MEMENTO Z BANALNYM TRYPTYKIEM

Banal in name but not by nature....!

I have had something of a sheltered life regarding Jazz/Fusion, I am not an expert but know a bloody good album when I hear it - they say if you look hard enough you never know what may bite you - an obscure (to me) Polish Jazz Rock/Fusion band with an abbreviated name, an unpronounceable album title but with some very enthusiastic reviews, I had heard and been impressed by some other notable Polish bands and classical composers, so I looked for this particular album and lo and behold found a vinyl copy in Poland so duly thought despite the tacky "home made" appearance of the black and white photo on the cover and obscure record label I'd give it a whirl, and wow! what a fabulous album it has revealed itself to be - it has hardly been off my turntable since I received it, and here's why....

The first side is like a mini symphony, awash with synthesised orchestra, Dave Gilmour style guitar solos and electrifying keyboard passages, every second is a joy to listen to packed with so many ideas, hooks, twists and flourishes, the musicianship is excellent, the sound quality is rich and clear. The first sound before "My Land of Dreams" tricks you into thinking you may have bought a classical music LP by mistake - indeed a trick! The song kicks into a fast Jazz/Rock instrumental as sophisticated as any top class Jazz Rock you are ever likely to hear - it has a gloriously catchy theme, the song slows into the vocal section sung in Polish with another catchy hook line in the backing, then leads into a Genesis style build up, then another twist - a Funk style groove leading into another devilishly catchy hook line arrangement using lead guitar and piano, rousing to and a very fast guitar solo with orchestrated backing. The next song is the haunting "The Triangle of Joy", a slow magical instrumental which begins with a watery sounding effect on polymoog I would guess, backing a beautiful acoustic Spanish - style solo, then continues with a wash of synthesised keyboard overlaid with a complicated slightly distorted electric guitar solo, leading to the bluesy ending to the track. The third track "The Strategy of Pulse", is another tricky, catchy slab of Jazz/Funk overlaid with heavy distorted lead guitar - this style of this track is very reminiscent of early seventies Rock/Fusion bands such as Herbie Hancock and would stand up in comparison of quality very well indeed, it is that good!

Side 2 is taken up with the sprawling "Memento with a banal tryptych" - which is how it comes out in translation, but there is nothing banal about this music at all. This amazing piece begins with a grand introduction to a catchy melody, some very memorable hook lines. It includes some Polish language vocals which many may not understand but the language of this beautiful music will be understood by all. The music follows many interesting twists, moods and changes but follows through very smoothly to my ears - some American style folk and Slavonic influences here mixed in with some great Art rock themes, grand Floydian crescendos and melodies makes for a very engaging listen indeed....ooops....another trick ending...naughty boys!

I would recommend this brilliant album to all fans of Jazz/Rock as an excellent addition, which draws from some big name influences but the quality of the music stands up well alongside them, so a well earned 4.5 stars!

Well SBB, not an album that is kick in the face i might say, to me. This is not of those albums that i urge to listen, but is not bad. I'm not agree with adamB who said that this album must be placed along with Sellind England by the pound, Close to the edge or Dark side of the moon, really, is not that exceptional like is praised here. Now the best track here to me is the shortest one Strategia pulsu, the others are not bad but less enjoyble. So my rate is 3 stars, if you want some eastern Europe jazz this is the answear, it may be for you a masterpiece but for me is only good, but non-essential. I have hundreds of bands who sounds more intresting to me then this one, but after all the diffrents of opinions between reviewers made this music to go on forever. Just what i think. And do not forget, this is not only jazz, their is in a little portion some symphonic moments.

This is one of SBB's highest rated albums and I can certainly understand why. There's a bit of a Symphonic flavour to this one with some nice guitar solos thrown in. It's an enjoyable listen but there's something about it that is for lack of a better word "bland". It's not nearly as good or as dynamic as some of their earlier albums in my opinion. It's pleasant. The musicianship is of the highest level as usual it just seems that they don't try to be adventerous, it's all about being comfortable. I'm going to use the English titles to save time and space (haha).

"My Land Of Dreams" opens with some brief Classical music before the drums come in like a stampede.They settle as the main melody arrives before a minute. Some excellent guitar here and then it settles right down before 3 minutes as vocals come in. It kicks back in around 5 1/2 minutes with some nice bass. Great sound 7 minutes in. "The Triangle Of Joy" is laid back with some Spanish sounding guitar. It stops after 4 1/2 minutes as synths start to dominate and electric guitar comes in.

"Strategy Of Pulse" has this good heavy sound and a Fusion flavour to it. "Memento With A Banal Tryptych" is the 21 minute closing track. Guitar eventually takes the lead then it settles after 2 minutes with vocals. A change after 7 minutes as vocal melodies and clapping take over. A symphonic flavour 13 minutes in. It settles again with vocals 14 1/2 minutes in, the vocals get passionate at times. It kicks back in before 17 1/2 minutes. The guitar is outstanding ! Great finish then it ends with a brief Classical interlude like at the start of the album.

