JAZZ PO POLSKU: Michal Barański Masovian Mantra

Michał Barański – guitarist and double bassist, is one of the most creative, exploratory, and bold artists on the contemporary Polish jazz scene. His body of work, beyond club performances, concerts, and educational activities, includes dozens of albums recorded alongside leaders representing various, sometimes extreme, corners of the music world.

A brief selection of albums that paint a musical portrait of Michał Barański includes Presence by the Triology trio with his mentor Brad Terry (2000), featuring Mateusz Kołakowski and Tomasz Torres; Assymetry with Zbigniew Namysłowski’s band (2006); Umiera Piękno by Aga Zaryan (2007); Early Reflections with the Bennie Maupin Quartet (2008); and Sacrum Profanum with Adam Bałdych’s quartet. His biography features nearly every key name in Polish jazz, including Zbigniew Namysłowski, Tomasz Stańko, and Michał Urbaniak. Recently, he has been studying Indian Carnatic music and actively demonstrating Indian vocal percussion (Konnakol).

Masovian Mantra is a fusion of at least three musical threads that Barański and his ensemble—including Shachar Elnatan (guitar), Michał Tokaj (piano), Łukasz Żyta (drums), Bodek Janke (tabla), Kuba Więcek (saxophone), Kacper Malisz (violin), Joachim Mencel (hurdy-gurdy), Olga Stopińska (vocals), Jan Smoczyński (accordion), and Dziadek Tadek (recitation)—seek to merge into a single sonic space. These elements include Indian music, Polish folk traditions (symbolized by the triple-meter mazurka), and the sound of contemporary jazz, drawing inspiration from the 1970s.

One can trace influences from legendary figures such as Ravi Shankar, the group Shakti with John McLaughlin, and the rhythmic Indian vocal practice of Konnakol, alongside Polish jazz pioneers like Zbigniew Namysłowski (with whom Barański recorded Assymetry), Tomasz Stańko (notably his famous journey to the Taj Mahal), the group Osjan, and Sławomir Kulpowicz’s collaborations with sitar virtuoso Shujaat Khan.

The ethnic influences in Masovian Mantra are rooted in the folk traditions of southern Mazovia, characterized by dominant triple-meter mazurka rhythms. Attentive listeners will also detect elements inspired by jazz fusion and ethno-fusion, reminiscent of Weather Report, Pat Metheny, and the Joe Zawinul Syndicate, as well as the modern stylistic approaches of artists increasingly recognized by audiences and critics, such as Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan, whom Barański cites as an influence.

Expanding the list of inspirations, one must also mention the elite bassists and pioneers of modern bass guitar playing, including the legendary Jaco Pastorius, as well as contemporary greats like Avishai Cohen and Hadrien Feraud.