grazyna auguscik / press

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“ Auguscik has assembled a dream band … taking charge of the band she has created,
she could make a difference in jazz today. Auguscik may be on the brink of innovation
as does her new CD The Light “

— Howard Reich > " Chicago Tribune"

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Find out why the LA Times says "Grazyna Auguscik is doing important
work in advancing the potential for imaginative jazz singing.
She is a singer to be watched. "

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Grazyna Auguscik is the musical equivalent of a distance runner,
with a muscular, concentrated style and no excess fat
or wasted movement.

— Neil Tesser > Playboy jazz critic

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She's a music machine.

— Christopher Loudon > “Jazz Times”

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... Chicago singer Grazyna Auguscik showing where music may be headed ...

— Mike Drew > Special to the “Journal Sentine”

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Past Forward - This music is just fantastic! ...

— Dr. Brad Stone > Music Director KSJS-FM San Jose, CA

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... coolly sensuous voice, ... infectious music ...

— Neil Tesser > Playboy jazz critic “Chicago Reader” Top of Critics' Choices

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Now that "convergence," the darling of late '90 corporate speak, has
fallen out of favor on Wall Street, Grazyna Auguscik might want
to claim it for her own. The Polish-born, Chicago-based Auguscik
(pronounced Aw-Goose-Chick) is like a kaleidoscope of styles and
influences, variously evoking folk, soul, funk, progressive jazz and
techno pop. On her new album, River (GMA), , she often sounds eerily
similar to early mid-80's one hit wonder Nena Kerner (of "99
Luftballons" fame). At other times, particularly on her fragile cover
of Jim Webb's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", there's an over
suggestion of the ethereal Astrud Gilberto. Occasionally, when
she really cuts loose on such exuberant workouts as "Dancing All Around,"
"Never Again," and the soaring, nine-minute title truck, she conjures otherworldly
images of Yma Sumac sweating to an Esquivel beat. For the record, Auguscik
also wrote or co-wrote four of the album's 10 songs, arranged or co-arranged
all of them, and produced the album. She might also be prescient.
Her convergent technique could well foretell the future of jazz singing.

— Christopher Loudon > JazzTimes / VOXcd reviews

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Born in Poland and currently residing and gigging in Chicago, singer
Grazyna Auguscik (pronounced Gra-je-na Aw-Goose-Chick)
unveils a strikingly original vocal style on River, her fourth release
on GMA Records. Her soft, airy voice bears an intimate, fragile
quality on a hauntingly beautiful interpretation of Jim Webb's
"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", as well as her vocal abstractions on
the freewheeling title track and her multi-tracked vocal choir on
the urgently swinging "Dancing All Around". Accompanied by some Chicago notables,
including drummers Paul Wertico and Ernie Adams, bassist Eric Hochberg,
and guitarist John McLean, the Berklee College of Music grad (1992) interprets
two Egberto Gismonti compositions ("Cego Aderaldo" and "Aqua Vinho")
and one Kenny Garrett tune ("Sing a Song of Song"). And she
joins troubadour Terry Callier on the album's most affecting piece,
the chimeric "If I Ever Dream Again," which features a beautiful muted trumpet
solo by bassist Hochberg. Naturally gifted with an inherent sense of adventure and
an inner urge to swing, Ms. Auguscik is a developing talent who bears watching.

— Bill Milkowski >JAZZIZ / Vocals /A WAY WITH WORDS /

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Grazyna Auguscik, "River" (GMA Records).
Well, yes, the name is definitely difficult. Born in Poland, residing
in Chicago since 1992 (after attending Berklee College in Boston),
Auguscik pronounces her name Gra-je-na Aw-goose-chick. Her singing, however,
is considerably easier to grasp, since she is firmly rooted in the free-flying
arena of contemporary vocal jazz. Her material ranges from tunes by Kenny Garrett,
Egberto Gismonti and Terry Callier to the Jimmy Webb ballad "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress"
and Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." Add to that some Auguscik originals
and interpretations that make stunning use of her lithe, mobile voice, and the
                result is a singer to be watched. Although her cutting-edge musical manner may
not be to every taste, she--like a number of regional artists--is
                doing important work in advancing the potential for
                imaginative jazz singing.

— DON HECKMAN > L.A. TIMES / 05/ 2002
SPOTLIGHT /They're Members of a Swinging Sisterhood

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The first "suprise" release of 2002 for me - Grazyna Auguscik. Her new
cd is "River" on her own label. Even at a time with so many female vocalists
- I love this record!
Contemporary yet very musical. Great version of Kenny Garrett's "Sing a
song of song" - this is the kind of stuff I wish Smooth Jazz stations were playing!
Excellent guitar work from John McLean and David Onderdonk. Nicely arranged,
performed and engineered. She has a beautiful voice, with some interesting vocalise parts.
If you haven't dug this one out of your pile yet,
I'd recommend it!

— Dr. Brad Stone > Music Director /Jazz, Blues/ and Faculty AdvisorKSJS-FM /02/02/

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The artist you are referring to is Grazyna Auguscik. She released this
album ("River") on her own label, GMA. You can go to her
Web site: www.grazynaauguscik.com/CDstore.html
If you like the track I featured, you will love this album - it's
amazing!

— KATE SMITH > President of Radio Promotion/Artist Relations
i-o-r marketing + promotion >
PREMONITION RECORDS / 05/2002

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Grazyna Auguscik River (GMA)
"One of Chicago's hidden treasures, singer Grazyna Auguscik [gra-je-na
aw-goose-chick] is a jazz-rooted, genre-blurring provocateur. Her
self-produced album, River, overflows with mystical
ambiance and world music accents. A Polish émigré, Auguscik studied at
Boston's Berklee College Of Music before settling in Chicago seven years ago.
Steadily, she has nurtured a serene, mind-waving body of music influenced by her
Eastern European background. Opening with a murky ballad entitled
"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress," Auguscik later moves into the flamenco-inspired
"Cego Aderaldo," a wonderfully textured arrangement on which she scats
to fiery highs and then swoons into deep mood shelters before repeating the thrill.
Her thinning but pronounced accent adds character to this quiet set, making Auguscik's
River a dark, occasionally untamed, and solidly improvisational".

— Michael Wojcik > ILLINOIS ENTERTAINMENT /05/2002/

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Her name is Grazyna Auguscik and She is one of the hottest jazz talents in the country.

— Voice on American Jazz Scene

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.... Grazyna really is coooooooool!

— Jeff Brown > Co-Program Director KTOO-FM

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Ah one day the muse will strike me so you'll yearn to be quoting us in your
releases. Yep, Grazyna Auguscik's CD "River" is now out and available here
at KGNU. It's one of those sleepers, it looks simple enough but strikes
a whole different level when you play it.
Cheers, E

— Elaine C. Erb > Music Director KGNU - 88.5 fm

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With Grazyna Auguscik next with her newest RIVER .
I mentioned earlier that she has a similar passion for the music
as Claudia Acuna. A resolve, so pervasive; a pacing
back and forth (I can do this) mantra and we feel this
with Grazyna, as Claudia, as Elis Regina. It's a
conquering of a moment's extreme self doubt. As
Tecumseh said no when asked to pose for a sketch, one
loses a part of themselves before the audience and
those who give of themselves completely on stage in
the moment earn the endearing gratitude of us all."

— Voice on American Jazz Scene

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Where did we get this sleeper? ...

— Kevin O'Connor > KBEM

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Chicago Jazz innovator Singer Grazyna Auguscik a fresh voice on jazz scene,
... jubilant scatting, powerful statements ... .

