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Announcement (MP3 album)
9 MP3 Songs in this album (61:02) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Jazz Fusion, JAZZ: Jazz quartet
People who are interested in Wayne Shorter Weather Report Joe Zawinul should consider this download.
Details:
Liner Notes by Bret Primack
At the dawning of the 21st century, there are many musical sheep but few shepherds. Finnish pianist and composer Mika Pohjola, a resident of New York, is one of but a handful of young musicians who have successfully assimilated the messages of the masters and spun their own wondrous peregrinations.
The son of a Helsinki-based jazz guitarist with a great record collection, Pohjola never heard jazz live. By the age of twelve, he was hooked on Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson and Charlie Parker. At fifteen, Pohjola moved to Sweden in 1987, where he found a teacher, Alvaro Is Rojas, "who taught me the mechanics of improvisation and harmony -- everything you need to know to play the music and more." Pohjola graduated from the Swedish Royal Academy in 1992, and continued his studies at Berklee, where his teachers included Gary Burton, Herb Pomeroy and Ed Bedner.
When asked about influences, Pohjola reports that "I''m always seeking ways to make my music richer, to improve it, for it to become something that makes it more valuable to me. But I would say some of my musical influences are Weather Report, Stevie Wonder, Paul Bley, Aleksandr Scriabin, Olivier Messiaen, the Bulgarian Women''s Choir, Bach and Debussy."
Pohjola has released many CDs under his own name. There are literally hundreds of young musicians vying for the attention of the listening public, yet few possess the ingenuity and stylistic balance so evident in the music of this transplanted Finnish pianist. Although many call his music Jazz, I believe that every truly creative musician is a master chef, putting together a unique amalgam of ingredients to produce a truly inventive and tasty concoction. And so it is with the music of Mika Pohjola, which embraces classical influences, folk music, the sounds of New York, and something very deep from the heart of its creator.
It''s a crowded arena for jazz these days, yet, somehow, the truth manages to get through. When the noted Jazz critic Ira Gitler, not an easy man to please, heard Announcement, he told me, "this guy''s a comer." Yes, we''re going to be hearing a lot more from Mika Pohjola.
Finland born pianist/composer Mika Pohjola is a superb technician who also possesses a crafty compositional pen as the artist generally pushes his creative faculties to the limits, evidenced by an increasingly rich recorded legacy. With this 1998 effort, the pianist along with saxophonist Chris Cheek and longtime running mates, drummer Roberto Dani and bassist Matt Penman integrate ferocious soloing into a palate often consisting of vibrant choruses, peppery exchanges, swiftly executed rhythms and lyrically rich unison lines. However, Pohjola also excels as a forward thinking visionary who draws upon widespread influences, whether it is far eastern modalities, Scandinavian folk or the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, while also injecting innocent, lullaby style melodies into the grand scheme of things. Simply stated, "Announcement" represents a joyous event that supersedes a good portion of the nondescript, overly hyped, and rigorously marketed 90’s and 2000 brand of post-bop, whereas this refreshing and altogether stirring production imparts a lasting impression! Strongly recommended.
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
While solidly rooted in the rich soil of former jazz masters, classical influences, folk music and the sounds of New York, Finnish pianist and composer Mika Pohjola, reaches out and flowers with his own contemporary visions of jazz fusion. In a genre inundated with hundreds of up and coming artists, he has continued to lead the pack with his shining musical creations of unusually integrated stylistic balance. Also striking is his compositional focus, which in jazz fusion, is imperative. With his mature musical voice, he navigates in the waters between the comfortable harbor and the endless seas. Take this one out for a sail and find a perspective unique to the genre.
Tamara Turner, CD Baby
"Mika Pohjola is a jazz pianist whose works you will want in your home CD collection!"
Lee Prosser, Jazz Review
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