Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ktu: 8 Armed Monkey

345

Ktu: 8 Armed Monkey

By

Sign in to view read count
Ktu: 8 Armed Monkey
Finnish accordion player Kimmo Pohjonen's compositions tend to lead him into ecstacy and a wild, orgiastic release. Pohjonen usually starts playing sitting, as calm as if he was tranquilized by shamanic medicine, but soon he surrenders to flushes of musical energy that hit him and push him into a twisted dance that challenges his huge accordion, until the inevitable climax. The same scenario repeats with each of Pohjonen's projects—solo, the Kluster duo with percussionist and sampling genius Samuli Kosminen, his Kamluk project with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, his duo with French drummer Eric Echampard, and on his new disc, 8 Armed Monkey, with the double duo named KTU, comprised of Kluster plus TU (Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn from King Crimson).

KTU offers Pohjonen, the undisputed leader of this outfit, a much denser and more multilayered rhythmic palette than he has encountered on previous projects. Kosminen includes some imaginative and innovative samples, especially the vocals on "Optikus" and "Absinthe" that contend with Pohjonen's guttural growls. Gunn's Warr guitar functions as an intricate choir of basses that solidify the textures, and Mastelotto's drums stress the grooves.

With such an enveloping rhythm section, Pohjonen's demonic onslaughts get closer to the musical universe of another sound sorcerer, King Crimson's Robert Fripp, and bring him full circle to where this project began. Six years ago the seeds for KTU took root while Pohjonen played with Fripp in Texas, when he shared a bill with Mastelotto/Gunn/Fripp's Project Three, but it took KTU another five years to release its first disc.

The five tracks on 8 Armed Monkey present KTU in different moods and sonic excursions. The opening track, "Sumu," suggests the dark atmosphere of this release. "Optikus," with Gunn's distorted, funky churning and Pohjonen's ecstatic solo, is the best track. Kosminen's samples outline the minimalist and mysterious "Sineen," and the collectively improvised "Absinthe" sounds like it's part of King Crimson's late-'90s repertoire. The concluding track, "Keho," is a slow and dark piece. 8 Armed Monkey offers an intense ride that simultaneously resembles a simple, ancient, shamanistic ritual and a futuristic soundscape, overloaded with disturbing and tempting information.

Visit Kimmo Pohjonen (and check the video of "Optikus"), Trey Gunn, and Pat Mastelotto on the web.

Track Listing

Sumu; Optikus; Sineen; Absinthe; Keho.

Personnel

KTU
 

Kimmo Pohjonen: accordion, voice; Trey Gunn: Warr guitar; Samuli Kosminen: accordion, voice samples; Pat Mastelotto: rhythmic devices.

Album information

Title: 8 Armed Monkey | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Thirsty Ear Recordings

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.