So, you are ready for Niemen's progressive albums, right ? OK, here we go....
In 1969 the group AKWARELE ceased to exist. Niemen formed a new group, this one called NIEMEN ENIGMATIC. To former members of Akwarele remained and were joined by three prominent jazz musicians. The album recorded by this formation in 1969 was quite unusual for several reasons. First, all lyrics were not just typical texts written to some rock songs. They were poems written by well known Polish poets, the kind of poetry that was a subject of literature lessons taught in high schools. Second, the album's centerpiece, the sidelong suite "Bema pamieci zalobny - rapsod" was based on the poem by 19-th century poet and writer Cyprian Kamil Norwid. The poem depicts the funeral of general Jozef Bem, 19-th century hero, one of the leaders of the 1830-1831 uprising, another subject of high school lessons. Third, despite the music was far from "easy listening", the album became very popular. So popular that in 1971 Niemen received his third "gold record" for this album.
Even today, the two songs Niemen is mostly remembered for are his "Dziwny jest ten swiat" and "Bema pamieci zalobny - rapsod"...
Track list:
1. Bema pamieci zalobny - rapsod
2. Jednego serca
3. Kwiaty ojczyste
4. Mow do mnie jeszcze
Lineup:
Czeslaw Niemen - vocals, organ;
Zbigniew Namyslowski - alt sax;
Janusz Zielinski - bass guitar;
Tomasz Jaskiewicz - guitar;
Czeslaw "Maly" Bartkowski - drums;
Zbigniew Sztyc - tenor sax;
Guests:
Michal Urbaniak - tenor sax, flute;
vocal group "Alibabki".
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