Jazz Mysteries is the debut album from Jan Grabowski (aka Przemysław Jan Grabowski), a Polish/Australian pianist/composer now based in Washington, DC. Grabowski is joined on the album by an impressive group of musicians from all over the world. A self-taught pianist, Grabowski was passionate about music (especially jazz) from a very early age. His parents signed him up for classical piano lessons as a young teen, but he wasn’t interested in learning music that was already composed and wanted to create and improvise his own music. So that’s what he did (and is doing!). On Jazz Mysteries, Grabowski plays piano and Fender Rhodes and is joined by Camila Cortina Bello on two tracks (piano, synths), Emir Santa Cruz on all tracks (tenor sax), Kali Rodriguez-Peña on four tracks (trumpet), Samer Sharawi on two tracks (electric bass), Noam Tanzer on five tracks (acoustic bass) and Andy Wilder on all seven tracks (drums). I find it interesting that Grabowski and Bello recorded their parts in independent studios in Boston (USA) between 2019 and 2022 while the other musicians recorded in studios in Cuba, London and New York between 2023 and 2025. All seven tracks on the album are Grabowski originals and all of them give the all of the musicians plenty of room to “show their stuff.”

Jazz Mysteries begins with “My Dearest Christine,” a beautiful ballad dedicated to Grabowski’s wife. Jan plays the piano and is joined by Bello (synth and piano), Santa Cruz (sax), Tanzer (bass) and Wilder (drums). Smooth yet with plenty of pizzazz, it’s a very promising start! “Forward Voyage” is much livelier and convey’s Jan’s excitement for adventure. Piano and sax take turns with the lead on this one while drums and bass propel it forward. “Footsteps Over the Horizon” brings in Rodriguez-Peña and his trumpet. The piece was composed to reflect hope for the unknown and is lively and upbeat. “Monsieur Green” was inspired by an actor/friend of Grabowski’s who encouraged him to perform his music. Piano, sax, bass and drums keep a steady, easy groove from start to finish. Quoting Grabowski about “Counting Sevens”: “I thought it would be fun to write and improvise over music which changes time signatures and this was the first melody that came to mind.” Rodriguez-Peña and his trumpet return on this one and send the music soaring - especially with his duet with Santa Cruz and his sax. “Serenading The Morning Sun” is my favorite track with its easy groove and relaxed attitude. The trumpet is muted on this one, giving it a different sound that fits perfectly on this piece. Bello’s synths also add a bit of magic! “Happy Beluga” was written with the goal of having an easy funk tune to jam over, and I’d say he succeeded well! Grabowski plays Fender Rhodes on this one, jamming with sax, trumpet, electric bass and drums, and bringing the album to a joyful close.

Jazz Mysteries is available to stream and download from Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as on many streaming platforms including Spotify and Pandora. It’s a very promising debut!