— Mark Guarino > Daily Herald

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Grazyna Auguscik Polish-born Chicago vocalist is an excellent
scat singer, bandleader, rhythmically sensitive and with
a lean, but solid voice. On her CD Don't Let Me Go (GMA),
which features guitarist John McLean & bassist Harrison Bankhead,
she performs vocal versions of a number of tunes (by Ron Carter,
Kenny Garrett, Mulgrew Miller & Makato Ozone) that have
perviously existed only as instrumentals. Her CD, Pastels
(on her own imprintm, GMA Records), similarly
takes an entirely new look at a bunch of classics,
from Ellington to Jobim.

— http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/GrazynaAuguscik.html

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Grazyna has the vocal ability to handle any song well,
and she does so with much verve and sensitivity in these
selections when she sings alongside Paulinho Garcia.
"Fragile and "Bridges" are two of the most beautiful and haunting
ballads to appear in recent years, and both songs
highlight the vocal talents of Garcia and Auguscik singing duet.
These two song interpretations should win awards! Such lyrical beauty!
FRAGILE is a perfect example of contemporary Brazilian
jazz at its finest. The singing is crisp, fresh, innovative.
Garcia and Auguscik are the ideal Brazilian singing duo,
and FRAGILE captures their sound perfectly!
Excellent!

— Lee Prosser > jazzreview.com

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"Auguscik's evocative alto stands at the center of all sound,
yielding long-lined lyricism at one moment,
ebullient scat singing the next."

— Howard Reich > Chicago Tribune

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"Auguscik is a jazz rarity -- a vocalist who, by dint of temperament and training,
refuses to rely on mere sentimentality."

— Neil Tesser > Playboy jazz critic

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"Her music is like fireworks—warm, dynamic colors exploding
in the sky, going in different directions. ... The songs exude a gentle
elegance, and their power can be felt without raising the volume."

— Doug Collier > Rockford RAM

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"Grazyna Auguscik displays a strong and affectless voice,
unencumbered by such familiar flavorings as ‘sweet’ and ‘salty’.
She proves her ability to scat solo with precision and design, and
she emerges as a true bandleader.... She has a rhythmic
authority that provides the steel backbone for all her music.
In Auguscik's music, emotion has to share the stage with cool
musicianship, rhythmic exactitude, and an analytical
intelligence she applies to the melodies ..."

— Neil Tesser > Chicago Reader

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"Auguscik is a terrific vocalist who does not use theatrics,
and strives to make every note significant."

— Doug Collier > RAM Arts & Entertainment Guide

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“Pastels” by vocalist Grazyna Auguscik and Bogdan Holownia
is a testimonial to contemporary in every regard. “Caravan” and
“Willow Weep for Me” just kill me. Both cuts are rife with harmonic,
melodic, and metric surprises. Bogdan is a brilliant pianist....
Grazyna’s pitch, unique phrasing and old-world pronunciation
(e.g. CARAVAN: pronounced Car-ah-vaughn) render
her performance a delight to behold. “Pastels” is unmistakably fresh:
bold harmonies, tight duo work, rare originality.
Check it out!

— Frank Mantooth

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“ ‘Primordial Passage’, this 10-track, multitextured affair is
laced with the uncanny vocalisatons of Polish-born
Jazz Singer Grazyna Auguscik....”

— Straight no Chaser interplanetary sounds: ancient to future > London

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“Primordial Passage" is a fitting title for this Chicago-based
writer/producer Robert Grillo. ... Singer Grazyna Auguscik makes
the biggest impact by giving her songs a slight Eastern
European feel one moment and a jazzy abstraction the next.
On “Mountain Call,” she chants in a gypsy tongue both mystifying
and alluring, while her voice just as easily transitions to silken
scatting on the title track ...”

— Kuri Kondrak > Resonance Magazine

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“The Sacred Spaces Ep”
“Deep, humid Chi-town house so balmy and great it feels like
some opium den haze with a dubby heartbeat of a 4/4 under it.
Chantuese Grazyna Auguscik and Robert Grillo are onto something
here that their full-length on Peacefrog last year only hinted at:
house with a gauzy, ethereal, netherworldy vibe, Spirit on High”
smolders under Auguscik’s vocal, while “On-Nay-Yeh” gets on a tribal,
sandstorm swept caravan of spice traders drunk on red wine.
The flip “eau du Vie” is more straight up house, while
“Smoke and Mirrors” gets back into the near-Goth haze
that’ll have househeads reaching for their eyeliner
and incense. Quietly fantastic.”

