Jaimie Branch
Fly Or Die

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the past year was very successful for the celebration of Henryk Debich's 100th birthday anniversary. The master's albums: Zbliżenie [Astigmatic Records] and Horyzonty [GAD Records] turned out to be a huge success, bringing great reviews and attracting huge interest. The continuation of the publishing series devoted to archival recordings was a bull's eye. Jazz Funk from the communist time is still in demand.Astigmatic Records presented the works of Henryk Debich and the Lodz PRiTV Orchestra in the form of a seven-inch single "Monika / Zabawa w ciemności", and then a full-fledged "Zblizenie" [eng. closeup] album. Both records are practically unavailable on the market. It is time to close the trilogy with the second 7" with two compositions by Jacek Malinowski entitled "Dyskusja / Busz." [eng.Discussion / Bush]The aforementioned publications showed the unquestionable artistry of Henryk Debich and his orchestra. In the seventies, the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra in Łódź, despite over twenty years of experience, was rediscovering itself and sounded more modern and interesting with each subsequent year. The orchestra efficiently moved between funk and disco genres, touching on illustrative music or jazz. The hallmarks were the groove, pulsating percussion, powerful brass and string sections. The added synthesiser plays a special role in these compositions by Jacek Malinowski recorded in 1977.The entire trilogy was to appear in the conductor's jubilee year 2021. Unfortunately, the difficult situation in the publishing market related to delays in presses around the world has caused a shift, so the last part of the trilogy will be released at the beginning of February 2022, a few days after Henryk Debich's 101st birthday anniversary. So, once again, we have a reason to celebrate the master's achievements.