CD review: Daniel Toledo Quartet – Fletch 2020: Video, CD cover

Daniel Toledo is a bass player and composer from Ecuador for whom Poland has become the second home. The credit goes to Pianohooligan, i.e. Piotr Orzechowski, with whom Toledo made friends while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Valencia. As he recalls: When I came to Poland for the first time about six years ago at the invitation of Piotr, it was a completely new world for me.

However, it soon turned out that I felt great here, and the relationships that I managed to establish then turned out to be very honest and lasting. Friendship with Orzechowski was sealed, among others two albums recorded in the trio (Elipse from 2014 and Atrium from 2017, each with a different drummer): I think the most important element of my acquaintance with Piotr is the fact that it goes far beyond music and this mutual understanding is felt in our joint projects.

The album Fletch recorded in the quartet is the latest proposal of Daniel Toledo as the leader and composer. This time, Kuba Więcek also appeared in the composition, along with Pianohooligan, one of the most versatile, talented and recognizable jazz musicians of the young generation. The line-up is complemented by the excellent and deserved drummer Michał Miśkiewicz – active for over 25 years, having at least many years of cooperation with Tomasz Stańko, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski and Marcin Wasilewski.

Our sound is the result of many ideas, inspirations and cultures. Communication matters most to us, but it is equally important to maintain our own character and individuality. Thanks to this, each of us is able to lead the team to the point where together we are able to create something fresh and surprising – sums up Toledo.

Weck’s instantly recognizable style, Orzechowski’s delightfully unpretentious, erudite play, the leader’s natural swing and compositional abilities, as well as Miśkiewicz’s versatility blend in in an extremely natural way. All these elements make up the music, which on the one hand impresses with maturity, perfect performance and realization, and on the other with absolute nonchalance, youthful energy and freshness.

A concert promoting the band’s new album “Fletch”. They consist of songs in which the tradition of European jazz, fueled by the element of improvisation, enters into a non-obvious dialogue with the music of South America, above all Ecuador. Daniel Toledo is thus trying to enter the music of his country unknown to the general public in a jazz idiom.

DANIEL TOLEDO Ecuadorian double bass player and composer. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Valencia, currently lecturing at the University of San Francisco in Quito. Winner of Jazz Envoys 2010, thanks to which he became part of Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop in Louisvile Kentucky. He performed at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. During numerous concert tours in Europe, Asia and the Americas, he toured, among others, with Ted Lo, John Backwell, Perico Sambeat, Yoron Israel, and Victor Mendoza.

PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI “PIANOHOOLIGAN” Pianist, improviser, composer. A graduate of Berklee College of Music. Winner of many prestigious awards and distinctions, hailed by critics as “the most creative and uncompromising artist of young Polish jazz”. After a loud victory at the Swiss Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition 2011, he performs all over the world, and his every album becomes an event. He collaborated with contemporary music giants such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Krzysztof Penderecki, outstanding figures of world jazz, such as Randy Brecker, Avishai Cohen, Victor Mendoza and Michał Urbaniak.

KUBA WIĘCEK Saxophonist and composer. Student of the prestigious Rhythmic Music Conservatorium in Copenhagen. Winner of many international competitions. He draws on many genres of music, from the classics, through European folklore or jazz, and ending with electronic, alternative or hip-hop music, that’s why in his private musical collection the recordings of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker lie next to the albums of such artists as Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Bon Iver, Flying Lotus and Kanye West. The album “Another Raindrop” is his phonographic debut, for which he received the prestigious Fryderyk Award.

MICHAŁ MIŚKIEWICZ Drummer with a recognizable style. At 16, he made his debut in the band of Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski. A year later Tomasz Stańko invited him to permanent cooperation. He is a member of the Marcin Wasilewski Trio, with whom he records for the prestigious ECM label and gives concerts around the world. He collaborated with the leading Polish jazz, he also had the opportunity to give concerts and record with the biggest names of the jazz world, such as Buster Williams, Billy Harper, Dino Saluzzi, Arthur Blythe, Joe Lovano, John Surman, Mike Turner, Gregoire Maret, Anders Jormin, Palle Daniellson, Bobo Stenson and Charles Lloyd.

1 Fletch (4:02)
2 Blue Star (6:49)
3 Meek (5:53)
4 Reflections (5:32)
5 Key Stone (7:41)
6 Spiral Pin (9:23)
7 Alerting (4:40)

Kuba Więcek – alto sax
Piotr Orzechowski – piano
Daniel Toledo – bass
Michal Miśkiewicz – drums