Tomasz Stańko Essentials

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has built a career by infusing rhapsodic beauty with an air of turbulence. In the ‘60s he played under bandleaders like Krzysztof Komeda and Adam Makowicz before eventually breaking out on his own; since the turn of the millennium his work with a number of bands has been truly radiant. He joined forces with a young, supple Polish trio to create balladry of startling directness, as heard on “Viii,” while the international sextet on “Love Theme (From ‘Farewell to Maria')” frames a nimble spark in his playing. His New York Quartet liberates his most exploratory impulses on “December Avenue.”