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One of the most soul-based albums in Michal Urbaniak's catalog – a session originally done with TK records during the height of their dancefloor years, fitted up with some really great clubby grooves! The sound here is a mix of fusion and soul – done in a way that still gives Urbaniak plenty of room to solo on violin, sax, and keys – but which also sets up a warmer groove overall and really lets the vocals come center stage. Urszula Dudziak sings on about half the tracks – and other vocals are by Kenyatta and Calvin Brown – and the jazzy inflections of the tune really set this apart from lots of the other Miami disco on Marlin, giving the record a much deeper feel overall, and a quality that's held up very nicely through the years! Dark edges mix with warmer moments nicely, almost in a Roy Ayers way – and titles include "A Day In The Park", "Just A Funky Feeling", "Body Rub", "Ecstasy", "Creation", and "Want's Ta Make You Feel Good".

A pretty sweet 70s session from Michal Urbaniak – done in the same heavy funk style as his bigger label recordings of the time, with a solid blend of electric rhythms and some nice trippy solo work! The core of the group is Urbaniak on violin and lyricon, Urszula Dudziak on voice and percussion, and the great Zbigniew Namyslowski on alto sax and flute – and Kenny Kirkland adds more than a few nice touches on Fender Rhodes and mini moog. Jamming is at a minimum, and the tunes really keep a strong rhythmic pulse – making for a good set that's filled with jazz funk groovers! Titles include "Stray Sheep", "Always Ready", "Jasmine Lady", "Strife", and "Tie Breaker".

Michal Urbaniak's third Fusion set for Columbia – very fittingly titled, considering what a huge influence his playing had on the genre! The album's a very tight batch of groovers – soaring and spacious, but never overindulgent – sometimes featuring scatting vocals by wife Urszula Dudziak, and also sporting strong rhythms from drummers Gerald Brown and Steve Gadd – both of whom really bring a nice solid bottom to the set, and help keep things focused! Yet then again, Urbaniak's always been one of the more focused players of his generation – especially on American recordings like this. There's lots of keyboards and electric grooving in the mix – and titles include "Chinatown", "Bloody Kishka", "Cameo", "Stretch", "Metroliner", "Roskana", and "Kuyaviak Goes Funky".

A wonderful album of hip jazzy vocals from Urszula Dudziak – an amazing singer who was sort of Poland's version of Flora Purim! Like Flora, Urszula had a fierce scatting and riffing style that broke way past the work of earlier female jazz singers – and she always applied this style to some wonderfully catchy arrangements and tight grooves, using the voice as a heavily fused-up instrument. Also like Flora, Urszula had some good help from her husband – Polish jazz legend Michal Urbaniak, who produced and played on the album, along with friend of the family, the wonderful altoist Zbigniew Namyslovski. Tracks include a great version of Komeda's "The Cats", plus the tracks "Moontag", "Future Talk", "Klick", "Quiet Afternoon", and "Double Bounce".

A massive bit of funky fusion from the 70s – an album that was crucially overlooked at the time, but which has gone onto become a crate-diggers classic over the years! The group's fronted by Polish jazz legends Michal Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak – but it also features a fair bit of American players too – all working together in a blend of the best funky fusion modes going down in both the US and Eastern Europe in the mid 70s! Drums on the set are totally great – played by Steve Gadd or Gerald Brown, depending on the track – and some tracks have weird vocal bits that riff around the instrumentation, sung either by Urszula, Bernard Kafka, or some other backing singers. The keyboards are great – quite tripped-out at times, but never too over the top – and overall, the album's a fair bit more soulful and funky than most of Urbaniak's other work of the 70s. Titles include the killer sample track "Rien Ne Va Plus" – used famously by the Beastie Boys many years back – plus "After The World Goes Home", "Funk It", "Sinkin Low", "Next Please", "Horsing Around", and "Watusi Dance".

One of the few non-Polish albums issued by Polish alto genius Zbigniew Namyslowski – a really great player who rarely got any Western exposure during the Soviet era! The set's got a tight funky fusion feel – reeds mixed with Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums – all in a blend of soulful lines and freer moments, not unlike the complex groove you'd get on 70s work from Sonny Fortune! Michal Urbaniak produced the record, but the overall feel is much more spacious than his own records – a good sense of groove that really makes things sit right. Titles include "Hobble", "Ohh-Hah", "Tango", "Mango Boogie", and "Pastorale".

One of the few cats who could ever make us learn to love the violin in jazz – presented here in a host of classic 70s albums for Atlantic Records! By the time of these sides, Ponty had already been making some key sounds in the European and American scenes for a decade or more – yet these records really showcase a new evolution of his style – one that really picks up strongly from the growth of fusion in the 70s, and finds a perfect space for the violin next to the keyboards, reeds, and grooves! The change is somewhere in the territory of Michal Urbaniak, yet possibly not as freewheeling – showing a soulful focus that really helped these records reach heights that Ponty wouldn't have expected when working with Frank Zappa. The set features the full albums Upon The Wings Of Love, Aurora, Imaginary Voyage, Enigmatic Ocean, and Cosmic Messenger – all in tiny LP-styled sleeves!

A dozen smooth soul groovers and modern R&B numbers – all selected with the groove of the Chicago Stepper's scene firmly in mind! Titles include "Star Steppin" by Peaches & Herb, "Vanessa" by Michal Urbaniak, "After Midnite" by Ray Parker Jr, "Family" by Hubert Laws, "Genie" by BBQ Band, "Good To Go (Scotty mix)" by Hammer, "Super Cautious Girl" by Hinton Battle, "Late Night" by Doug Cameron, and "I'll Be Here For You" by Bohannon.

Some of the hippest work we've ever heard from German clarinetist Rolf Kuhn – a beautiful set from the 60s, and one that's filled with modern touches, but never goes too far out! Rolf's clarinet is definitely sharper here than in the decade before – informed by much of the modern jazz changes around him, and stretching out in space that's nicely open, and often moved along with some modal rhythms on the bottom. As with some of his other European contemporaries, Kuhn manages to use the instrument in completely new ways than before – no trad jazz clarinet lines that echo Benny Goodman's generation – and instead, an extremely evocative sound that often carries some nicely exotic overtones. The rest of the group's great too – and includes brother Joachim Kuhn on piano, Michal Urbaniak on tenor and soprano sax, and Czeslaw Bartkowski on drums. Titles include "Lady Orsina", "Mountain Jump", "Minor Impressions", "Solarius", and "Soldat Tadeusz".

Some of the hippest work we've ever heard from German clarinetist Rolf Kuhn – a beautiful set from the 60s, and one that's filled with modern touches, but never goes too far out! Rolf's clarinet is definitely sharper here than in the decade before – informed by much of the modern jazz changes around him, and stretching out in space that's nicely open, and often moved along with some modal rhythms on the bottom. As with some of his other European contemporaries, Kuhn manages to use the instrument in completely new ways than before – no trad jazz clarinet lines that echo Benny Goodman's generation – and instead, an extremely evocative sound that often carries some nicely exotic overtones. The rest of the group's great too – and includes brother Joachim Kuhn on piano, Michal Urbaniak on tenor and soprano sax, and Czeslaw Bartkowski on drums. Titles include "Lady Orsina", "Mountain Jump", "Minor Impressions", "Solarius", and "Soldat Tadeusz".