Every now and then I shuffle through the JMA database to find something interesting I haven't heard before. Vocalist LUCIA CADOTSCH (b. 1984 in Switzerland, living in Berlin) hasn't been reviewed here yet, so all the more rewarding it is for me to share this discovery with you. I'm not saying this highly personal album would deeply charm me right from the start, but with time I would very likely grow a certain affection with it. The CD was released by We Jazz Records from Finland, my home country.

The vocalist forms the Berlin-based Speak Low trio with tenor saxophonist Otis Sandsjö and a double bassist Petter Eldh, this album featuring also some organ and cello guest appearances. The trio mixes jazz, avant-garde and minimalism in a way that can sound both spatially introspective and daringly experimental and playful. All nine tracks are covers, a fact that doesn't diminish the music's originality at all in this case. Some of the choices are unexpected happy surprises to me. Indeed if the song material had been totally unfamiliar, my initial interest towards the album would have been radically smaller.

The trio's approach to 'Azure' from Duke Ellington's repertoire immediately reveals they're doing things exactly their own way. The double bass is used in a rather percussive manner while sax and organ wave at times nearly neurotic textures behind the vocals. Cadotsch's vocal expression is not too peculiar in itself, although it has a slightly detached, introspective thoughtfulness in it. There's a bit of frailty à la Jennie Abrahamson (whom some of us know from Peter Gabriel's live sets) but Cadotsch's voice is not as high.

The melodic substance of the songs, and in Cadotsch's singing, is a safe anchor in an otherwise avant-ish musical environment, best showcased on Randy Newman's classic 'I Think It's Gonna Rain Today'. 'What’s New / There Comes a Time' is slightly less accessible in that sense.

'Wild Is the Wind' (Washington / Tiomkin) is familiar to me especially as either David Bowie's or Nina Simone's version, both very enjoyable. Here the song's moody melodicism is a bit too buried under the avant-garde minimalism, thus not being among my faves. The traditional 'Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair' is another Nina Simone classic. On this spatial version Cadotsch has a folky sincerity in her singing while the lengthy instrumental sections drag it closer to the experimentalism. Anyway I like this one more than 'Wild is the Wind'.

Two of the most interesting song choices are Brian Eno's 'By This River' which sounds delightfully fresh, and 'Ballad of the Drowned Girl' (Weill / Brecht) which as a slow-paced, dark-toned interpretation is a highlight (even though I'm still much more impressed by Liisa Tavi's gorgeous Finnish cover).

I admit my concentration is put on the test over the 40 minutes of this album, and occasionally I do miss a bit more conventional approach from the trio. Let's say my appreciation is higher than my actual enjoyment.

Carla Bley is American free jazz pianist and composer whose music often contains experimentalism. On Social Studies -- the only Bley album I've listened to -- the composer plays organ and piano and is accompanied by a rhythm section and a wind sextet.

The opener 'Reactionary Tango' (12:52) is the longest track; other five tracks are between 4 and 7 minutes. The dance-like rhythm structure forms the basis, on top of which the trumpet, trombone, saxes and other wind instruments play almost as in a dialogue, with quick, little piano melodies thrown in here and there. This harmlessly playful and mildly humorous composition actually feels a bit too long since the changes along the way aren't very big. Even the soprano sax solo remains rather restricted. But towards the end it begins to feel more interesting as the organ makes me think of the early 70's Soft Machine. Indeed to me this music seems closer in spirit to the early British jazz/fusion with some continental flavour, than to American jazz. 'Copyright Royalties' is also temperate and easy-going.

'Utviklingssang' is a moody piece in a slow tempo. Alto sax has the biggest role in it. 'Valse Sinistre' is another composition based on a dance rhythm, and it's not exactly sinister. 'Floater' starts cautiously in a "where do we go from here?" manner but gets slightly livelier. Bass is great here. The final piece 'Walking Batteriewoman' has the fastest and edgiest melodies. Tenor sax has references to be-bop, I guess.

This album is happily less experimental or difficult than I was prepared to hear, but on the other hand it's also a bit duller than I expected. I like the overall feel: temperate, intelligent, witty, gentlemanly and mildly playful and unpredictable. However, the brass-oriented arrangement is surely not up to my jazz taste.

This is the third and latest album of the fairly young Finnish vocalist and composer SANNA RUOHONIEMI. She grew up in the countryside of Finnish Ostrobothnia and nowadays lives in Stockholm. That's where the album was recorded as well, the accompanying musicians being Fredrik Lindborg (saxophone, bass clarinet), Daniel Tilling (piano), Lars Ekman (double bass) and Daniel Olsson (drums). Lyrics feature also Finnish and Swedish in addition to dominating English. Her compositions are modern jazz with ingredients from Nordic ethnic music, bebop and tango.

The opening title track is rather an introspective and moody song in slow tempo. The elegant arrangement favours piano and hi-hat plus some bass clarinet, but the focus is on the girlish and sensual voice of Ruohoniemi. 'Helsinki mun' (= My Helsinki) is her Finnish-language adaptation of Monica Zetterlund's Stockholm-inspired 'Sakta vi gå genom stan'. The combo plays excellently together and there's a suitable amount of emotion.

'Jag vet en dejlig rosa' is a slow piece, and if I'm not mistaken, of traditional origins. The playing flows in a melancholic, wandering manner. 'Dance of Life' has a pretty traditional vocal jazz sound, reminding me of 'Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby'. A lengthy saxophone solo is followed by a bass solo.

