The end of the 60s was an important period in jazz, as well as rock
music, in Poland and the rest of the world, with the development of many
styles and trends in popular music. In 1970 the jazz rock fusion band,
Laboratorium was
formed in Kraków. Their music soon developed in jazz rock fusion, and
so were pioneers in this music in Poland. In their first years,
Laboratorium's music was acoustic, cleverly avoiding any limiting
definitions. At the beginning of the 70's there was very limited access
to Western recordings but this did not prove an obstacle for the band,
because of the musicians searching and experimenting in the field. On
the contrary and because of their relative isolation, Laboratorium
developed an unique sound which was often noted in various critical
reviews.
The Laboratorium's album debut was released in January 1973, consisting
of two tracks recorded in April 1972 in a studio belonging to the PR III
of the Polish Radio. The recording session was in fact, an award for
taking second place on the Jazz Nad Odr¹ '72 festival. The tracks were
noted for their unusual approach both towards harmony and
tension-building. The first song 'Chora³' included a vocal fragment by
Marek Stryszowski. Later his singing was to become an important and
significant element of Laboratorium's music, often utilising electronic
voice-modulation effects.
