Various Artists - Polish Funk Parts I & II

A definite "unique selection" of grooves here -- not just because the rare tracks are all from 70s Poland, but also because most of them have never been reissued either! The package is a wonderful introduction to the kinds of grooves we've been digging from Poland for years -- that mad mix of jazz, funk, fusion, electric, and vocal elements that somehow managed to flourish wonderfully during the 70s years of Soviet control -- a real musical marvel, considering the setting -- and because of tight border control, very few of these tunes ever made it out to the west! The track selection differs a fair bit from the kinds of full length Polish jazz albums that have been released to date -- as many of the titles here are groovier, funkier, and more electric -- and in case you're wondering, there's also very little crossover with the Compost Polish jazz set from a few years back. Titles include "Sorcerer" by Big Band Katowice, "You Want Too Much" by ABC, "Shaft" by Henryk Debich, "Note In A Crest" by Jerzy Milian, "Listen To The Rhythm" by Breakout, "Past The Pile Of Piles" by Grazyna Lobaszewska I Ergo Band, "Qualified Galley Slave" by Piotr Figiel, "Whatcha Doin Mister" by Bemibek, "Introduction" by Novi Singers, and "Coda" by Czerwone Gitary.

A heady second helping of funky grooves from Poland -- an unlikely source, to be sure, but one that's filled with a huge amount of great tracks just waiting to be discovered by a global audience! This volume may well be even better than the first -- as it features a wealth of tunes that have a really unique approach -- not just attempts to copy American styles of funk, but some really original ways of approaching a groove! All tracks are from the Polskie Nagrania catalog, but a good number of them are on un-reissued albums that are so rare we've never seen them in the original -- including some great fusion, funky rock, and vocal titles alongside the more expected jazz. CD features titles that include "Further I Go" by Halina Frackowiak, "Atma" by Niebiesko Czarni, "Live By Yourself" by Zdzislawa Sosnicka, "Something Familiar" by Kryszstof Sadowski, "Back To The Old Colorful Days" by Wojciech Skowronski, "Princess" by Andrzej Zaucha, "You Will Want Me" by Czeslaw Niemen I Enigmatic, "Apha Centauri" by Grupa Organowa Krzysztofa Sadowskiego, and "I Shall Cover Your Eyes" by Maciej Kossowski.


Volume 1

Volume 2

Many thanks to Soul Diggs @ Heavy Weight Crates