"One of the most captivatingly versatile pianists to emerge from Polish music academia in recent years, Grzegorz Tarwid is as influenced by Brian Eno's earliest ambient adventures and the eclectic rhythmic hustle of the ultra-hip Ugandan Nyege Nyege scene as he is steeped in the traditions of East European and Scandinavian jazz.

Initially honing his chops under the tutelage of Polish piano maestros such as Wojciech Kamiński, Andrzej Jagodziński and Michał Tokaj, Tarwid later embarked on a formative sojourn to Copenhagen where he immersed himself in Denmark's free improv school, a move which also saw him begin to enrich his uncompromising creations with elements drawing on everything from classical minimalism and Brazilian bossa to clubland beats and non-idiomatic experimentation.

All these disparate influences sensitively pervade the delicious melodies and painterly abstracts heard on Flowers, a deeply poignant, absorbing, and occasionally playful album - inspired by the delicacy of blossoming plants and the changeability of surrounding nature - which partners Tarwid with his fellow countrymen, double-bassist Max Mucha and drummer Albert Karch (who has previously played alongside Tarwid in Sundial Trio).

The trio is caught here in fullest bloom across two Warsaw studio sessions, moving seamlessly between the skittering runs of 'Baiao B' and the tender Latin-tinged, low-end arco hum of the spellbinding 'Oberek', the ensemble proving themselves maestros of many moods. 'Kirchen Madchen' is an insistent punch to the solar plexus, rowdy in the company it keeps, while the droopy-lidded pulse of 'Sleep' is a sumptuous lullaby to a dream-weaving sweetheart.

Tarwid's lyrical pointillism throughout recalls the expressiveness of Paul Bley, while the graceful contributions of Mucha and Karch subtly revitalise old piano-trio conventions, their artful embellishments complementing their leader's chiaroscuro, rendering Flowers a future classic, a landmark set to elevate Tarwid's already burgeoning rep."-Clean Feed