Polish trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stańko was (and still is) one of the biggest stars on ECM, in part due to his mastery of the kind of atmospheric jazz the powerhouse German label made famous. ‘Twas not always thus in Stańko’s world, however, as this lovely vinyl reissue makes clear. Originally released in 1975, Balladnya kicks off, appropriately enough, with “First Song,” a groovy, bluesy stomper featuring saxophonist Tomasz Szuklaski, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Edward Vesala that may well surprise longtime fans of Stańko classics like Dark Eyes or Suspended Night. That’s not where the bristling energy ends, either – written by Vesala and driven by Holland’s free-range thrum, “Num” wanders all over the map, from roiling free jazz to mysterious cool jazz to a sort of havering barroom blare. Elsewhere, the bandleader imbues the nervous “Tales” (co-composed by Holland and Vesala), the twisting “Last Song” (which it isn’t), and the epic title track with a seething power that belies tempo and goes straight for the throat. Only on the album-closing “Nenalina” does Stańko drift into the smoky phantoms we came to love. Far more faithful to Stańko’s roots in free jazz than to the chamber jazz that made him a star in the States, Balladnya is a stunning calling card longtime fans of both the artist and the label need to hear.
