Confusion Project - How To Steal A Piano? (2019)

This is the debut album by Polish Jazz trio called Confusion Project, led by pianist / composer Michal Ciesielski with bassist Piotr Gierszewski and drummer Adam Golicki. The album comprises of nine compositions, eight of which are original compositions by Ciesielski and the last one (a bonus track) is a standard.
Gierszewski plays electric bass, so the overall sound of the classic piano trio is somewhat updated here to sound quite Fusion-like at times. The music is a mixture of up tempo numbers and ballads with clear melodic themes stated usually at the onset of each piece, followed by solos, all quite ordinary except for the rhythm section playing much more aggressively and stridently than in a typical Jazz setting. The compositions are all nice, well developed and rounded, creating a pleasant atmosphere easily accessible for mainstream Jazz listeners. The whole thing is perhaps to pretty altogether, lacking an edge that would turn it from pleasant into fascinating, but considering the fact that it is a debut album, these young musicians have done a splendid job herein.

Ciesielski shows off his technique and knowledge of many different stylistic mannerisms, but most of it is derivative and we´ll have to wait for his original statement to arrive sometime in the future. The rhythm section is a bit too busy at times, but all in all it does the job of accompanying the piano shoulder to shoulder vigorously.