Record Reviews

IRO HAARLA ELECTRIC ENSEMBLE ~ WHAT WILL WE LEAVE BEHIND SVART 274 (Barcode: 6430077094833) ~ FINLAND ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is an album by Finnish keyboardist / harpist / composer Iro HaarlaFind albums by this artist, ex-wife of iconic Finnish drummer / composer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist, recorded with her ensemble called Electric EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which also includes her current husband, bassist / keyboardist Ulf KrokforsFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jukka OrmaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Sami SippolaFind albums by this artist and her child with Edward Vesala, drummer Aniida VesalaFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks, eight composed by Haarla, two co-composed with Krokfors and Aniida Vesala, one co-composed with Krokfors and one composed by Aniida Vesala. The music is an amalgam of Ambient synthesizer soaked atmospheric sounds and electronic music, Psychedelia, Jazz and Rock, which shuns any attempt to be categorized. It will probably mean / sound differently to different listeners, and could be considered as contemporary Progressive Rock with strong Improvised Music influences. It also has the quality of a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. There are obvious melodic parts, which appear in some of the compositions, and more Ambient approach in others, presenting a fascinating musical trip, which keeps the listener on his toes for the entire duration of the album. The guitar parts are obviously Rock oriented, as is the strong drumming, but this is only one of several facets of the music, which keeps constantly changing. Overall, this is a highly original piece of music, created by veteran and young musicians playing alongside each other, which is interesting and unexpected and offers music which can be accessible to a wide audience. Listeners looking for innovation and surprise won’t be disappointed and the album is definitely quite an experience.

Updated: 09/03/2022Posted: 09/03/2022

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EDWARD VESALA ~ LUMI ECM 1339 (Barcode: 602567431053) ~ FINLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1986 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the 3rd album as a leader on the ECMFind albums on this label label by Finnish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist, recorded by an ensemble comprising of eleven top Finnish musicians, including saxophonists Pentti LahtiFind albums by this artist and Tapani RinneFind albums by this artist, guitarist Raoul BjorkenheimFind albums by this artist and his wife harpist / keyboardist Iro HaarlaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, eight of which were composed by Vesala and one was co-composed by him and Polish Jazz trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, with whom he cooperated for many years. The music, although composed, is full of Avant-Garde elements, Free improvisation, all framed by remarkable close large ensemble work, kept tightly in check by Vesala’s ingenious drumming. Many different musical elements are amalgamated on this album, including Rock, Big Band licks and the Nordic melancholy, with the music floating between quiet meditative pieces and hard rocking crescendos. Vesala was of course one of the Godfathers of Finnish Jazz and his interest in Improvised Music marked the earliest exploration of that genre on the local scene already in the 1960s. He was always very open to cooperation with other European Jazz musicians and recorded many albums with European ensembles, especially with the a.m. Stanko and other Polish, German and British musicians, and as such was an early icon of European Jazz. Overall, this is a remarkable piece of Finnish / European Jazz, full of beautiful melodic lines and fascinating exploration of the Free idiom, which are perfectly balanced on this wonderful album. Wholeheartedly recommended for those young Jazz enthusiasts, who discovered Jazz after his tragically premature departure in 1999.

Updated: 15/06/2024Posted: 15/06/2024

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