David Simmons
Will They Miss Me / Hard And Heavy

After the well-received, sold-out on the spot seven-inch single containing "Monika" and "Zabawa w ciemności", as well as a special repress for the renowned German shop HHV, the time has come for a full-length album entitled "Zbliżenie" presenting nine never before released compositions by the Henryk Debich's Orchestra.Over the last two years, Astigmatic Records have been digging through the Radio Łódź archives, listening to hundreds of recordings of the local Orchestra conducted by Henryk Debich. As a result, 13 gems were selected from the period between 1974 and 1977, which was also the time when the Holy Grail of Polish jazz-funk was created: the highly sought after by record collectors in all corners of the globe "String Beat" album. At the beginning of the year, the first vinyl from the series of releases under the baton of Maestro came out. It was a seven-inch record entitled "Monika/Zabawa w ciemności". The next in line is the long-awaited album "Zbliżenie" ("The Close-up"), initially planned for June, but postponed to September due to overloaded pressing plants."Zbliżenie" is a longplay packed with groove, pulsating drums, powerful brass and string sections, and unique, previously unreleased compositions. The album's title is not that random, as, apart from the B-side opening track under the same title, we take a closer look at the period when the Łódź Orchestra, thanks to the "angry youngsters" such as Jacek Malinowski, Mirosław Racewicz, Jacek Delong, Andrzej Żylis and Zbigniew Karwacki, was exploring the genre taking the West by storm – Jazz-Funk. In the seventies, despite having over twenty years of experience, the Łódź Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Television was reinventing itself, sounding ever more modern and exciting with every passing year. Depending on the piece, there could be from forty to seventy musicians performing! The orchestra smoothly maneuvered between funk and disco, touching on illustrative music and jazz.Upon the project's completion, it turned out that 2021 will be a year of many anniversaries. 18 January marked the 100th birthday anniversary of the legendary conductor and founder of the Łódź Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Television, while July marked 20 years since he is no longer with us. What's more, Radio Łódź, Debich's home away from home for almost half a century, celebrated its 80th anniversary, and 30 years ago the Orchestra he managed until the very end was disbanded.

Few funk groups have had as far-reaching an influence as New Orleans band The Meters, the project of keyboardist/vocalist Art Neville, and the famed house band of Allen Toussaint. During their mid-60s-to-late-70s heyday they released a heavy mixture of instrumental and vocal albums and singles of Louisiana-inflected soul, R&B, and funk music that continues to inspire and marvel, and get covered by groups and artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jaco Pastorius, Widespread Panic, and even The Grateful Dead. A major change occurred for the band, leading up to the release of their 1972 album Cabbage Alley; Josie Records, the label which had long the home of The Meters, went bankrupt. The band left Josie for Reprise Records, which brought a crisp, and slicker sound, as well as a newfound interest in both reggae music, and the works of Professor Longhair. Cabbage Alley featured 10 Toussaint-produced cuts of funky New Orleans splendor, (And even a Neil Young cover) with less of their signature instrumental jams, and more of Art Neville's vocals taking the forefront. It may not have been the widespread success Josie albums like Look-Ka Py Py and Struttin' were, but Cabbage Alley was still a rock-solid collection of funk, and a sign of greater things to come from their time at Reprise.