Record Reviews

ESPOO BIG BAND / HUSBAND ~ LAUMA GALILEO 071 (Barcode: 4250095800719) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2017 This is an excellent album by the veteran Finnish Espoo Big BandFind albums by this artist, established in 1980 and considered as one of top Big Bands in the country. Since 1987 the Big Band hosts the annual April Jazz Festival in Espoo, near Helsinki. On this album the Big Band plays arrangements of the music by the Finnish Rock / Fusion quartet HusbandFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Varre VartiainenFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten compositions, eight of which were composed by Vartiainen and two were composed by the Big Band´s guitarist Jarmo SaariFind albums by this artist. The music was arranged for the Big Band by its conductor Marzi NymanFind albums by this artist and by Saari. The music is a wonderful amalgam of Fusion and Big Band orchestral music, completely unique and wonderfully thought up. The arrangements are quite complex and multilayered, bringing forward the typical European stylistic and aesthetic values of Orchestral Jazz. The compositions, although based on straight-forward melody lines, are excellently structured and within the framework of the intricate arrangements are a true pleasure to listen to. In spite of the rich orchestral arrangements, the music manages to retain its Rocky kick and Fusion character, even without the presence of up front electric guitar in most cases. There are many wonderful solos of course, which emphasize the level of musicianship among the Big Band members. Overall this is a brilliant piece of European Jazz, which shows again that Jazz knows no limits and undertaking ambitious projects pays off. It also reveals the superb level of Finnish Jazz, which sadly is way too little known outside of the country´s borders, but has a glorious history and superb recorded legacy, which I had the pleasure to follow closely in the last five decades. This album is a little gem, which all Fusion and Big Band connoisseurs should not overlook by any means. A must!

Updated: 06/07/2018Posted: 06/07/2018

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ROYHKA / PYYSALO / MAARIT ~ TURMION SUURHERTTUA SVART 084 (Barcode: 6430050669867) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is a wonderful album by Finnish Rock vocalist / songwriter / author Kauko RoyhkaFind albums by this artist, recorded with Jazz vibraphonist / composer Severi PyysaloFind albums by this artist and a great band that comprises of drummer Jussi LehtonenFind albums by this artist, bassist Juho KivivuoriFind albums by this artist, guitarist Varre VartiainenFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jukka EskolaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Joonatan RautioFind albums by this artist and trombonist Heikki TuhkanenFind albums by this artist. The superb singer MaaritFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Maarit HurmerintaFind albums by this artist) appears on selected tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all composed and arranged by Pyysalo with lyrics by Royhka. Royhka enjoys a highly successful career in Rock since early 1980s, with a long list of albums under his arm, and in parallel a career as author with several books over time. He is especially revered for his strong, often provocative lyrics, which can easily be categorized as sung poetry. The decision to record this album, which crosses boldly into the Jazz idiom, turns out to be extremely creative, and these ten songs are all masterpieces of composition and arrangement, and combined with Royhka´s idiosyncratic voice and theatric delivery, are absolutely brilliant. The music is spiced with some Jazz soloing, just enough to define the musical environment, but not dominating the proceedings. This album brings fond memories of many similar projects that dominated the Finnish Jazz scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, and were abandoned later on, as the Jazz scene (and music scene in general) changed into less adventurous turf. Overall this is a superb album, which offers brilliant music, masterly arranged and performed, which works perfectly even for people like myself, who do not speak Finnish. The delivery and the music are strong enough even without the textual layer. An absolute must for Jazz & Poetry lovers!

Updated: 22/08/2020Posted: 22/08/2020

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