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Juli Wood Quartet: Synkka Metsa (Dark Forest)
ByChicago's Juli Woodwho plays multiple reeds, but sticks to the tenor saxophone hereexplores her Finnish heritage on Synkka Metsa, a collection of Finnish folk songs. Inspired by trumpeter Art Farmer's Scandinavian foray, To Sweden with Love (Atlantic Records, 1964), that featured quartet with Jim Hall on guitar, Wood employes her own quartet here, with bassist Clark Sommers sitting in on bass, Alejandro Urzagaste on guitar and Mike Schlick on drums. Wood and her cohorts explorewith a cool restraint and crystalline claritythe dark forest (the English translation of "Synkka Metsa") of Finnish Folk themes. The music evokes a shadowy world of deep greens and cold, moist earth, a place of thick and resilient mosses and icy water dripping from high branches denuded of leaves with the coming of the long winter.
Wood's quartet is superb, worthy of a very cool battle of the bands with Art Farmer's To Sweden With Love group. Urgaste's guitarstretched-out lines switching to sharp single notes and resonant metallic chordsadds an elasticity to the sound. Mike Schlick's distinctive drum work shifts from rhythmic subtlety to hissing, wind-in-the-boughs cymbal drones. Bassist Sommers bass thrums under the low branches with with perfect foundation. And Juli Wood: she draws a tone from her tenor that is woody and folkloric, fronting a collective sound that is mysterious and often spooky on the down tempos, passionate and powerful on the faster tunes.
An outstanding set with a compellingly beautiful cohesion.
Track Listing
Lapin Aidin Kehto Laulu (Lapland Mother's Cradle Song); Taivas on Sininen ja Valkoinen (The Sky is Blue and White); Karjalen Kunnaila (Hills of Karelia); Valiakainen (Temporary); Ken Voi Tyynessa Seilata (Who Can Sail the Calm?); Toul on Mun Kultani (There is My Sweetheart); Tuohinen Sormus (Birchbark Ring); Villiruusu (Wild Rose).
Personnel
Juli Wood
saxophoneJuli Wood: tenor saxophone; Alejandro Urzagaste: guitar; Clark Sommers: bass; Mike Schlick: drums.
Album information
Title: Synkka Metsa (Dark Forest) | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: OA2 Records