More Than One Way, the CD is a debut album of pianist Tomáš Gajlík (1979). From his appearance on the Slovak jazz scene, Gajlík is best known as a sideman. He started to fulfill his leader ambitions only recently and this recording is his baptism by fire.
It is admirable that for his debut he chose the royal discipline of jazz piano – classic acoustic trio. It is a format that doesn‘t allow any room for hiding – on the contrary, empathy and interplay are the key factors. Thankfully, Gajlík was lucky in his choice of partners. Štefan Bartuš on bass and Peter Solárik on drums create an above standard rhythmic section and have their share in compactness of the trio. Saxophonist Rick Margitza (collaborated with McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and Miles Davis, among others) represents the proverbial seal of quality. He can be heard in two songs on this album.
More Than One Way, the name of the album, can be interpreted in various ways. One possible interpretation has to do with universality – a quality so characteristic for Gajlik‘s presence on jazz scene. In his own words: “In today’s world, a jazz musician has to have a wide range of styles and master everything related to jazz in order to be on top. Gone are the times when each style, being it swing, bebop or hard bop, had its own renowned musicians. Nowadays, musician’s most preferred quality is universality and that is what I am aiming for.” Second interpretation of the album’s name can be understood as Gajlik’s opinion on actual trends in jazz music – instead of one dominant style, there are more possible ways. After all, this is characteristic for today’s jazz.
Compositional and improvisational character of individual songs on the album varies. It mirrors author’s taste, knowledge, skills, not to mention influence of favorite pianists. The first song is Delta, full of transparent harmonies and with a light touch of modern European ECM sound. Bye Bye Blackbird with rhythmical refractions is closer to bebop tradition. Kenny Kirkland’s Dienda is Gajlik’s tribute to his pianist guru and it is musical and emotional highlight of the album. 
Rich harmonical clusters in a frantic east-coast composition Bolero remind of Mullgrew Muller. Author‘s composition Legal Sounds could very well fit onto a Sonny Rollins album. Gajlík did not ignore the era of modal jazz; its legacy is palpable in Never More. Gospel themed For King makes you wonder which „king“was on Gajlik’s mind. My guess is Jacky Terrasson.
Each debut album represents an important milestone for a musician on his road to self-discovery. While More Than One Way will not significantly change the history of music, it will help Tomáš Gajlík to find his own way. From all the possible ways he chose the best one – a synthesis of traditional and modern styles in the context of jazz language.
Write: Roland Kánik
