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WM Project
Starting at the beginning of this year, Krzysztof Medyna and Andrzej Winnicki (Komeda Project alumni), set out to put a new and entirely different project together. So, the WM Project was born. In March they got a bunch of amazing New York City musicians together to record a new CD.
Here's the line-up: Jeremy Pelt on trumpet (five-time DownBeat & Jazz Journalists Association Rising Star Award winner), Marshall Gilkes on trombone (awarded a title of a Rising Star in the latest DownBeat Magazine critics poll and a double 2016 Grammy nominee), Krzysztof Medyna (Komeda Project alumnus) on tenor sax, Rafal Sarnecki on guitar, Andrzej Winnicki (Komeda Project alumnus) on piano, Jeff Dingler on bass and Michael Winnicki on drums.
The title of the CD is "From a Familiar Place". It contains two widely known standards: "Mercy, Mercy Mercy" by Joe Zawinul and "Take Five" by Paul Desmond (of Dave Brubeck Quartet fame) as well as 7 originals.
While WM Project is a brand-new constellation, the musical masterminds behind it, pianist Andrzej Winnicki and tenor saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna, go back a long way. In the 90's, they have played together in the fusion group Electric Breakwater ("In the Bush" CD with Mark Egan on bass and Rodney Holmes on drums), and have furthered appreciation of Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda through their widely acclaimed Komeda Project. KP's "Requiem", featuring bassist Scott Colley, drummer Nasheet Waits and trumpeter Russ Johnson, made the list of Top New Albums in The Village Voice Critics Poll: 2009.
Now the time is ripe for another beginning. Their new album From a Familiar Place is a personal project for Winnicki and Medyna whose surnames are ingrained in the name: WM Project. The music sums up a long life lived with jazz, but also looks forward to the future. Winnicki’s own son, Michael Winnicki, is a highly talented drummer and brings youthful energy to original compositions and classics like Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” and Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”. In fact, rhythm is the essence of the group, as Medyna explains: “"The only thing I care about is groove which we have in both re-worked tunes. We need to stay in tune with the African-American roots of jazz".
These roots of rhythm also include hip-hop that provided inspiration for the grooves used on the tunes. As Winnicki says: “Arrangements for both ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ and ‘Take Five’ started with a groove.
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WM Project: From a Familiar Place
by Dan McClenaghan
The WM Project, led by saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna and pianist Andrzej Winnicki, doesn't sound much like the Komeda Project. Medyna and Winnicki have earned well-deserved acclaim for their work in that ensemble that explores the music of their countryman, Krzysztof Komeda. But here, instead of the Polish melancholy, haunting themes and brooding melodies, they take From A Familiar Place into the more American realm of straight ahead, at times even brash bebop with, always, big solid grooves. Two ...
read moreWM Project releases debut From a Familiar Place featuring Jeremy Pelt, Marshall Gilkes and Rafal Sarnecki
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All About Jazz
WM Project has released their debut album From a Familiar Place on WM Records. While WM Project is a brand-new constellation, the musical masterminds behind it, pianist Andrzej Winnicki and tenor saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna, go back a long way. They have played together in the fusion group Electric Breakwater, and have furthered appreciation of Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda through their widely acclaimed Komeda Project. KP's Requiem, featuring bassist Scott Colley, drummer Nasheet Waits and trumpeter Russ Johnson, made ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy feat. Jeremy Pelt
From: From a Familiar PlaceBy WM Project