An enjoyable listen that the majority seem to be really taken with.

Two years later after "Slovenian Girls" release, S.B.B. recorded their second excellent work. Similar structure's album ( just four long compositions, two on each LP side), same band's line-up. And possibly, you will recognize there it is the same band. But the music is a bit different.

All four compositions are slower this time, with some sad and soulful music. Band's bluesy roots still are presented, but in a form of rare traces only. If two years ago their music was progressive mixture of blues-rock and jazz fusion, there is another mix - melodic symphonic prog with many jazz fusion and Eastern European folk elements. Much more sensible and soulful music, with acoustic (sometimes -Spanish) guitars intros.

All musicians play excellent music, but common album's atmosphere is more mature and ... with some sadness in every note. Plenty of more modern keyboards sound and some Floydian electric guitar solos - long, more dreamy ,than spacey.

Compositions are of complex structure, and there still are many jazz rock arrangements. Such combination makes the album easy accessible, but never boring.

If you want to have just two S.B.B. albums - take two these, and you will have possibly greatest Eastern European band from 70-s in their best.

Four and half for sure.

S.B.B. - Memento Z Banalnym Tryptykiem (1980)

This is one of the few S.B.B. albums that has a serious amount of ratings on PA, and my guess is that it's their most populair album as well. Perhaps this is due to international approach of the band after the 'Follow My Dream' album, but it's als due to the modern progressive/symphonic sound of this album. After the well recorded and timeless 'Wołanie O Brzęk Szkła aka Slovenian Girls', this is the last album of the band.

The band still has a focus on long compositions, three on side one and one on side two. The big difference is the approach on the progressive mix of S.B.B. The band has used symphonic, space and jazz-rock/fusion influences throughout their career, but on this album the music became less abstract and perhaps more 'catchy'. The band has a direct sound. The symphonic equipment of keyboard-player Jozef Skrzek is very modern, and a link to U.K. or perhaps even neo-prog can be made. I was relieved to find that master- guitarplayer Apostolis Antymos has again an essential role on this album. His fine guitarsolo's and melodic patterns had become a background-affair after '77. As if he was a lesser member of the band! The drums of Jerzy Piotrowski are again brilliant. As I mentioned before, he's perhaps my favorite drummer of the eclectic genre. His energetic fills are one of the main elements of the adventerious sound of S.B.B.

On side one we begin with (I'll use the English titles) My Land Of Dreams; an up-tempo sympho-progger with many jazz-rock influences and many instrumental parts. The song- part in the middle section has a peculiar atmosphere. The Triangle Of Joy is a dark instrumental song with a beautifull Spanish guitar solo. The symphonic section in the end is also worthwhile, but I'm missing a link to the long opening section. Strategy Of Pulse is again an up-tempo sympho prog track with jazz influences.

Side two is filled with Memento With A Banal Tryptych, a long epic 21 minutes. The song has many instrumental parts, a few song-parts and some moments for improvisation. The song-part in the middle has a happy pop feel, but somehow this works very relaxing. The ending section has an emotional impact.

Conclusion. Again a very strong S.B.B. album, but somehow I'm still missing the magic of my favorite 'Pamieç-album (1975). The band has a very modern sound, that still will attract listeners of modern symphonic prog and it's perhaps a brilliant sound for an album that was released in the eigthies, but it's not this sound that makes me want to listen to prog on a vinyl. The composion is very strong and the musianship of S.B.B. is plain brilliant. I wish I could understand the lyrcis, because I somehow got the feeling they are important on this album. A very strong four-star rating for this one.

p.s. Fans of S.B.B: go write some reviews! This band belongs to be named along with bands like King Crimson, VdGG and Gentle Giant as main bands of the eclectic genre.

The last album before SBB's dissolution in 1980 (they would reform some decades later) sees the band going out in fine form. With less space rock content than usual, the symphonic prog influences on the band - particularly those from Genesis - are on view more than ever, and guitarist Apostolis Antymos includes a wonderful extended classical guitar performance on Trójkąt Radości worthy of Anthony Phillips himself. Bookended by brief orchestral passages, the album seems to be intended as a farewell statement from the band - the "Banal Triptych" of the title quite possibly being the three band members themselves. If it was, it was a respectable enough way to bow out, though at the same time it doesn't quite hit the standards of the band's magnificent works from their great 1977-1978 burst of creativity.

