JAZZ-LIISA 1

A few years back the Finnish record company Svart Records started releasing the 70's gigs held in Helsinki's Liisankatu studios (hence the titles Pop-Liisa and Jazz-Liisa), organized and broadcast on radio by the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE. By the way, many of the bands in the Pop-Liisa series happened to be progressive rock bands/artists, including Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti. Especially for the Finnish jazz scene the Liisankatu gigs were culturally significant, since there weren't yet any permanently functioning jazz clubs in Helsinki until 1977. Many of the line-ups represented in the series were short-lived, some of them even temporary, but often featuring the leading Finnish jazz musicians of the time. Speaking of Unisono Quartet's stellar line-up, one could perhaps think of Olli Ahvenlahti as Finland's Chick Corea and Paroni Paakkunainen as Finland's Ornette Coleman.

Listen here in ProgArchives as Uni Sono due to the way the name is written on the sole, eponymous album (1975) recorded by a slightly changed line-up, the jazz group Unisono started life already in 1970, touring in Poland as a sextet of Olli Ahvenlahti (keyboards), Seppo "Baron" Paakkunainen (saxophones and flute), bassist Make Lievonen, drummer Reino Laine, trumpetist Mike Koskinen and guitarist Hasse Walli. The two last mentioned made an exit during the extended tour. On September 26th 1973 the remaining quartet performed live in Liisankatu. The set features four pieces, all roughly 10 minutes long.

Ahvenlahti's composition 'Long Tandem' has a steady basic groove anchored on a repetitive piano riff, until a lively piano solo takes the lead from the saxophone. 'Specially For', also by Ahvenlahti, is a mellower and slower tune. The liner notes guess that the lyrical alto sax melody might have been ispired by Gato Barbieri's theme song for Last Tango in Paris. Very beautiful. 'Totuuden aarreaitta - Treasures of the Truth' (by Paakkunainen) is a bit harder to fully enjoy. Not that it would be hard-edged free jazz, it's just sort of minimalist in a way that the listener's attention may get lost during the dry, fragmentary soloing. Make Lievonen's 'Incarnation' has a nice, bass-centred groove, and the saxophone is being played in many different tones, some of them quite gritty. All in all, this is a fine, shortish jazz gig. The sonic quality is excellent.

If you get this album on CD, you'll get another gig on the Jazz-Liisa series, from November of the same year 1973. Taivaantemppeli is one of the short-lived line-ups who never recorded studio albums. Olli Ahvenlahti and bassist Make Lievonen are again present, and the latter is also responsible of each of the three long compositions. Matti Jakola is a less known name but his flute playing is impressive. Guitarist Pekka Rechardt was soon afterwards to join Wigwam. Percussion duties are shared by Upi Sorvali and Tapani Ikonen. This dynamic fusion gig very nicely fits together with Unisono's, and the differences in the combos (e.g. guitar instead of saxophone) only make the whole richer.