Record Reviews

KALEVALA / NIMBUS ~ POP LIISA VOL. 07 & VOL. 08 SVART 012 (Barcode: 6430050667153) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2016 The legendary and sadly short lived Finnish Prog / Fusion group KalevalaFind albums by this artist, which managed to record their debut album "People No NamesFind albums with this title" in 1972 about one year before the live radio broadcast presented on this record. The band included vocalist Harri SaksalaFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Sakari KukkoFind albums by this artist, guitarist Matti KurkinenFind albums by this artist, bassist Juha SalonenFind albums by this artist and drummer Alf ForsmanFind albums by this artist. They perform seven original songs, six of which were composed by Kurkinen and five featured lyrics by Saksala and one was an instrumental. The last song was written (music and lyrics) by Saksala. Only one of the songs originates from the debut album, and all the rest of the material is new and was never released on record. All the lyrics are in Finnish in contrast to the debut album which featured lyrics in English. Kukko was not in the band when the debut album was recorded and his presence changed the sound and musical direction of the band significantly, adding marvelous Jazz-World Fusion accents and virtuosic flute / saxophone parts. The reworking of the song from the debut albums turns into a lengthy piece featuring superb soloing by Kukko and Kurkinen. The lineup appearing here never managed to record an album and after Saksala and Kukko left the band the second album "Boogie JungleFind albums with this title" was released in 1975, but the music changed into straightforward Blues-Rock. A few months later Kurkinen was killed in a traffic accident and the band disappeared into oblivion. NimbusFind albums by this artist were an even more obscure Finnish band, which did not record an album yet when this live radio broadcast was captured on tape. They managed to record the album "ObusFind albums with this title" later on in 1974, falling apart a few months thereafter. The band included vocalist Pasi SaarelmaFind albums by this artist, organist Pekka RautioFind albums by this artist, guitarist Harri SuilamoFind albums by this artist, bassist Juha JokirantaFind albums by this artist and drummer Matti JokirantaFind albums by this artist. They perform six pieces, five of which are original compositions by Suilamo (one instrumental and four songs with his lyrics) and a cover of a composition by Dave GreensladeFind albums by this artist with lyrics by Dave LawsonFind albums by this artist. The music has both deep Prog roots with impressive organ work and Fusion elements echoed by the guitar playing. Considering the rarity of this material and the limited recorded legacy left by this group, these tracks are of course priceless! Overall this is some of the most staggering music created in Europe in the early to mid 1970s that one is able to hear and for Fusion and Jazz oriented Prog-heads this is an absolute must have! Side Note The Finnish independent label SvartFind albums on this label Records released an unprecedented series of albums called Pop Liisa and Jazz Liisa, which present priceless historical recordings of Finnish Rock, Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Jazz music, recorded live and broadcasted from the Liisankatu Studios in Helsinki under the "Popstudio" and "Jazzstudio" monikers between 1972 and 1977. The studios were owned by the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company), a public broadcasting service, which not only allowed the burgeoning Finnish music scene at the time to be exposed but also carefully archived the recordings for future generations. All this incredible music was previously unissued and collectively is probably the most important document of Finnish music from that period ever assembled. The music was released on 36 LPs (Pop Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18 and Jazz Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18) and on 18 CDs with every two consecutive volumes combined on one CD. The sound quality is absolutely superb, often better than the sound quality on the LPs released by these artists at the time. Many of the groups appearing on these albums never managed to record an album and these recordings are the only recorded legacy in existence of their activity. The released are accompanied by well researched and intelligent liner notes. This archival project is an outstanding example of how Cultural Legacy should be treated as well as of exemplary dedication to record producing professionalism.

Updated: 04/05/2020Posted: 04/05/2020

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