After the legendary MILOSC‘s†break-up, after Jacek Olter’s untimely passing, when each of us – Leszek Mozdzer, Mikolaj Trzaska, Maciek Sikala and me – pursued his own musical calling, I followed my alternative rock path. I realized a jazz band is about the team thing; this is exactly what I experienced for the most of the 90-ties, when we seemed to crush the clubs‘ walls and the hearts‘ barriers with our powerful, eclectic jazz. When in the fall of 1994 we met Lester Bowie, with whom we shared the pleasure of touring Poland in 1996 and getting together in the studio in 1997, our attitudes evidently changed. Lester, a charismatic personage and our good „uncle“, gave us enormous support, lavishly granting on us his attention, appreciation and experience. „Jazzmen will look down on you, because you’re a rocker. Rockers will suspect you, because you play jazz. Nevermind. Do what your heart tells you to do, walk down your own way – it’s about your progress, not about what they say“, he once told me. For some time I was involved in my rock experience with the unforgettable KURY band. When Jacek Olter, our scene’s great drummer and a special friend had died, my music world lay in ruin. I had to rebuild everything from a scratch, finding new friends, setting up new bands and goals. A lot of Polish fans asked me about jazz, yass and MILOSC; I told them I was planning to start a new group with the rhythm section of Gdansk-based, very well received PINK FREUD trio. I was also thinking about teaming up with the trumpet player Antoni Gralak, a long time friend of mine and a member of the great YOUNG POWER, TIE BREAK and GRAAL bands. When a young, talented Cracow’s saxophonist Marcin Slusarczyk joined us, we became a regular team. This record is a debut of a band, whose members are in no way debutants; they happen to be leaders and members of respected, well known groups. The idea of „Jitte“, the ten hand combat combination, comes from an advanced Shotokan karate kata. I thought it would correspond with our quintet work, which – I hope – is but a start of a long and fruitful collaboration. Have a pleasureable listen.Tymon Tymanski
