Record Reviews

OLLI AHVENLAHTI / UMO ~ SEAWINDS: THE COMPLETE YLE STUDIO RECORDINGS 1976-1981 SVART 171 (Barcode: 6430065583486) ~ FINLAND ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1976 - 1981 Released: 2018 This is an archival album collecting all the recordings by Finnish keyboardist / composer Olli AhvenlahtiFind albums by this artist recorded with the superb UMOFind albums by this artist Jazz Orchestra for the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company). The album presents fifteen tracks, including the five-part "Seawinds" suite, which gave the album its title. All the music was composed and arranged by Ahvenlahti. UMO, founded in 1975, turned out to be Finland´s most renowned Jazz Big Band / Orchestra, active to this very day. Over the years its ranks included the absolute who’s who of the Finnish Jazz scene, as well as numerous international guests, and produced a remarkable recording legacy. On these recordings the UMO was in its early days, but already offered a remarkable level of professionalism and talent, as well as a typical European approach to the Big Band Jazz sound and style. It included such formidable players as saxophonists Pekka PoyryFind albums by this artist, Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist, Juhani AaltonenFind albums by this artist, Pentti LahtiFind albums by this artist and Paroni PaakkunainenFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Kaj BacklundFind albums by this artist, trombonist Mircea StanFind albums by this artist, pianist Heikki SarmantoFind albums by this artist, bassists Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist and Pekka PohjolaFind albums by this artist, drummer Esko RosnellFind albums by this artist and many others. Ahvenlahti played keyboards and the orchestra was conducted by Esko LinnavalliFind albums by this artist. Three of the tracks feature the wonderful vocalist Irina MilanFind albums by this artist, singing music composed to Finnish poetry. The music is beautifully melodic and at the same time complex enough to keep the listener on his toes. The superb Big Band arrangements and wonderful soloing turns this album into an excellent listening experience, which is fresh and full of youthful energy with a slight Fusion tinge. All the sections of the Big Band are perfectly utilized to create a big sound, but the listener is able to hear each individual; instrument. The excellent rhythm section drives the music forward with zest and elegance. Overall this is a great Big Band Jazz album that lost nothing of its power and freshness over time and sounds every bit as exciting as it did at the time of the recording. For European Big Band Jazz fans this is a true feast and for the many UMO followers around the world this is an absolute must have. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 12/07/2020Posted: 12/07/2020

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RANDY BRECKER & MATS HOLMQUIST / UMO ~ TOGETHER MAMA 1056 (Barcode: 734956105624) ~ SWEDEN ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is a wonderful Big Band Jazz album, which features American trumpeter Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist, Swedish composer / arranger / conductor Mats HolmquistFind albums by this artist and the Finnish UMOFind albums by this artist Jazz Orchestra. The album presents nine tracks, five of which are composed and arranged by Holmquist, three are composed by Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist and arranged by Holmquist and one is a standard arranged by him. UMO Jazz Orchestra has been one of my favorite Big Bands since forever and the performances captured here affirm this lasting admiration. Brecker solos brilliantly on each and every track, sharing soloing duties with other UMO band members and the Orchestra plays like one organic body, despite the fact that the players are constantly rejuvenated with “new blood” from the local Finnish scene. Holmquist compositions and arrangements are a quintessential amalgam of the American Big Band tradition and the European Orchestral Jazz approach, where the sound is meant to be organic as an ensemble rather than just soloist supported / accompanied by an orchestra. The music is all within the mainstream Jazz boundaries, highly melodic and perfectly organized both harmonically and rhythmically, but the sound is modern and the performances heartwarming, creating a superb listening experience. The Corea pieces offer a new perspective on his compositions, which alone are worth the price of the album. Overall, this is an excellent, although somewhat conservative Big Band album, which is honey on the ears of Orchestral Jazz lovers. Brecker fans will find him in top form of course, playing in different moods, which is always highly rewarding. Heartwarming music for warm summer nights (or winter nights by a fireplace). Delightful!

