Jazz Articles

Mikko Innanen: Autonomus I - XXX

by Anthony Shaw
January 25, 2020

Mikko Innanen has been a prolific saxophonist on the Finnish scene for so long that one can no longer refer to him as any sort of new boy in town. But with the passing of the years there have been changes of focus and style, and the release of the album Autonomus sees a new experimental style, which puts Innanen back in the position of a new aspirant on the block. The change from his former principle band ...

Kallio Slaaki: Polymania for percussion

by Anthony Shaw
November 21, 2013

As its name suggests,this album is aimed at an audience familiar with gamelan and tuned percussion, as opposed to the year's other drum trio release by Zach Hill, Janet Weiss and Matt Cameron, a 40 minute rolling improvisation. Here each piece is highly scripted by leader Mika Kallio, and mainly follows lines he lays down on his numerous tuned gongs. Not that unimpeded and even raucous jamming play no part, but it is small compared to the ...

kahden miehen galaksi: Um Jepa

by Anthony Shaw
March 30, 2013

Buying a CD is more of an act of commitment nowadays than ever. One may be motivated by acquisitional zeal or by dedication to an artist, and opening up the wrapper brings one a little closer to the creative source regardless of any future pleasure from its consumption. The cover in question is as surrealistically appealing as it is tantalizing, rather like the music on this first CD by the Finnish duo Kahden Miehen Galaksi/Two Man Galaxy. ...

Gnomus: II

by Matthew Wuethrich
May 3, 2004

Gnomus’ second album continues to refine the atmospheric improvisation the group explored on its self-titled debut . Gnomus is keboardist Kari Ikonen, guitarist Esa Onttonen and drummer Mika Kallio. Ikonen and Onttonen also compose a variety of works, from small ensemble and vocal pieces to big band works. Kallio does not compose like the others, but his meticulous, subdued percussion work has shaped numerous pieces by other composers. These talents combined give the three extended improvisations on II an intuitive ...

Esa Pietil: Direct

by Matthew Wuethrich
May 11, 2003

When John Cage distilled sound into four elements-pitch, duration, timbre and loudness-he succinctly summed up many 20th century musicians’ attitudes towards music: sound itself matters more than the structure in which it resides. Cage’s approach was expressed in jazz by the '60s avant-garde. They rejected conventions like swing, bar lines and rigid solo formats in favor of expressiveness, texture, and free-flowing interaction. They explored the essence of sound, and in doing so made a massive noise.

Like its ...

Gnomus: Gnomus

by Matthew Wuethrich
July 12, 2002

Gnomus, the self-titled release of three Finnish musicians, delves deeply into the sounds that surround us and in turn creates its own sublime world of noise. Our world has become a noisier one over the last century, what with the proliferation of industry, telephone networks, and radio. It comes as no surprise then that recorded music, one source of the new noise, is also using these sounds as material for further exploration. Yet Gnomus is no random collection of ambient ...

Gourmet: Glamour & Decadence

by Matthew Wuethrich
July 12, 2002

Self-indulgence is usually a dirty word when applied to music, but in the case of Gourmet and their debut album, Glamour and Decadence, on the Finnish Fiasko Records, it perfectly describes, and compliments, their bizarre brand of music.

Gourmet's stated, and highly unique, goal is to “play original music specifically written for the instrumental combination of saxophone, slide trombone, accordion, electric guitar, double bass and drums." The sources of inspiration could conceivably be endless, since “no style ...

Delirium: Delirium

by Matthew Wuethrich
July 11, 2002

Delirium, A Finnish/Danish quartet, has rekindled the joy of creating improvisation-based music with a verve, power and humor sometimes lost in today's drive for “progress". European free jazz players more frequently remember that freedom is meant to be enjoyed, hence the music often sounds more free-wheeling and most importantly, fun. The music here was captured in a single day's recording session made for the Finnish Broadcasting Company. The band plays loosely and sounds relaxed, enjoying the dialogue of the moment.

Nuijamiehet: Nuijamiehet

by Matthew Wuethrich
July 11, 2002

The terms “Scandinavian" and “Nordic" (synonyms for the purpose of this review) jazz usually conjure up thoughts of ECM's echoey production, Jan Garbarek's atmospheric sax musings and pastoral landscapes. Yet that definition is rather limited and more than a bit quaint. Finland's Nuijamiehet describes their sound as “Scandinavian", but the music on their Fiasko Records debut forces one to expand their idea of the “Nordic" sound. Sure, they retain the roomy sound and the chilly distance, but they also add ...

Kari Ikonen: Karikko

by Matthew Wuethrich
July 1, 2002

Jazz musicians have offered up as many definitions of “jazz composition" as there are notes in a John Coltrane solo. Yet the basic challenge remains: how to find the right balance between improvisation, the lifeblood of jazz, and composed structures. Kari Ikonen, on his Fiasko Records debut Karikko, artfully answers this challenge with a set of organic, graceful compositions in which one cannot tell where his composing ends and improvising begins. He uses spare instrumentation to create an expansive sound, ...