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His long-toned lyricism, dreamlike free-floating tempi, and general air of Milesian poetics have made Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s recent visits to the States major events. With his fine young band (pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michael Miskiewicz) he’s moved into a kind of late-period sublime. There are three long, free collective improvisations on the new CD (“Lontano” I, II, and III), all perfectly suited to the ECM production style, its ice-cool reverb allowing each note to hang in space, everything in sharp focus, the quietest cymbal strike as close to your ear as the sharpest trumpet blast. The music is presented as overheard conversation. You may tire of the medium-to-slow tempi (only composer Krzysztof Komeda’s “Kattorna” approaches up-tempo swing) or begin to nod amid all the vast open forms (Stanko’s “Song for Ania” comes the closest to pop structure). But the band rend dramatic tension from minimal gestures, and it’s hard to argue with what Elvis Costello might call “all this useless beauty.” Stanko, now 64, and his quartet have a lock on it.
Tomasz Stanko Quartet | Regattabar, Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge | Oct 19 | 617.228.6000