— Hobey Echlin > Mixer Magazine /05/00/

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“Primordial Passage....
Peace Frog stick their neck out once again by releasing this
mesmerizing abd beautiful album from ... Robert Grillo. Classic
Chicago flavoured rhythms steeped in more traditional Afro
percussion techniques manage to co-exist with the exemplary
musicianship of Robert himself and various guest players, ...
{including} Polish jazz singer Grazyna Auguscik. This unusual
combination of themes works best because of the ethereal quality that
runs like a unifying thread through the whole album. It really is
completely engrossing as the tracks evolve around basic grooves and
are allowed to wander and develop into subtle mini symphonies ... A
brave and innovative album that will surely sound as good tomorrow
as it does today.
Superb."

— Chris Duckenfield > 7 Magazine

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“The truly otherworldly Polish jazz
vocalist Grazyna Auguscik is also featured prominently, her voice
falling like broken shards into the pool of world music rhythms and
the often jazzy riffing of the various studio players involved.

— Darren Keast > Skinny Entertainment Network

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“...Sublime vocalist
Grazyna Auguscik lends a steadying exotic croon to the proceedings
that justifies Grillo’s excessive aesthetic, especially on the epic, but
still sweaty opener, “Primordial Passage,” which is so good, you can
almost forgive the cornier world music indulgences in some of
Underground Evolution’s tracks ...”

— Hobey Echlin > Mixer Magazine /12/99/

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The centerpiece of Primordial Passage is Polish jazz vocalist
Grazyna Auguscik’s vocal technique. Although Auguscik’s distinctive
vocalizing appears sparingly, it is an integral part of the album’s
concept. Functioning as both rhythm and melody, Auguscik’s sharp
and strong alto has the penetrating quality of the best sopranos. On
the opening title track, producer and co-writer Robert Grillo applies
interesting effects to her voice ... to make Auguscik’s scatting—which
is already fascinatingly polyrhythmic and dense—even more textured.
Standout tracks include the housy “Walk on Water,” whose free-jazz
improvisation and pitch changes keep the track moving along.....
...Auguscik's voice, sounding hollow and echoey,
as though recorded far away on a hilltop, connects
the sections of the track into a whole.

— Lola Odiaga > Alternative Press Magazine /04/00/

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Primordial Passage relies on cavernous soundscapes and
groovy world rhythms. Standout contributions come
from jazz-trained vocalist Grazyna Auguscik,
who adds a haunting elegance.

— Rudy Dominguez > Urb Magazine /04/00/

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This is not a “put the needle on the record and rock the
party” series of tracks. Instead it is a journey into the minds and
influences of both Robert Grillo and his talented singer/songwriter
Grazyna Auguscik which is a journey well worth taking.

— Jon Wesley > BPM Culture Magazine

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Grazyna Auguscik is one of the most unique and
charismatic figures to emerge from the Chicago
jazz scene in years. Her prolific career has resulted in
a host of self-produced albums of original material
and carefully-chosen covers, while her live shows
continue to leave audiences with a sense of awe and
spiritual enlightenment. Grazyna has contributed to
Continental Collide, Spirit on High and 7/8,
her own composition.

— Robert Grillo > Sepia > Underground Evolution Productions

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“Corners“ Gephart Long Quartrt
"Vocalist Grazyna Auguscik appears on two mellow
back-to-back compositions by Long, "La Nuit (for Cyd)"
and the title track, "Corners." It's her clear, airy
presentations of these richly melodic pieces that remind me
of Metheny, for some intangible reason. And one spot -- where
Gephart softly doubles her melody to the accompaniment of piano and
a maraca or maybe just a shaker-egg -- stakes a claim as
the album's most sublime passage."

— Jon Janoviak > Chicagogigs.com

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