Record Reviews

EERO KOIVISTOINEN ~ ODYSSEUS SVART 448 (Barcode: 6430080233670) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1969 Released: 2023 This is a reissue of an early (first full-fledged Jazz) album by the great Finnish saxophonist / composer / bandleader Eero KoivistoinenFind albums by this artist, recorded by his quintet / sextet in 1969, which included his regular, at the time, quartet with pianist Pentti HietanenFind albums by this artist, bassist Pekka SarmantoFind albums by this artist and drummer Reino LaineFind albums by this artist, expanded to a quintet by Swedish trumpeter Bertil LovgrenFind albums by this artist, and finally expanded further to a sextet by saxophonist / flautist Juhani AaltonenFind albums by this artist on two tracks. The album presents six tracks, all original compositions by Koivistoinen. Recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company and newly remastered, the album offers splendid sound quality, with a specific ambience, which characterizes the time of the recording. Although the music is strongly influenced by Bebop and American Jazz in general, it already shows strong originality, which within a short period of time will explode into the full-blooded Finnish Jazz, which became one of the most dynamic and original European Jazz scenes. All the six musicians, although quite young at the time, were already highly experienced and full of passion and confidence, which resulted in a wonderfully energetic recording, based the wonderful original compositions by the leader. Overall, this is a great time capsule, presenting the Finnish Jazz scene at its best, and offers some timeless music, which sounds amazingly contemporary today. It is a great tribute to these great musicians and I am very happy to see it reissued by SvartFind albums on this label Records, which is doing a great job to preserve the Finnish Jazz legacy.

Updated: 17/11/2025Posted: 17/11/2025

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend