by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Tune IN is the result of a five-day studio session that took place in Amsterdam in the summer of 2022, between saxophonist / composer Jerzy Maczyński and the Chicago DJ and producer Hieroglyphic Being. The two, introduced by Yeyeh founder Pieter Jensen, were supervised by recording and mix engineer Rein De Sauvage Nolting, otherwise known as RDS.

The sessions were highly productive, spawning 26 improvised compositions where Maczyński delivered saxophone and electronic ‘tools’, with Hieroglyphic Being contributing synthesizer parts and vocals.

After the sessions. RDS and Jensen sat down and worked the improvisations into coherent tracks, some of them fragmented and reconfigured – while Maczyński added more layers of instrumentation, creating a what is termed as a ‘whole digital band of reed instruments’. This post-production process proved every bit as important as the improvisations themselves.

What’s the music like?

This is a fascinating and energising listen. The musical chemistry between the two artists is evident, and the dozen tracks chosen for Tune IN reveal a wide range of colours, moods and styles. There is a cosmopolitan feel to a lot of the music made by the pair, extending well beyond Western approaches but taking those in mind.

It is impressive, too, that none of the compositions overstay their welcome – not even the title track with which the collection begins, clocking in at nearly 13 minutes. This is a fascinating scene setter, establishing the dominance of the saxophone but also showing the wide range of colours. It starts with a constant hook but the music really spreads its wings, the electronics and acoustics dovetailing beautifully.

Throughout there is a fertile musical imagination in play. Maczyński contributes some agile saxophone playing, especially on Can U Hear The Hum. Multidimensional Transformation is a completely different story, using a block rhythm in an oblique throwback to 80s funk, while Sam-Sa-Ra employs a grubby beat as melodic figures flitter around above like a group of swallows. Then another about turn, for two wide-eyed dreamscapes in The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge and Call Of The Wild.

Still the two are not done, with a flurry of activity on The End Of Ur World, the music circling around its central axis like a swarm of bees. The Emerald Tablet signs off with a bubbling cauldron of activity, set over a sure footed four to the floor beat.

There are many calling cards and influences at play here – Sun Ra, Kamasi Washington, Anouar Brahem even – and that’s just for the work at the treble end of things! Hieroglyphic Being thumbs through a wide range of rhythms in response, referencing but not restricting himself to house and experimentalism.

Does it all work?

It does – and Tune IN impresses not just through its continual invention but its ability to reign in most of the excesses. I would wager the tracks that didn’t make it are of a similar quality, given the consistently good work here!

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. This is an invigorating album, recommended to lovers of jazz and improvised music but also electronic afficionados. The two contrasting musical powers complement each other perfectly – and deliver a piece of work demanding your attention.

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,034 – Saturday 9 December 2023