As an autonomous force, the trio's biography begins in 1990, when Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz as 15-year old students at the Koszalin High School of Music began playing jazz together. Their first trio was formed the following year. In 1993 drummer Miskiewicz joined them, and the group's line-up has been stable ever since. As the Simple Acoustic Trio they won awards in their homeland and issued five albums on local labels. Their first international release, for ECM, entitled just Trio was recorded in 2004 and released the following year, immediately winning the Quarterly Prize of the German Record Critics. In the US, too, critics were taking notice. “Their years together have resulted in an ensemble with an utterly symbiotic creative flow,” wrote Don Heckman in the Los Angeles Times.
The release of January--recorded in New York with producer Manfred Eicher early in 2007--signalled a change of name, simply, the MarcinWasilewski Trio. The group continues to be run as a collective of equals, but its members have come to accept the convention that piano trios are traditionally identified by their pianists. Besides, Marcin is the band's principal songwriter: he contributes four pieces to the present disc, including the title track and the beautiful opener, “The First Touch”. Wasilewski also, at the urging of the producer, addresses pieces written by Gary Peacock and by Carla Bley--pieces identified with two major pianists, respectively Keith Jarrett and Paul Bley. Wasilewski does not flinch from the challenge but, with his trio partners, makes of this music something of his own. “Vignette” is a composition by Gary Peacock first heard on the album Tales of Another, the 1978 ECM recording which marked the coming together of the band later known as Jarrett's “Standards” Trio.
The Wasilewski Trio takes it at a statelier pace, and mines it for deeper emotions. A powerful performance, especially in the light of Marcin's indebtedness to Jarrett as a player. Acknowledging the influence, he moves beyond it. Carla Bley's composition “King Korn” meanwhile is a piece of early 60s vintage that surfaced on Paul Bley's 1963 classic “Footloose” recording with the great trio line-up including Steve Swallow and Pete La Roca. The Polish trio fly at it with invigorating energy and wonderful group interaction (the recording quality illuminating detail with a clarity impossible back in the days when Paul Bley was recording for Savoy), with especially exciting dialogues between Michal Miskiewicz and Wasilewski. “Balladyna,” a Tomasz Stanko tune, was title track of the Polish trumpeter's ECM debut disc (with a rhythm section of Dave Holland and Edward Vesala), back in 1975, the year Wasilewski was born.
The trio's dark, swirling rubato performance has the stark drama and predatory lyricism associated Stanko; they've played the piece often in concert with the composer. On their 2004 ECM disc, the trio offered a luminous version of Björk's “Hyperballad”. This season's pop cover is Prince's “Diamonds and Pearls,” the ballad from 1991 which gains a deal of mystery in this stripped-down interpretation in which bassist Kurkiewicz shares the melody with Wasilewski. The cinematic arts are never far away in Polish jazz; ever since 1958, when Komeda first collaborated with Polanski, the genres have influenced each other. Wasilewski's “The Young and Cinema” references an identically-titled festival of new Polish films held in Koszalin. The trio also covers Ennio Morricone's title theme for Giuseppe Tornatore's 1988 film “Cinema Paradiso,” itself a celebration of film. The album closes with a trio improvisation, a free ballad made in the moment and specific to its time and place, “New York 2007.” As already demonstrated on Stańko's Lontano, these are players extremely adept at creating songs in real time.
Diamonds And Pearls
Marcin Wasilewski Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you will hear me say
That I will never run away
I am here for you
Love is meant for two
Now tell me what you're gonna do
Would you be a happy boy or a girl
If I could I would give you the world
But all I can do is just offer you my love
Which one of us is right
If we always fight
Why can't we just let love decide (let love decide)
Am I the weaker man
Because I understand
That love must be the master plan (love is the master plan)
If I gave you diamonds and pearls
Would you be a happy boy or a girl
If I could I would give you the world
All I can do is just offer you my love
D to the I to the A to the M
O to the N to the D to the pearls of love
D to the I to the A to the M (to the M)
O to the N to the D to the pearls of love
There will come a time (there will come a time)
When love will blow your mind (blow your mind)
And everything you'll look for you'll find (take a look inside)
That will be the time (that will be the time)
That everything will shine (forever)
So bright it makes you colorblind (you will be color blind)
If I gave you diamonds and pearls
Would you be a happy boy or a girl
If I could I would give you the world
All I can do is just offer you my love
If I gave you diamonds and pearls (pearls)
Would you be a happy boy or a girl (yeah yeah)
If I could I would give you the world (give you the world)
All I can do is just offer you my love (all I can do)
If I gave you diamonds and pearls (diamonds)
Would you be, would you, would you
(Would ya, would ya, would ya be happy little baby)
If I could I would give you the world
The lyrics of "Diamonds And Pearls" by Marcin Wasilewski Trio center around the theme of love and the complexities that come with it. The song begins with the singer declaring that they will never run away and that they are here for their partner, expressing the sentiment that love is meant for two. The chorus then poses the question of whether material things such as diamonds and pearls could make their partner happy, and the singer admits that they can only offer their love. The bridge presents a powerful message about the importance of love in relationships and how it must ultimately guide and decide the relationship's direction. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the belief that there will come a time when love will bring everything together.
The lyrics delve into the idea that love is not simply about material possessions or winning arguments, but about compromise and understanding. The line "Which one of us is right if we always fight" encapsulates this idea, suggesting that winning an argument does not necessarily mean that one person is right and the other is wrong. The chorus that inquires about whether diamonds and pearls will make their partner happy is the perfect illustration of how love is not something that can be bought or given as a material possession, as ultimately, love is a feeling that comes from within.
Overall, "Diamonds And Pearls" embraces the idea that love is the most important aspect of a relationship, and material possessions are not going to fulfill someone's true desires or happiness. The song also touches on the theme of the importance of compromise in a relationship, understanding each other, and the belief that love can overcome all obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
This will be the day
Today is the day
That you will hear me say
I will express something to you
That I will never run away
I am committed to being here for you
I am here for you
I am present for you
Love is meant for two
Love is intended for two people
Now tell me what you're gonna do
What will your response be?
If I gave you diamonds and pearls
If I presented you with luxurious gifts
Would you be a happy boy or a girl
Would you feel satisfied and content?
If I could I would give you the world
If possible, I would provide you with everything
But all I can do is just offer you my love
I can only give you my affection
Which one of us is right
Which of us is correct
If we always fight
If we constantly argue
Why can't we just let love decide (let love decide)
Why can't love be the determining factor?
Am I the weaker man
Am I inferior?
Because I understand
Because I comprehend
That love must be the master plan (love is the master plan)
Love needs to be the guiding principle
D to the I to the A to the M
Spelling out 'diamond'
O to the N to the D to the pearls of love
Spelling out 'on the pearls of love'
There will come a time (there will come a time)
A moment will arise
When love will blow your mind (blow your mind)
When love will surprise you
And everything you'll look for you'll find (take a look inside)
You will discover everything you seek within yourself
That will be the time (that will be the time)
At that moment
That everything will shine (forever)
Everything will sparkle
So bright it makes you colorblind (you will be color blind)
So vibrant that it is overwhelming
If I gave you diamonds and pearls
If I presented you with luxurious gifts
Would you be a happy boy or a girl (yeah yeah)
Would it bring you joy?
All I can do is just offer you my love (all I can do)
My love is all I have to provide
If I gave you diamonds and pearls (diamonds)
If I presented you with luxurious gifts
Would you be, would you, would you
Would you feel
(Would ya, would ya, would ya be happy little baby)
Would you feel content?
If I could I would give you the world (give you the world)
Given the ability, I would provide you with everything
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind