Zbigniew Namysowski Modern Jazz Quartet : Lola

Originally released in 1964, and now much sought after by collectors and connoisseurs, original vinyl copies of this landmark Jazz album now sell for around 500. As the original sleeve notes stated, ‘jazz is inevitably associated with the United States’, and yet it has long been the case that other countries and cultures are able to bring a unique perspective to the music, as displayed on ‘Lola’, an album recorded in a pre-internet age by a hugely talented Polish quartet, at a time when the international exchange of ideas, let alone overseas travel, was extremely limited. Made up of seven original compositions, and a new take on the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II standard ‘Ol’ Man River’, ‘Lola’ draws on Polish folklore for inspiration, particularly highlander music.

Track Listing:
1. Piekna Lola, Kwiat Polnocy (Beautiful Lola, Flower of the North) – Zbigniew Namyslowski Modern Jazz Quartet
2. Leszek I Ludwig – Zbi