Record Reviews

HEIKKI SARMANTO ~ NEW HOPE JAZZ MASS JAZZAGGRESSION 736 ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1978 Released: 2022 The wonderful world of reissues, which brings back to life, and sometimes even exposes for the first time, music recorded decades earlier has been my fascination for many years now, which often involves also writing liner notes for reissued albums. But among the thousands of reissued albums that have arrived on my desk, only very few discharge such a surge of emotions and memories as this one. “New Hope Jazz MassFind albums with this title” has been, since the day it was originally released in 1978, one of the absolute top Jazz recordings on my list, which I kept revisiting regularly, as well as using in my lectures and writings, as a prime example of the ingenuity of European Jazz, which managed to expand the idiom into a cross-genre amalgam of myriad of influences, joining the American Jazz tradition with the Millennium-long European music tradition. The concept of composing a Jazz Mass, which would be performed at a church, was of course a pretty revolutionary idea at the time, one that has been rarely returned to over the decades since. “Sacred Jazz” enjoyed some popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in the works of Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist and later John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, although the latter was more influenced by non-Christian religious traditions. The “New Hope Jazz Mass”, dedicated to Ellington and Coltrane, was premiered at the St. Peters Lutheran Church in NY on May 18, 1978 and had its Finnish premiere at the Temppeliaukio Church (known as Church of the Rock, a sensational architectural wonder) on September 7, 1978, which was recorded and originally released as a double LP on the FinlandiaFind albums on this label label that year. But the following day, September 8, 1978, there was another performance of the Mass, which was also recorded, and this album brings that recording to light for the first time. The music was performed by the Heikki SarmantoFind albums by this artist sextet, which included vocalist Maija HapuojaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Paroni PaakkunainenFind albums by this artist and Pekka PoyryFind albums by this artist, bassist Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist, drummer Esko RosnellFind albums by this artist and Heikki Sarmanto on piano. In addition, a vocal quartet, the Gregg Smith Vocal QuartetFind albums by this artist, and a large choir, the Long Island Symphonic Choral AssociationFind albums by this artist, performed the choir vocal parts. The Mass consists of twelve compositions, all by Heikki Sarmanto, with lyrics taken from liturgy and some written by Aina Swan CutlerFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded live, and the remastered sound quality is absolutely flawless. The music, as already mentioned above, was absolutely revolutionary at the time, not only in its scope and complexity, but primarily in its bold expressionism, immaculate blend of American Gospel and Jazz traditions with European music structures, Finnish Folkloristic touches and European Jazz approach. Crowned by brilliant performances by all the performers, which clearly shows that “white man can jump”, despite the prejudice. Hapuoja’s wordless vocalese is some of the finest of its kind, and her angelic voice suits this music perfectly. The two saxophonist are brilliant improvisers. The rhythm section is absolutely impeccable and highly inspired, with Pekka Sarmanto’s (Heikki’s brother) bass pulsations providing the natural heartbeat to the music and Rosnell’s drumming keeping the time like a magic chronometer. Maestro Heikki Sarmanto’s piano playing is in charge of the harmonic unity, and the choir wraps everything with the Gospel elation. Perfection incarnate! Overall, this is an absolute classic European Jazz album, in every sense, and an iconic Finish Jazz recording, which deserves to be a part of every serious Jazz collection. For those blissfully ignorant as of its existence, now after reading my words you have absolutely no excuse but to get a copy. Thanks to the JazzaggressionFind albums on this label label for releasing this Holy Grail of an album and last but not least thank you my old, old Friend Heikki for your Friendship and all that wonderful, Genius music you contributed to the world over the years!

Updated: 25/11/2022Posted: 25/11/2022

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

HEIKKI SARMANTO SERIOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE ~ THE HELSINKI TAPES VOL.2 SVART 399 (Barcode: 6430050667818) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1971 - 1972 Released: 2016 This is the second volume of a fantastic archival release presenting the music of the great Finnish pianist / composer / bandleader Heikki SarmantoFind albums by this artist and his early quartet, called The Serious Music EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which also included Heikki´s younger brother Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist on bass and American guitarist Lance GundersonFind albums by this artist and drummer Craig HerndonFind albums by this artist. Wonderful vocalist Maija HapuojaFind albums by this artist sings on nine tracks and saxophonist Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist plays on one track. The music was recorded live at the Helsinki N-Club by the eighteen years old (at the time of course) recording enthusiast Wille SuurlaFind albums by this artist and the sound quality is absolutely gorgeous. Readers interested in the genesis of The Serious Music Ensemble and Sarmanto´s early recording chronology are invited to read my review of the "A Boston DateFind albums with this title" album, another archival release documenting this ensemble. The music on this album, which was recorded live on October 11, 1971 and December 4, 1972, features almost entirely original material composed by Sarmanto, except for one track which was composed by the little known American pianist Herbie NicholsFind albums by this artist. The Nichols piece is previously unreleased and the rest of the tracks appear on the following albums by Sarmanto: "CounterbalanceFind albums with this title", "Like A FragonardFind albums with this title", "A Boston DateFind albums with this title", "Flowers In The WaterFind albums with this title" and "Everything Is ItFind albums with this title" and the Koivistoinen album "3rd VersionFind albums with this title". The music is an early form of modern European Jazz, and although the ensemble features electric piano and guitar, it has only a limited proximity to Jazz-Rock Fusion, which was extremely popular at the time. The music is mostly song related, in contrast to the music presented on the first volume, but is still extensively improvised and quite complex. Hapuoja´s vocals and vocalese parts take the music into a different dimension and her performances are simply hair-raising. There is a strong sense of melody but the lengthy tunes develop significantly from the initial statement of the melodic theme to powerful instrumental climaxes, serving as vehicles for the musicians to fully explore their ideas. There is no doubt that this is some of the most interesting early modern European Jazz, which by the time this music was recorded had already established its own identity. It is also a superb document of the burgeoning Finnish Jazz scene, which was simply exploding with talent at the time. The songs are also a marvelous example of the Poetry & Jazz idiom, which enjoyed a wonderful and fruitful bloom during the early days of Finnish Jazz. It is a miracle that such an exquisite material, both as far as the music and the recording quality are concerned, is finally released, almost half a Century after it was recorded. Kudos to SvartFind albums on this label Records for releasing this and other archival Finnish Jazz albums and keeping the legacy of the Finnish Jazz alive!

Updated: 29/09/2017Posted: 29/09/2017

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend