henryk debich: dyskusja / busz
Francisco Espregueira
Hailing from Poland, Astigmatic Records has been presenting some very special works from Henryk Debich, regarded as the founder, leader and conductor of the funkiest orchestra in Eastern Europe. In 2021 Astigmatic brought us Monika / Zabawa w ciemności and Zbliżenie, showcasing practically unavailable on the market compositions from the unquestionable artistry of Henryk Debich and his orchestra. Dyskusja / Busz marks the end of the trilogy, originally intended 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, making this last and important installment to drop last friday, a few days after Henryk Debich's 101st birthday anniversary. We were waiting for it.
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. Henryk Debich and his 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. This project came to fruition following Astigmatic’s research through hundreds of archives of Radio Łódź. 13 gems from the period 1974-1977 were selected, which was also the time of the creation for the Holy Grail of Polish jazz-funk - the album String Beat, sought after by record collectors in every latitude. More than forty years after, the music from Debich’s orchestra sounds ever more modern and exciting which makes the work from the Polish label truly remarkable. Dyskusja / Busz is available on vinyl for the many aficionados of this genre’s gems, while the previous installments might already sold out. Jazz Funk from the communist time is still in demand!