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Delirium: Delirium
by Matthew Wuethrich
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 ...
Nuijamiehet: Nuijamiehet
by Matthew Wuethrich
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 ...
Kari Ikonen: Karikko
by Matthew Wuethrich
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 ...
Ahava: Ahava
by Matthew Wuethrich
When jazz vocalists drew from folk blues and popular song they found abundant and lively inspiration; recently it seems they are returning only to find a dry well. Many contemporary vocalists adhere so closely to the accepted repertoire and moods that they have taken the life out of the tradition. Yet Finland's Ahava, featuring vocalist Mia ...
XL: Surreal
by Matthew Wuethrich
A refreshing musical breeze has blown in from the north, characterized by strong melodies, subtle electronica, and unashamed love for grandiose themes and arrangements. Finland's XL has been developing for 10 years and on their latest release Surreal they make an intrepid statement. In a musical era obsessed with introspective abstraction, XL prefers exuberance and clarity. ...
Kimmo Pohjonen: Kluster
by Matthew Wuethrich
You know that old accordion your grandfather has sitting around from his days in the Old Milwaukee Polka Band? Well, Kimmo Pohjonen has dragged it from the attic, dusted it off, hooked it up to a Fender tube amp and proceeded to pull, push, pound, scrape and bend every note conceivable from it. Pohjonen hails from ...
Eero Koivistoinen Music Society: Wahoo!
by Matthew Wuethrich
What would we do without those vinyl junkies? You know, those obsessed creatures that scour every record store, flea market, secondhand store and garage sale in hopes of finding some gem that has been lost in the mountain of recordings released over the last seventy years. Without them we would not have the pleasure of revisiting ...
Slowhill: Finndisc
by Matthew Wuethrich
We've heard this song before. The recipe: Sample old jazz LPs, program hip-hop and club-inflected beats, overdub some horn riffs and then mix into a smooth cream which spreads easily. Blue Note enjoys cooking up this meal so much it seems that it is gaining Betty Crocker-status. Us3 did it, St. Germain liked it so much ...
Jarmo Saari Filmtet: A Tribute to Finnish Cinema
by Matthew Wuethrich
One of the few things more obscure than Finnish jazz is Finnish cinema, and even more obscure would be Finnish film music. Guitarist Jarmo Saari fuses together these little known elements and creates a surprising and delightful jazz revue of all three. In the process, Saari's Filmtet also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of many contemporary ...
Pepa P: Saxigon
by Matthew Wuethrich
What musical shapes have yet to be explored? Did the New Thing of the '60s contort jazz into all its possible forms, or was it merely formless as many critics have asserted? On Saxigon, Finnish saxophonist Pepa Päivinen and his quartet answer these questions with a thunderous NO. The title of the album, and most importantly ...
