the evening to listening to the jazz band in the corner. 
   
   
3. "Soul Of things, Var. 3": This has a great pulse underneath it, very alive. I'm envisioning a gumshoe (where are all these old crime movie tropes coming from?) walking through the night. Each moment is the detective passing another jazz club or passing an interesting person on the street. At ~1:20 it feels like we're listening to this character's brain working on whatever case is at hand. The tone is deliberate and steady. There's an excellent piano solo at ~2:06, I loved it. The song shifts to a menacing undercurrent running through a city and then shifts to that street groove from earlier. 
   
   
4. "Soul Of things, Var. 4": My immediate feeling is staring out of those tall glass windows commonly found in city loft apartments from TV, watching the world spin by while feeling trapped. or perhaps it's looking at old photos of a love who is gone. Bittersweet. As I'm listening I can almost feel a thumb flipping pages of an old photo album. Also, the feeling of rainy days. Again, the clarity of this recording is fabulous. Each piece of the group is working together without overpowering the others. That bass tone is awesome! Something is relaxing about the dynamic rising and falling feeling of this song. 
   
   
5. "Soul Of things, Var. 5": A word that comes to mind again is slinky. Dark nights, someone put up to a task they don't want to do. But in another way, the trumpet has this feeling of optimism. I really like that drum fill at ~1:37, very quick and sharp to wake you up. No characters or moments are coming to mind, but I do feel this optimistic frustration. The drums in this track have some great attitude, especially with these fun off-the-cuff fills and rhythm choices. 
   
   
6. "Soul Of things, Var. 6": Each track has this somber start to before it takes shape. It would be interesting if each variation was the same start to an evening, but for different people in the setting, whether it's a town or a city. Maybe it's the start of the day, but I prefer the idea that it's the start of an evening especially when looking at the cover. The cover looks, to me, like the artist painting themselves looking at a sunset. This track has a warm, relaxed feeling to it. A child going to bed, wrapped in a blanket, saying goodbye to the day. 
   
   
7. "Soul Of things, Var. 7" Fun symbol play starts this song off. It feels like it's an industrial park. It has this very slight menacing feel. Perhaps its a gang coming out for the night, like cats slinking out from their hideouts to explore the dark streets. Unlike the previous track, this feels like its saying hello to the night, but in a forlorn way. Perhaps the character(s) are going to something they don't wish to do. At ~3:33 the music takes a mellow and somber shift; perhaps it's bad news? All of a sudden I get this feeling of a bird flying over the street where two groups are fighting and it feels sorry for them, as they won't ever know the peace of flying over the streets, of flying above the problems. 
   
   
8. "Soul Of things, Var. 8": I get this homey vibe to this song. It's like all is well, or like a restaurant/deli owner enjoying the calm of a lull. Business is good, but it's always nice to catch a breath. At ~0:55 business starts to trickle in for the late-night rush. It keeps ramping up. The drums carry this moment. The 2nd half evokes the feeling of closing up the shop. 
   
   
9. "Soul Of things, Var. 9": Immediately I get feeling of being high at the top of a tall tower looking down, unsure how to get back down. Somber reflections. Perhaps we are being transported to the dusty corners of this person's mind as they ramble through their memories. At ~4:00 I start getting a different vibe: an old man burning time in his apartment. Everyone he knows is gone, and his favorite hangouts have been sold off to become new clubs. He just sits, listening to old records and dogs barking outside in the ally, just waiting for it all to end. Somber song. 
   
   
10. "Soul Of things, Var. 10": This immediately gives off the vibe of a young person hitting the town for fun! Perhaps a budding jazz singer prepping for a night of performance.The song has a great groove! Again, the bass has this on lock-down with the drums, solid rhythm section. Some excellent soloing from the trumpet on this song as well. The night feels alive! It feels like they are performing a jazz concert in these short little bursts of ideas. At ~4:15 the concert is over and the young performer is riding an adrenaline high off into the night, looking for good times. The drums feel like the quiet sound of traffic in the street. 
    
    
11.  "Soul Of things, Var. 11": The bass sounds much like Jaco Pastorius in this song. This has a slight drunk feel to it, like someone who's been day drinking and is now trying to stumble home in the twilight. The tone is indignant like they're trying not to care while people stare and judge them on the walk home. There feels like some minor arguments on the way. At ~3:30 it feels like they're attempting the difficult task of ascending the stairs. At ~4:00 they've finally made it into their home and they're trying to get settled in. It's off-kilter because of the stupor, but it all sounds more deliberate than the beginning of the song as if the character has sobered up. 
    
    
12. "Soul Of things, Var. 12": I get the feeling of a cab driver working the evening. It's their Nth night straight. The trills and shocks of the night no longer surprise them. They're just cruising through the night  trying to get by. This track was underwhelming to me compared to the rest of the album. Perhaps it's album burnout, but I can't be sure. It seems to lack the cohesion of the previous performances. 
    
    
13. "Soul Of things, Var. 13": Very delicate. The trumpet solo starts off this song. I'm amazed at true single instrument solos and how musical it can be with nothing behind it. At ~1:33 the rest of the band joins in on a delicious chord. The trumpet solo feels like a baby's cooing and cries. The band feels like a mother tending to the baby/trumpet with warmth and understanding. I'd like to think it's the city embracing its inhabitants regardless of who they are or what they're doing. It only wants the best for the people and its streets. It also feels like a nostalgic goodbye, knowing that when you return it won't be the same anymore. Honestly, this is a great album closer. 

Overall Thoughts: Given that each track is called variation number ___ I very much feel like each song is a story/narrative. I enjoy the idea that it's a single night inside a city and you're hearing stories from the various characters. It created a movie-like experience that felt unique. I loved 95% of this album. This was a stark emotional contrast from the anxiety The Bad Plus shared with their listeners. 

Info: This album was released on March 11th, 2002 through the ECM label. It was produced by Manfred Eicher and recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway. Tomasz Stańko is a Polish jazz trumpet player who's been active since the 1960s. He wrote this album with a trio of musicians he mentored, which gives the music an intimate feeling. It makes sense because they can share the nuances of their relationship with the listener. It features Tomasz Stańko on trumpet, Marcin Wasilewski on piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass, and Michal Miskiewicz on drums. 

Buy the album here