Eabs Slavic Spirits Vinyl

Polish septet EABS apply an innovative approach to jazz, distilling it through the prism of hip-hop, blending it with elements of soul, funk and electronic music. ‘Slavic Spirits’ was 2 years in the making and contains 100% original material. They are joined by 22a head-honcho Tenderlonious who lends his exceptional soprano saxophone and flute playing to all seven tracks.

After their very well-received 2017 debut album ‘Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)’, focusing on the lesser-known works of the legendary Polish composer, the Wroclaw-based EABS decided to further expand this lead and released two more vinyl records, ‘Live At Jazz Club Hipnoza (Katowice)’ and ‘Kraksa / Svantetic’, the latter recorded directly on tape and released via 22a, which crowned the “Komeda triptych”. The astounding reception of these releases built up loyal following outside of their native Poland and whet listeners’ appetite for completely new recordings.

For this LP the musicians turned to Slavic mythology and Polish demonology, while pondering upon the contemporary spiritual condition of Poles. The enigmatic “Slavic melancholy” remains the main inspiration, as the band tried to extract it from their own DNA. ‘Slavic Spirits’ is an endeavour to get in touch with the world of a long and brutally lost culture which, due to lack of sources, will never be thoroughly explored.

Personnel: Marek Pedziwiatr (piano, synths & vocal), Vojto Monteur (guitar), Pawel Stachowiak (bass), Jakub Kurek (trumpet), Olaf Wegier (tenor saxophone), Marcin Rak (drums), Spisek Jednego (samples, sound fx & percussion), special guest: Tenderlonious (soprano saxophone & flute)