Updated: 05/03/2022Posted: 05/03/2022

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DAY IS OVER ~ DAY IS OVER SVART 051 (Barcode: 6430065585169) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1975 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the only album by one-off Finnish-Danish Jazz quintet Day Is OverFind albums by this artist, which comprised of Finnish saxophonist Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Esko LinnavalliFind albums by this artist and drummer Esko RosnellFind albums by this artist and Danish trumpeter Allan BotschinskyFind albums by this artist and bassist Niels-Henning Orsted PedersenFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, one each by Koivistoinen, Linnavalli and Orsted Pedersen and the rest by other Finnish Jazz composers. The quintet was formed during the Finnish Jazz Music Workshop, which was organized to prepare the legendary UMOFind albums by this artist Orchestra / Big Band in late 1974 and the album was recorded in February 1975 in Stockholm. Linnavalli commissioned the compositions for the album from several leading Finnish Jazz composers at the time and the musicians were exposed to the music without having time to rehearse it – the remarkable result proves the remarkable level of professionalism and talent by all the participants. Of course Orsted Pedersen was already one of the most revered and sought after bass players in Europe, playing and recording with all visiting American Jazz stars. The music is all strictly melody based modern mainstream Jazz, but it has a distinct Scandinavian touch and the compositions reflect the unique Finnish music spirit, which can be heard distinctly on the recordings originating in the 1970s. The performances are brilliant from start to finish and offer a great opportunity to hear the brilliant work by Orsted Pedersen, who firmly keeps the music swinging smoothly. Sadly the quintet disbanded as quickly as it was formed, leaving this sole album as its only recorded legacy. However, the UMO Orchestra was formed a few months after the Day Is Over adventure, and exists to this very day, producing some of the finest music out there. Overall this is a wonderful piece of Finnish (and Nordic) Jazz history, well worth being remembered and still a great piece of quality enjoyable music. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 25/03/2024Posted: 20/07/2020

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PIIRPAUKE / TAPIO TUOMINEN TRIO / PORI BIG BAND / TAPIOLA BIG BAND ~ JAZZ LIISA VOL. 15 & VOL. 16 SVART 097 (Barcode: 6430065583509) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1975 - 1977 Released: 2017 The "Popstudio" / "Jazzstudio" broadcasts were usually dedicated to one band / artists, but in some cases two acts were combined into one show, which allowed each of them just about twenty minutes to perform, as is the case on the first show included here. The other two sessions were recorded on different dates. PiirpaukeFind albums by this artist, founded in 1974 by saxophonist / keyboardist / composer Sakari KukkoFind albums by this artist and still active today forty-five years later, was one of the first European Jazz-World Fusion ensembles. It includes initially also guitarist Hasse WalliFind albums by this artist, bassist Antti HyttiFind albums by this artist and drummer Jukka WasamaFind albums by this artist. Synthesizer player Otto RomanowskiFind albums by this artist appeared as an associate member. This live radio broadcast captures the group before the release of their eponymous debut album, which created quite a stir at the time. They perform three pieces; one composed by Kukko and two unique arrangements by the group members of folk songs: one Romanian and the other Karelian in origin. Both folk songs were included on the a.m. debut album. The music is a wonderful amalgam of modern Jazz, sometimes with freely improvised parts, and folkloristic inspirations, which will become the modus operandi of the group. Saxophonist Tapio TuominenFind albums by this artist and his trio, which also included bassist Jorma KoivulehtoFind albums by this artist and drummer Jukka WasamaFind albums by this artist, represent the Finnish Free Jazz movement, which flourished in the 1970 and led to high local activity as well as international cooperation with other European players, including those from Poland and other East European countries. The trio plays three original compositions credited to Wasama, but obviously presenting a group improvisation effort. Similarly to the material presented by the Wasama - Tuominen TrioFind albums by this artist, presented on an earlier release of the "Jazzstudio" sessions, the music is typical of European Free Jazz at the time, highly inventive and emotional, which lost nothing of its power over time. The 1970s were hay days for the Finnish Big Bands and several were active in parallel at the time, which for a country of the size of Finland was absolutely phenomenal. One of the factors that enabled this to happen was the solid local and national financial support available for Arts at the time, and combined with the number of young Jazz musicians flooding the scene and involvement of semi-professional / amateurs evolved into a heaven on earth for Big Band enthusiasts. Pori Big BandFind albums by this artist, founded in 1971 and still active today, was led over the years by top Finnish musicians / instrumentalists and has an impressive legacy of recordings to its credit. It is traditionally featured during the annual Pori Jazz Festival. On this live radio broadcast the Big Band was conducted by bassist / composer Markku KokkoFind albums by this artist and performed two original compositions: one by trombonist / composer Kaj BacklundFind albums by this artist and one by Kokko. Tapiola Big BandFind albums by this artist, founded in 1970 by Martti LappalainenFind albums by this artist and still active today, included many top Finnish musicians over time, some of which were double billing as members of the Mother Ship of the Finnish Big Band scene, the UMOFind albums by this artist Orchestra. On this live radio broadcast the Big Band was conducted by Lappalainen and included a crème de la crème lineup of Finnish Jazz musicians and performed two pieces: one original composition by Mike KoskinenFind albums by this artist and an arrangement of a folk song by Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist. Overall this is some of the most staggering music created in Europe in the early to mid 1970s that one is able to hear and for European Jazz connoisseurs this is an absolute must have! Side Note The Finnish independent label SvartFind albums on this label Records released an unprecedented series of albums called Pop Liisa and Jazz Liisa, which present priceless historical recordings of Finnish Rock, Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Jazz music, recorded live and broadcasted from the Liisankatu Studios in Helsinki under the "Popstudio" and "Jazzstudio" monikers between 1972 and 1977. The studios were owned by the YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company), a public broadcasting service, which not only allowed the burgeoning Finnish music scene at the time to be exposed but also carefully archived the recordings for future generations. All this incredible music was previously unissued and collectively is probably the most important document of Finnish music from that period ever assembled. The music was released on 36 LPs (Pop Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18 and Jazz Liisa Vol. 01 to Vol. 18) and on 18 CDs with every two consecutive volumes combined on one CD. The sound quality is absolutely superb, often better than the sound quality on the LPs released by these artists at the time. Many of the groups appearing on these albums never managed to record an album and these recordings are the only recorded legacy in existence of their activity. The released are accompanied by well researched and intelligent liner notes. This archival project is an outstanding example of how Cultural Legacy should be treated as well as of exemplary dedication to record producing professionalism.

