Maciej Sadowski - I Have Absolutely Nothing to Say, so Listen (2021)

Polish double bassist Maciej Sadowski is a multi-faceted talent; he is a composer, producer, and session musician with extensive experience in many different genres. Especially passionate about jazz, he is a prolific performer who regularly plays around one hundred concerts a year on both domestic and foreign soil. He has contributed to a range of high-profile projects including performances with the Gdansk Jazz Quintet with Cezary Paciorek and Maciej Sikała (Expo Milano 2015), Krystyna Durys at Jazz Java Festival (the world’s largest jazz festival) in Indonesia, a large international cooperation of classic musicians from Eastern and Central Europe as part of I, CULTURE Orchestra, and numerous jazz festivals. Accolades include recognition from the readers of Jazz Forum—naming Sadowski as one of the best Polish double bass players—and earning the title of “Musician of the Year 2019”, bestowed by esteemed independent critic Adam Baruch (Polish Jazz). Sadowski’s proficiency is no doubt bolstered by a Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Studies, a Master’s Degree in Jazz and Stage Music (Moniuszko Music Academy), and his graduation from film music composition workshops led by Oscar winner Jan A.P. Kaczmarek.

Sadowski currently runs three original projects: LowBow, an instrumental project arranged for two cellos and double basses—possibly the first of its kind—that focuses on the fusion of classical and contemporary chamber music with elements of improvisation, the Maciej Sadowski Kwadrat, a rather unusual jazz quartet (drums, double bass, trumpet, and saxophone by Tomasz Koper, Sadowski, Dawid Lipka, and Michał Jan Ciesielski respectively), and the Gdańsk Necropolitan Orchestra (with Dawid Lipka). Sadowski also manages independent music label Eastrings Records.

I Have Absolutely Nothing to Say, so Listen is the composer’s step into new territory; it is the synthesis of a vast array of musical experiences that span jazz, classical, pop, folk, ethnic, and electronic music. The fascinating eight-track LP is a feast of musical offerings from Sadowski and his global collaborators, an intricate and often troubling journey through captivating sonic spaces. The mood is often brooding, an album thick with substance and story, a layered and highly textural experience that is appropriately uncomfortable and reflective of a year of stretching, breaking, and growth. Instrumentally, Sadowski employs heavy use of strings, synth, and drums, interlaced with fascinating moments of trumpet, electric guitar, piano, and—surprisingly—a full vocal piece with French collaborator Lario Nowhere. It is a truly unique offering in a landscape of “same”, a progressive modern-classical work that pulls from enthralling places.

“The album is an audio record of experiences and emotions evoked by the unique, difficult, and life-changing pandemic period. The unconventional title relates directly to my creative process. I am not an art theorist, a musical philosopher who transfers certain coherent theories to the keyboard or scores. My experiences naturally turn into music in my head. Only after time, through various associations and external triggers, I find echoes of personal events and feelings in my music. I would like to allow my audience to experience a similar search—without suggesting any methods of interpretation or themes. I aimed for a universal artistic message. Despite cultural differences, geographical distance, or different experiences, people share the same emotions which can be found in the material. This universal presentation, combined with the universal chaos that we have been experiencing over the last two years, gave final shape to this album. As the whole idea originated from the pandemic, I needed to think beyond concert performances. With my friends from around the world, we managed to create a rich, colourful body of music that is both multi-level and complex—almost impossible to play live. In the center of composition, arrangement, and recording, I was finally able to focus only on the sound that came out of my imagination.”
—Maciej Sadowski