Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Olli Ahvenlahti: Thinking, Whistling

2

Olli Ahvenlahti: Thinking, Whistling

By

View read count
Track review of "Thinking, Whistling"

Olli Ahvenlahti: Thinking, Whistling
When Mose Allison wrote in 1958 that 'a young man ain't got nothing in the world these days' he was probably not intending to make a philosophical statement—more a question of power politics. But now(adays) the line now suggests something else to me. I think neither Roger Daltrey nor I thought about it this way, at least until I stumbled on Olli Ahvenlahti's latest release.

He stated in a recent interview that for him jazz consists of melody, harmony and rhythm, and that is the order of priority on this album. He is a man who has been composing for over 50 years and surely has no demons left to expunge, but in the company of Finland's tightest, even toughest, trio a 35 year break in solo recording sees him now stating some finely honed and not always so delicate musical truths.

Ahvenlahti himself has had a long career in the spotlight of mainstream Finnish music, working lengthily as the conductor of the Finnish Eurovision orchestra as well as providing music for some of the most successful local comedy films (check the Uuno Turhapuro series). Working here with the drummer Jaska Lukkarinen's Trio brings a strength to his music that has echoes of Ahvenlahti's pioneering work in the 1970s with cutting edge local musicians such as trumpeter Markku Johansson and bassist Pekka Pohjola

However in general this is a thoughtful, poised selection of music that reflects the writer's own maturity, but equally the power of music to cross generational boundaries. The title track embodies the reflective attitude, and is anything but meditative. Most pieces seem to favor a minor key, not excepting the funky Minor Minor, but Ahvenlahti's humor as well as the tight accompaniment proves the power of music to keep listeners (and musicians) of all ages on their toes. Local artist Eeva-Riitta Eerola's cover painting 'Marcel' also will keep your eyes open!

Track Listing

Thinking, Whistling; Minor Minor; Miles Away; Say It Again; Black Forest Air; Late Night; A Piano Song; Saturday, Little White.

Personnel

Olli Ahvenlahti, piano; Jussi Kannaste, tenor sax; Antti Lötjönen, bass; Jaska Lukkarinen, drums.

Album information

Title: Thinking, Whistling | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: We Jazz Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.