Updated: 15/06/2020Posted: 15/06/2020

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UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA ~ ELLINGTON TRIBUTE WARNER CLASSICS 825646188321 (Barcode: 825646188321) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1997 Released: 2004 This is a wonderful album by the Finnish UMO Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, founded in 1975 by the great Finnish Jazz pioneers Heikki SarmantoFind albums by this artist and Esko LinnavalliFind albums by this artist. Over time UMO became one of the absolute top European Jazz Big Bands / Orchestras, recording a long succession of brilliant albums with famous guest stars. Although primarily dedicated to supporting and promoting Finnish Jazz, the orchestra is also involved in other projects, like this tribute to the great American pianist / composer Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten pieces composed by Ellington and two composed by Billy StrayhornFind albums by this artist, arranged especially for the UMO, featuring many of the orchestra members as soloists. The orchestra captured on this album is conducted by pianist Kirmo LintenenFind albums by this artist and includes, among others, such famous Finnish Jazz figures like saxophonist Pentti LahtiFind albums by this artist and bassist Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist. The music includes some of the most popular tunes associated with Ellington and his Orchestra, which are (hopefully) well known to every Jazz fan all over the globe. UMO performs these tunes perfectly, which is of course obvious, but the fascinating aspect of this music is the comparison between how it sounds here in comparison to its original sound as recorded by Ellington and his Orchestra decades earlier. In a nutshell it is a intriguing case study presenting the difference between American and European Jazz idioms. Whereas the original performances are classic examples of Swing, perfectly orchestrated and executed, the music here is all about sophisticated arrangements, unusual orchestration and elegant tricks of the trade played with tempi, dynamics and articulation, true to the original and yet cleverly different. It goes without saying that this album, although little known, is a must to all Big Band and Ellington fans, and deserves to be listened to very closely by music scholars and educators, especially those who claim that Jazz must stay untouched.

Updated: 01/07/2016Posted: 01/07/2016

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