Spark of Life (album)

Spark of Life is an album by the Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joakim Milder recorded in March 2014 and released on ECM October later that year. The trio features rhythm section Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz, with Milder on sax appearing on five tracks.^[1][2][3]

Spark of Life
Studio album by the Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joakim Milder
Released	October 7, 2014
Recorded	March 2014
Studio	Auditorio Radiotelevisione svizzera Lugano, Switzerland
Genre	Jazz
Length	73:44
Label	ECM 2400
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Marcin Wasilewski chronology
Faithful (2010) Spark of Life (2014)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Guardian	[4]
All About Jazz	[5]

In JazzTimes Jeff Tamarkin wrote, "Wasilewski and his compatriots habitually roll out one stately, even-tempered melody after the next, giving each plenty of simmer time before ultimately coming out the other side, regardless of what happens along the way, without having broken a sweat. (This is an ECM record, after all.)"^[6]

The Guardian's John Fordham observed, "It’s all right up to Wasilewski Trio standards, and Milder is a shadowy but fascinating presence."^[4]

On All About Jazz John Kelman observed, "Spark of Life is another stellar collection from a trio predicated on the value of longevity and leveraging the opportunities this now late-thirty-something trio has been afforded to build a language all its own ... With the addition of Milder on roughly half of this 74-minute program, the Marcin Wasilewski Trio has managed to retain its core strengths while adding something new to avoid any pitfalls of predictability."^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Marcin Wasilewski, except where indicated.

1. "Austin" - 7:07
2. "Sudovian" - 6:28
3. "Spark of Life" - 6:33
4. "Do Rycerzy, Do Szlachy, Do Mieszczan" (Pawel Krawczyk, Katarzyna Nosowska, Marcin Żabiełowicz) - 4:37
5. "Message in a Bottle" (Sting) - 7:36
6. "Sleep Safe and Warm" (Krzysztof Komeda) - 6:55
7. "Three Reflections" - 8:33
8. "Still" (Joakim Milder) - 6:44
9. "Actual Proof" (Herbie Hancock) - 6:05
10. "Largo" (Grażyna Bacewicz) - 8:05
11. "Spark of Life" - 5:01

Personnel

Marcin Wasilewski Trio

• Marcin Wasilewski – piano
• Slawomir Kurkiewicz – bass
• Michal Miskiewicz – drums

Guest

• Joakim Milder – tenor saxophone (tracks 2–4, 6 & 8)

References

1. ECM Releases accessed October 24, 2016
2. Marcin Wasilewski Catalog accessed October 24, 2016
3. Marcin Wasilewski Trio discography accessed October 24, 2016
4. Fordham, J., The Guardian Review, October 24, 2014
5. Kelman, J., All About Jazz Review, accessed October 24, 2016
6. Tamarkin, J. JazzTimes Review November 2014

External links

• Marcin Wasilewski Trio at culture.pl