Jazz Articles about Verneri Pohjola

About Verneri Pohjola

Album Review

Verneri Pohjola Quartet: Ancient History

by AAJ Italy Staff
August 22, 2013

Al di là di una versione essenziale, minimalista di “Hyperballad" - brano firmato Bjork e diventato da qualche tempo una sorta di “Time After Time" del nuovo millennio - si può dire che l'intero Ancient History sia costruito intorno alla forma ballad. Declinata nelle sue varie configurazioni, affrontata da diversi punti angolari e da differenti prospettive ma sempre ballad. Come l'iniziale “Deism," una lunga cavalcata innodica, carica di spiritualità che accumula solennità passo dopo passo. O la title-track, languida e ...

Live Review

Black Motor with Verneri Pohjola at the 2013 Flow Festival

by Anthony Shaw
August 15, 2013

Black Motor with Verneri PohjolaFlow Festival, The Balloon StageHelsinki, FinlandAugust 11, 2013On the last day of the summer holidays, and under what's typical seasonally unpredictable weather, a large crowd gathered in downtown Helsinki for Scandinavia's urban music event, Flow Festival. Black Motor Trio began its set with a tunes featuring its usual bravado and panache, ably abetted by Finland's decorated trumpeter, Verneri Pohjola. This was the same lineup as on its recent release Rubidium (TUM ...

Album Review

Verneri Pohjola & Black Motor: Rubidium

Read "Rubidium" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
March 31, 2013

Black Motor is Finland's leading trio of free jazz that began to gain a wider recognition outside Finland in recent years. Since its foundation around 2005, the central Finland, Tampere-based proletariat trio expanded its muscular, uncompromising post-Albert Ayler and Peter Brötzmann approach as it began to collaborate with fellow, innovative Finnish improvisers as saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen, guitarist Raoul Björkenheim and bassist Teppo Hauta-aho, as well as circus acts, dancers, poets , rap artists and DJ's. Helsinki-based trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, who ...

Album Review

Verneri Pohjola & Black Motor: Rubidium

Read "Rubidium" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
February 14, 2013

Just going by the name, for those unfamiliar with the thriving Scandinavian jazz scene, a group calling itself Black Motor might be mistaken for a heavy metal rock band--a smash-and-crash set of drums, a blasting three-chord guitar and a wall-shaking bass wrapped around bellowed lyrics. But the real Black Motor, a drums/bass/saxophone outfit--joined on Rubidium by trumpeter Verneri Pohjola--is a Finish improvising jazz unit of the first order.When a quartet consisting of two horns, bass and drums, with ...

Album Review

Olavi Trio & Friends: Triologia

by AAJ Italy Staff
October 16, 2012

Tre musicisti finlandesi hanno scoperto di avere il secondo nome in comune (Olavi) e hanno quindi deciso di chiamare il loro gruppo 'Olavi Trio.' Per questo Triologia hanno scelto di coinvolgere in alcuni brani altri tre musicisti, il trombettista Verneri Pohjola, il saxofonista Juhani Aaltonen e il chitarrista Kalle Kalima, per aggiungere nuovi sapori e nuovi colori. Il loro progetto si muove dalle parti del free jazz e della musica creativa in genere, e ci consente di vedere all'opera diverse ...