'Slavic Heart' is a vividly pouring, melodic composition. 'Tango Variaté' is basically an instrumental with wordless chanting, perhaps my favourite piece, and definitely the most dynamic in its alteration between calmness and more energetic moments. Another highlight is the closing song 'No One's Coming' for its strong, introspective mood.

A recommendable album for those wishing to find stylistically eclectic Nordic vocal jazz with female vocalists, alongside artists such as Viktoria Tolstoy, Ira Kaspi, Jeanette Lindström, Lisa Ekdahl and Sidsel Endresen. However, Ruohoniemi's slightly naiive vocal expression takes a half star away from my four stars for not exactly being up to my personal taste.

For the fusion-minded listeners, this is an interesting item in the Pop Liisa series (or Jazz Liisa, which would have been equally suitable for these acts), ie. the seventies' live performances recorded in the Liisankatu Studios, Helsinki, originally broadcast on the Finnish radio and finally released by Svart Records in the 2010's. The two series are almost like a "who's who" of the Finnish prog and jazz/fusion scenes of the seventies.

Although it was naturally more common to have one band per show, some of the live dates featured two artists, and this was the case in December 15th, 1976. Guitarist and composer JUKKA HAURU (b. 1950) released two albums, Information (1972) and Episode (1975). Especially the debut's instrumental music has been compared to the likes of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Frank Zappa.

This Liisankatu gig however contains a single 17-minute epic piece which was never recorded for a studio album, 'Günther Angst, Parts 1-6'. The sextet consists of Hauru (electric guitar), Juhani Poutanen (violin), Eero Ojanen (piano), Tapani Tamminen (double bass), Esko Rosnell (drums) and Ari Valtonen (percussion). The violinist Poutanen was Hauru's primary collaborator on Information, and his playing is in a big role here, too. Also other instruments get solistic spots in this complex piece wandering in the outskirts of free jazz. Round the sixth minute there's a beautiful calmer section first starring piano and double bass, then evolving into a delicate duet for violin and double bass played with a bow, joined later by a gentle guitar and light percussion, before shifting into a more fiery movement. Progheads may get some associations of the Larks-era King Crimson, in addition to Mahavishnu Orchestra.

As another fusion guitarist, Arto "NONO" SÖDERBERG (b. 1945) was a natural pairing for Jukka Hauru. The guitarist and composer is accompanied by the keyboard maestro Esa Kotilainen (who at the time had played in Wigwam), saxophonist Reijo Ylinen, plus bass, drums and percussion. Söderberg's had a long and many-sided career since the sixties but he released his debut solo album "Nono" no sooner than in 1976. Both pieces heard in this gig are taken from that instrumental pop-jazz/fusion album.

The lively and funky 'Tide' gives a refreshing contrast to the more demanding and ambiguous stuff of Hauru's sextet. Very nice groove in this 8-minute piece, almost twice as long as the album version. 'Seagull' is a calmer piece with laid-back soaring melodies reminiscent of CAMEL and SANTANA. Kotilainen's synth solo is cool, and the soprano saxophone takes its place harmonically. The congas of Esa Roswall sound very nice too.

I personally prefer the Söderberg set. On the CD this Pop Liisa 05 is combined with Pop Liisa 06: Finnforest and Elonkorjuu (1977).

The eponymous album by Finnish bassist Make Lievonen is among the finest fusion works in Finland of that time. His road to composing and recording an album under his own name had been a long and winding one. In several short-lived line-ups Lievonen played with just about every household name of the Finnish prog and fusion scene, naturally including the ones appearing on this album and many others such as Jukka Tolonen, Jukka Gustavson and Seppo "Baron" Paakkunainen.

The idea for a solo album had been around since the early 70's, but in the spring of 1977 he finally made Atte Blom of Love Records to admit the time was right. The electric fusion was at the height of its popularity in Finland. Some of the album's material had existed for some years and had been performed in gigs. The recordings were done in four days, and most of the tracks took just one take.

The album starts joyously with the relatively simple and synth oriented 'Rain Dance' which is in a slight contrast to the rest of the material. Also other, more complex compositions such as 'Sea Horse' offer a genuinely happy feeling. The saddest of emotions are to be felt on 'March for the Lonely Riders', highlighting the soprano sax of Pöyry. In 'Monster Rally' Hasse Walli and Juha Björninen take turns playing short guitar solos. 'Tickets Please' is a tiny, groovy tune of electric funk.

'ETYK' refers to the 1975 Summit conference in Helsinki, where 35 national leaders signed a sheaf of papers. The hectic "going nowhere" atmosphere on the 8-minute composition quite perfectly sums up the whole thing. Although the world peace was a big issue at the time, the track title 'Peace Street Two' is simply a translation of the address Lievonen and Pöyry shared as room mates.

The closing track 'Farewell' features flute playing by both Pöyry and Pentti Lahti, who mostly plays bass clarinet on the album. "I have always liked the sound of that instrument", Lievonen said in a magazine interview. "Many people have told me there's not enough bass on the album. Well, I didn't want to make an album in which I'd play solos on bass and others would merely play themes. My main interest was to make beautiful pieces." And that's what he certainly did.

(Edited from my re-relase liner notes for Svart Records, 2015.)