"Memento Z Banalnym Tryptykiem" is my first journey into the world of SBB and it seemed a good place to start as it is the most popular and most reviewed album. It begins with (English titles as I can't write in Polish) 'My Land Of Dreams', with a classical music intro and then a rumbling drone before the manic percussion and guitar melodies crash in. The uptempo beat is refreshing, motorvating along nicely, and eventually some Polish vocals chime in. 'The Triangle Of Joy' follows, a dark beauty haunts it with Spanish flavours made possible by accomplished acoustic guitar picking. There are symphonic passages towards the end encompassing an ambient atmosphere. 'Strategy Of Pulse' wraps up side one of the vinyl, with quick tempo jazz fusion influences. The lead guitar flourishes glow brightly along with innovative keyboard motifs.

Side two is swallowed up by the monster epic 'Memento With A Banal Tryptych' made up of a myriad of instrumental passages ranging from improv jazz explorations to beautiful symphonic washes. The melodic lead guitar is a key feature on this, and the vocals return at times between the massive instrumental breaks. The lead break at the end is excellent and draws it to a dramatic conclusion with a symphonic blast.

I enjoyed this album as much as any instrumental dominated jazz fusion album such as that of Billy Cobham or Herbie Hancock. It is a strong contender for one of the albums of 1980, a dead year for prog, and has some amazing musicianship contained therein, worth pursuing.

SBB is one of the many wonderful bands that has been revealed to me through ProgArchives. I've picked up this, Pamiec and Slovenian Girls--this one on vinyl (!) I can never decide which of their albums I like the best. Probably Pamiec, but Memento has some incredible performances and shows the band playing very well as a collective.

1. "Moja Ziemio Wysniona" (8:29) is filled with extraordinary themes and riffs, all strung together like a . The subtle things on this song that catch my ear: rhythm guitar in the seventh and eighth minutes, the subtleties of the drums before that, the synth sound in the third minute, the Allman Brothers-like dueling guitars at the end. Cool song, if a bit dated. (9/10)

2. "Trojkat Radosci" (7:40) begins with 80 seconds of solo electric guitar--treated guitar a la PAT METHENY on New Chatauqua. The second section uses this treated guitar as support for a wonderful display of Spanish-influenced classical guitar playing--culminating in a gorgeous harmonized melody line 'chorus' at the three minute mark. A return to the before, at 4:29, a synth wash enters to set the stage for some electric guitar soloing. The TANGERINE DREAM-like synth work behind the bluesy ROY BUCHANAN-like guitar fire is awesome. Cool song. (or is it a suite with three parts?) (9/10)

3. "Strategia Pulsu" (3:23) has a sound and almost disco-influenced that is shows its age but could have come off a JAN AKKERMAN, LENNY WHITE or AL DiMEOLA album from the same period. Clavinet and harmonica are interesting touches. (8/10)

Side 2, song 1(4) "Memento z banalnym triptykiem" (20:28) begins with a mild pace with a bluesy FOCUS-like feel to it. At 2:10 all music drops away and a vocalist begins singing (in a foreign language I presume to be Polish). At first he is only accompanied by acoustic guitars and background synths. A strong vocal performance in the vein of the best of the Italians. The shift at the four minute mark is breathtaking in its emotional impact. Very delicate cymbol play is used to keep time while slide guitar, acoustic guitar and one single repeated keyboard chord sucks you in and keeps you locked there while the nylon-stringed guitar goes EARL KLUGH sh*t-crazy! Absolutely amazing! Very gradually the pace starts to pick up, prepping us for the end of this section, followed by a jovial almost bluegrass folk-section, with some more awesome guitar work--several, in different channels and levels. Hand clapping, choral "Na-nah, na-nahs," beer-hall piano and harmonica proceed to add to this very friendly, engaging section. At the 10 minute mark we are ushered out of the party barn and enticed into yet another theme house. It's like being at a Renaissance Faire: Each booth, stage or vendor offering his or her own slice of their world. By 11:45 a synthesizer is taking center stage before giving way to an organ's introduction to a moderately paced rock section with a little electric guitar solo. At 14:10 the music again drops away to make way for the vocalist to again tell his story. The use of vocal harmonies beginning at 15:10 is effective if a bit foreign for the unusual (to my ears) diatonic chordal structure of the harmonies. At 16:13 a delicate part starts to support the vocalist(s) sounding a lot like HARMONIUM's "Depuis l'automne" before an electric guitar blasts into center stage carrying the band with it into a classic blues-rock solo scene. Great, emotional playing--that reminds me of someone/some song of classic stature-- and then POOF! it's gone and the same finale of the classical music piece that opened the album (a Strauss waltz?) finishes the album. Awesome. Prog doesn't get much better than this, folks. (10/10)

I've got to give this one a full five stars, folks, cuz, as I said, Prog just doesn't get much better than this. this band worked hard to put these delicate, complex demanding songs together-- and their efforts paid off in that they have definitely put together one for the ages--something quite memorable and certainly not banal!