Przecisk



‘Przecisk’ seems to be the Polish for “pipe jacking”, “moling” or “ramming” – all terms that were meaningless to me this morning. Apparently, they describe the trenchless method of constructing pipelines and tunnels, using machines that burrow underground like a mole. But, in this case, I think the colloquial meaning of “squeezing through” or “pushing through” is more likely. Whether that is physically squeezing through small gaps or mentally breaking out of a psychological trap, I couldn’t say – it’s an instrumental track, after all, and my knowledge of Polish is non-existent.

A sample track from the newly released album by sneaky jesus.

Curiously, this was one of two tracks in my Release Radar playlist this week by artists with ‘Jesus’ in their name. This one is from For Better Future, the third studio album by sneaky jesus, which was released on 15th May. The band was formed in the early Spring of 2019 and has become well-established in Polish jazz circles.

Poland-based quartet balancing on the line between experiment and jazz.

Their Spotify artist page

I would describe the band’s style as jazz with a groove. It’s laid back, but never soporific. It borrows from multiple genres, but doesn’t imitate any of them. In short, it takes conventional ideas, mixes them up, and creates something unique and appealing. That is the very definition of good art (in any medium).

Piecing together scraps of information from online sources, I believe the band’s original lineup was:

  • Matylder Gerber, tenor and baritone saxophones
  • Maciej Forreiter, guitar
  • Beniamin Łasiewicki, bass
  • Filip Baczyński, drums

Michał Wdowikowski replaced Baczyński on the drums before the latest album was recorded. And their bass player was unavailable for the new album, so Franciszek Pospieszalski took his place.

And that’s all I’ve been able to squeeze out of the Internet for now. On the way, I have learned new English words for ‘tunnelling’ and one Polish word whose meaning is somewhat similar. I have enjoyed listening to the tunes on For Better Future, too. Oh, there’s one more thing … Google Lens tells me that the T-shirt that Maciej Forreiter is wearing in the photo below reads “Napalm Death”, which is the name of an English grindcore band. I will leave you to look them up if you are curious.

The original members of sneaky jesus, I think.

One thought on “Przecisk

  1. Hiraeth's avatar

    I‘m just listening to their new album while walking to the bus. It reminds me of my most beloved Jazz artists like Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, John Surman, Eberhard Weber etc. But as you write still unique, I love it.

    Liked by 1 person

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