Record Reviews

PARONI PAAKKUNAINEN ~ BARITONE DRAGON ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2001 Released: 2002 This is a beautiful album by Finnish baritone saxophonist Paroni PaakkunainenFind albums by this artist, recorded with Finnish bassist Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist, drummer Reino LaineFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Tero SaartiFind albums by this artist and Swedish baritone saxophonist Peter GullinFind albums by this artist, pianist Lars SjostenFind albums by this artist, bassist Filip AugustsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Bosse SoderbergFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, seven of which are studio recordings by the Finnish Radio and four are live recordings. Seven of the tracks are original compositions by Paakkunainen, one is by Sjosten and three are by the great late Swedish saxophonist Lars GullinFind albums by this artist and father of Peter Gullin. Paakkunainen is one of the Godfathers of modern Finnish Jazz and he participated in many groundbreaking Jazz recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also very active on the Finnish Progressive Rock scene. Sadly, his solo recording output is rather limited and this is one of the few examples of his work as a leader. The music on this album is all Jazz oriented and reflects the excellent level of Scandinavian Jazz, which was already highly developed by the 1960, mostly due to the fact that many American Jazz musicians visited often and played in concert halls and local clubs, which is also widely documented by many recordings made by American Jazz stars in Sweden. Finnish Jazz developed on a more independent path, always centered on originality and search of new routes to be explored, which in retrospect produced some of the finest early modern European Jazz, including explorations of Free Jazz and Improvised Music. However, this album is mostly highly melodic mainstream Jazz, which focuses on the excellent compositions by Paakkunainen and the wonderful interplay between these matured and highly experienced musicians. Overall, this is an excellent opportunity to get exposed to a great Finnish musician, who was usually behind the scenes. Lovers of the baritone saxophone and Scandinavian Jazz should find this album very rewarding.

Updated: 29/07/2023Posted: 29/07/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

EJE THELIN QUINTET ~ AT THE GERMAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 1964 DRAGON 374 (Barcode: 7391953003747) ~ SWEDEN ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 Released: 2002 This is a reissue / remaster of a live album by Swedish trombonist / composer / bandleader Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quintet, which also included saxophonist Ulf AnderssonFind albums by this artist, Belgian pianist / flautist Joel VandroogenbroekFind albums by this artist, Polish (resident in Sweden) bassist Roman DylagFind albums by this artist and drummer Rune CarlssonFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, two of which are originals by Thelin, one is by Vandroogenbroek, another one is by Swedish pianist / composer Lars SjostenFind albums by this artist and three are standards. The last track is a previously unreleased bonus. The sound quality of this 1964 recording is absolutely stunning (well the German radio sound engineers were as good as their British peers). The album’s booklet reprints the original liner notes of the German edition, written by my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, whom I miss every day. Thelin was one of the great pioneers of European Jazz, and although he was strongly influenced by the American Jazz tradition, later on in his career he embraced modern European aesthetics. Dylag was a Polish Jazz pioneer and played on many early Polish Jazz recordings, including those by Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist, where Thelin and Carlsson also played. After he emigrated to Sweden, he was the “Polish connection” for many Polish Jazz musicians, who kick started their careers in Scandinavia. The music is mostly Bebop oriented, but the European finesse and elegance turns the album into an instant classic, which shows that by the mid-1960s the Europeans were catching up with what arose across the pond, soon to leave the Americans behind deep in the dust ;) Overall, this is a classic early European Jazz recording, which shows how well the local musicians learned from what was happening across the pond, ready to go their separate ways soon after. Brilliant reminder of the mid-1960, when I was growing up listening to this kind of stuff.

Updated: 28/01/2025Posted: 28/01/2025

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend