Development of a musical personality usually runs through typical stages: from basing on traditional aesthetic and formal patterns via establishing own vision of art to - very frequently - total rejection of classical inspiration ahd creating "new" music. Krzysztof Zgraja's career took quite an opposite course. Being a versatile, trained musician, a graduate of Instrumental and Theory and Composition Departments of the Katowice Academy of Music, he was particularly interested in contemporary music and contemporary composition techniques. Thus, he turned his attention to that kind of jazz that would allow for sonoristic experiments and formal exsplorations, that is - free jazz. The results were quite effective, still the composer decided to withdraw from this nowhere-to-go road to turn back to Tradition to penetrate and study sources of the present image of jazz. This "back-to-the-roots" movement was apparently and convincibly fruitful; it turned out that the blues, be bop, straight-ahead jazz, latin music, combined with experience and erudition can expose to the world new qualities, new colours and emotions. Zgraja's turn to Tradition resulted, among others, in cutting this album. You will not find, however, any of the well-known standards on this record but the climate, flavour and essence of jazz are evident. The record is a picturesque collage of what is most important, most fascinating in jazz today. You will find then the blues, a classical ballad, a melody rooted in Andalusian music and a funky-jazz miniature - all flavoured with other, colouristic ingredients. The composer still continues to exploit a limited range of electronic sound-shaping equipment to multiply and process the sound of his flutes - eg. echoplex, triplex, harmonizer and flanger. They are frequently used as a playback-produced counterpoint wich results in creation of a multi-dimensional and colourful phenomenon. This, combined with a unique invention of the musicians gives an effect that cannot be missed. "Luz Blues" (Take-It-Easy Blues) with the most traditional exposition of the theme, vigorous and Spanish-like "La Concha" with a superbe solo of the guest star Zbigniew Namyslowski and an obsessive theme of the title tune "Laokoon" these are the titles that deserve special recognition. After all, the whole record will not loosen your attention even for a while, which must be credited both to the author and composer of all tunes Krzysztof Zgraja and to the collaborating musicians who, being sort of differently shaped musicians did not fail to find the formula for common playing. lt´s a great and fascinating record, indeed.

Kazimierz Czyz