Record Reviews

ANDERLE / SERMILA / SVAMBERK / VIKLICKY ~ THE PENDULUM OF TIME ANTE FUTURUM 001 ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2006 Released: 2006 This is a wonderful album recorded by a quartet comprising of three Czech musicians: percussionist Jiri AnderleFind albums by this artist, drummer Alex SvamberkFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Emil ViklickyFind albums by this artist and Finnish trumpeter Jarmo SermilaFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded during several sessions held at a villa, which holds an exhibition of Anderle’s art and a collection of primal African art. The place has a sublime acoustic ambience, which is an integral part of the music. The album presents fifteen relatively short pieces, all of which are credited to the quartet members. The music, although largely improvised, offers also clear melodic threads and rhythmic consistency, which makes it accessible to a wide audience beyond the Improvised Music circle. The usage of electronic effects and African percussion, as well as the lyrical trumpet leads by Sermila, create a serene aural voyage, which is quite enchanting. Viklicky and Sermila have worked together since many years and recorded several albums together, all of which are definitely worthy of investigation, as are their individual albums of course, but this album is one of the most unusual pieces of music with their participation. Svamberk is also a very interesting character, who is mostly known for his journalistic and literary work. Overall, this is a true hidden gem, and for Jazz lovers, who enjoy improvisation spiced with Ambient and World Music effects and great communication between musicians, this album is a must. This is just one of the several great finds I managed to grab during my recent visit in Prague.

Updated: 09/09/2025Posted: 09/09/2025

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

YLE EXPERIMENTAL STUDIO ~ ODE TO MARILYN SVART 130 (Barcode: 6430065584506) ~ FINLAND ~ Avant-Garde Electronic Recorded: 1973 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of one of the rarest and most important Finnish Jazz / Electronic Music / Avant-Garde albums from the early 1970s. The album was recorded under the auspices of the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company) Experimental Studio by a group of Finnish musicians led by trumpeter Jarmo SermilaFind albums by this artist, which also included flautist Mikael HelasvuoFind albums by this artist, bassist Teppo Hauta-AhoFind albums by this artist, drummer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist and electronic music composer Antero HonkanenFind albums by this artist. Soprano singer Pirkkolisa TikkaFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents eight original compositions, three composed by Honkanen, two each by Sermila and Vesala and one by Hauta-Aho. The album’s title originates from the poem by Marilyn MonroeFind albums by this artist “A Doll’s Cry”, which lyrics sung by Tikka appear on one of the tracks. The music is a wonderful amalgam of contemporary Avant-Garde, Electronic Music and Jazz improvisation and remains completely original and unique today, almost half a Century later. The fact that such audacious music was recorded in Finland at the time is a testimony to the incredible musical Renaissance of Finnish music in the late 1960s / early 1970s, which produced an immense amount of fresh, inventive and challenging music at the time. This long overdue reissue (kudos to SvartFind albums on this label Records) is a wonderful opportunity for this music to be discovered by young generations of music lovers, as well as an important document of the era. For lovers of experimental music this album is an absolute classic and should not be missed!

Updated: 17/02/2021Posted: 17/02/2021

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend