KIMMO PÖRSTI

From a spacey synthesizer intro to a cheerful folky climate with mandolin, acoustic guitar and flute, culminating in a bombastic final part with fiery electric guitar and powerful drums in Under A Cloudless Sky.

First dreamy with flute, acoustic guitar, then a slow rhythm with strong high pitched female vocals and acoustic guitar, and in the end a moving electric guitar solo in Leap In The Dark.

The short track Shadows Of Lost Memories delivers a mellow atmosphere with twanging acoustic guitar and dreamy electric piano.

And Alone Against Tomorrow features accordion, flute and piano in a slow rhythm, then joined by dreamy female vocals and wonderful acoustic guitar, and finally a sensitive electric guitar solo (in the vein of Andy Latimer) and the distinctive lyre with acoustic guitar, simply wonderful.

My highlights are the two longer compositions.

The Man Who Walked Home (8:44) : It starts dreamy, with slow, bolero-like drums, soon joined by a sultry saxophone, then sensitive electric guitar runs blends. Next a swinging piano and saxophone in an accellaration featuring an exciting Rock Andaluz climate (Rafael Pacha is from the Andalusian city Cordoba), wow, I love it! Finally a fiery guitar solo with a distorted sound, again goose bumps!

Ventolera (8:55) : This is part 2 from the short first track. It opens with dreamy piano and synthesizer, in a slow rhythm, embellished with Santana-like guitar. Halfway mellow with tender piano and acoustic guitar, soaring keyboards and violin, a beautiful, very intense sound. In the second part again a slow rhythm featuring moving guitar with howling runs, wonderful!

My rating: 3,5 star.

Not be confused with the King Crimson classic "Sailor's Tale" , it is nevertheless an inspiring and beautifully evocative piece , that highlights a remarkable trio of sound partners : incredible female choir interventions, sleek flute fluttering and acoustic guitar as a springboard to a second section that adds adventure to the attitude, a musical vessel deftly navigating the waves with roiling organ runs churning up the waves, propeller drums steering the rudder out of the gale and delicate piano when the seas are calm again, sweet flute joyously in agreement. Rafal's majestic electric guitar slices through the powerful choirs like a schooner among the whitecaps. A marvellously moving opener. The medieval oboe opens the "Diving into Infinity", a highly melodic folk piece that features a fragile yet seductive vocal by Laura, elegantly reinforced by some dense mellotron and piano. Then a parping synth solo dazzles by its utter simplicity and attention to the main melody, passing off the baton to Rafal's swirling electric lead. Back and forth they go, together and apart, building up quite the vortex of sound, mostly due to the drum beast behind the kit. The opening feudal theme returns for a final curtsy.

A merry 'dance in the sand' piece that is "Tara's Joy in the Beach" raises the enjoyment factor as it blends in the contrasts between frolic and reflection, terrific keyboard work on piano and synths, flutes galore, stunning acoustic guitar picking worthy of the greatest masters and a fresh disposition that can only make on smile. "The Island of Lotus Eaters" suggests a basic female vocal courtesy of Laura Porsti this time, emanating from a very British folk tradition as per the uncomplicated arrangement, though the instrumental section does sound like a veteran Genesis romp, with Rafal not emulating the Hackett or Phillips tone, preferring his own style. "Charybdis" is where my good friend Alessandro gets to shine on the piano, a sensitive rendition of the colossal sea monster from Greek mythology, here given the whirlpool interpretation and not the de facto beast. The sweeping axe solo is a heart stopping example of poignancy. The enthralling title track remains an overtly aquatic rendition of nature's overwhelming capacity of showing both power and serenity. The reflective saxophone takes over the spotlight and brightly so, as Arnold is a true master of the brass instrument.

The obligatory epic is found in the 9 minute + "Fascination" , a full vocal from the robust Alejandro Suarez setting the stage for a panoramic romp through various stages, as the instrumental sections properly decorate the lyrics and the overall mood, raising the power as need be and then , kneeling at the altar of contemplation, (the Lake of Tears section), the exquisiteness of both the charming guitars, the honestly delivered passion of the agonizing vocals and the ecstatic sax outro are a true earful to behold.

Rafal Pacha has a song for Cadiz in "Lead, Silver and Gold", a tribute to an ancient town that proudly maintains its rich heritage, so it is not surprising to perceive a palpable Andalusian influence, from the lilting piano motifs amid the flamenco-like handclaps. The understated drums play a huge role on giving the piece momentum that permits the sensational Pacha guitar to soar into the sun-drenched horizon. A maritime tale without a "Shipwreck"? Of course, that cannot happen! This miniature epic once again underlines the numerous twists and turns that befall any adventure, on land and especially at sea. At times, quiet waves of apparent calm underscore the fickle nature of the sea, where woodwinds emulate the gentle breezes to perfection, and then suddenly, ominous disturbances confound the peace with gusts of gale forces, here portrayed by the electric guitar/drum onslaught, as the pace becomes very grey and blustery, insistent, and overpowering in almost King Crimsonian terms (coincidently, sounding like the heavier parts of Islands). This thrilling album comes to port with the pier in sight thanks to the sublime "House of the Light", a surely most iconic image of that beacon of succour amid the vast eternity that dominates our blue planet. Sensitively sung with one of the most gorgeous melodies heard this year, adorned with a variety of detailed sonic ornamentation, superb playing by all concerned and expertly arranged in guiding the way to the ultimate finality. This is one of those albums that come really across as a mesmerizing book in melodic form, you cannot and should not satisfy yourself to listen to only one chapter! You might find yourself floating in the coldest water without a life vest and no flare gun. A titanic mistake. 5 marine reflections

This one-hour album has ten tracks, each having solid musical substance and beauty. Most of it is instrumental, so all the more rewarding are the few exceptions featuring vocalists. The beautiful opener 'Sailor's Tale' (RP, KP) features wordless singing by Laura Pörsti. 'Diving into Infinity' is sung by Paula Pörsti. Kimmo's gentle but dynamically progressive composition nicely reminds me of his past activities (Mist Season, Paidarion).

'Tara's Joy...' is a genuine Rafael Pacha piece with a rich folk-flavoured arrangement. He wrote also the song 'The Island of Lotus-Eaters' sung by Laura Pörsti, and the delicate instrumental 'Charybdis' where the piano is played by Alessandro Di Benedetti. There's a hint of Wind & Wuthering era Genesis.

The album's instrumental title track (KP, RP) is graced by Marek Arnold's sensitive sax. Pacha's composition 'Fascination' is a 9-minute prog song with Peter Gabriel-esque vocals of Alejandro Suarez, although the best moments in it are IMHO instrumental spots for synths, soprano sax, zyther etc.

Rafael's instrumental piece 'Lead, Silver...' has Camel- like melodicism and his 'Shipwreck' progresses from early Mike Oldfield folkiness to a deliberate VdGG hommage (as I presume) with Olli Jaakkola's sax riffs. The final piece is another beautiful and delicate Kimmo Pörsti composition in three brief parts, the first one with lyrics sung by Paula. This is a true labour-of-love album easy to enjoy, better than the previous Pörsti & Pacha collaboration.

The reason I choose to round my 4,5 stars upwards is the gorgeous and lavish visual art by Kimmo Heikkilä, especially in the booklet. Anyone who says that the CD format killed the visual side of albums should think again!

The Finnish producer, composer, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Kimmo Pörsti is a hardworking musician, but apparently he also gives his full heart and dedication to all of his musical projects. This album extends the fruitful collaboration with the Spanish composer and multi-instrumentalist Rafael Pacha, who was the central creative force behind the second album of THE GUILDMASTER, the more folk-oriented 'brother project' of The Samurai Of Prog. The composing credits here are shared between Pacha and Pörsti. The three sung tracks (out of ten) feature lyrics written by Dan Schamber. We're talking of mainly instrumental, melodic, accessible and tradition-friendly contemporary progressive rock with some stylistic similarities to artists such as Antony Kalugin, Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus, Camel, etc.

The guiding theme for the compositions was, as the title says, the inner visions. "They are visions of paradise or hell. They are reflections on the great doubts of our human condition to which we seek solutions in our inner world." The album tends to be fairly easy-going, not much dwelling in troubles or fears, which of course is a positive thing nevertheless. The airy and fresh, and slightly Hackett-reminding opener is a one-minute version of the gorgeous 9- minute instrumental 'Ventolera' (track No. 9). The first vocal track 'Watch the Stars' features nicely doubled vocals of John Wilkinson (The Swan Chorus; participations on TSOP albums) but the piece also demonstrates how gifted Rafael Pacha is on both guitars and keyboards.

Melodic compositions 'Jubilation' and 'Matkakuume' ("A beautiful Finnish word to express the expectation, the excitement of starting a journey...") are among the album's happiest pieces, while the arrangement of 'Under a Cloudless Sky' has some folk ingredients à la The Guildmaster. 'Leap in the Dark' makes me think of SALLY OLDFIELD, mainly -- but not only -- for the bright voice of Ariane Valdivié. The chorus in this nice song sticks to one's ears a bit too easily! Valdivié sings also the final track 'Alone Against Tomorrow' where the pop sensibility meets melancholia. 'Shadows of Lost Memories' and 'The Man Who Walked Home' represent Pörsti's diverse skills on composing, the first being a delicate little piece with very soft keys, acoustic guitars and percussion, and the latter approaching an epic scale and featuring the soprano saxophone of Marek Arnold (U.P.F., Damanek, etc).

Summa summarum: this is an enjoyable and well produced album of instrumentally oriented prog. What it lacks in surprises and listener-challenging personality, it makes up in elegance. 3½ stars rounded up.

For this album his closest collaborator was Spanish guitarist/multi-instrumentalist and composer Rafael Pacha -- who was also in the core quartet of The Guildmaster, another project produced by Kimmo Pörsti. Numerous guest musicians appear only on one track each, with the exception of bassist Jan-Olof Strandberg, Dutch prog veteran Ton Scherpenzeel (the leader of Kayak) and flautist Hanna Pörsti, each of them appearing on three or four tracks. To explain the album title, five tracks out of eleven are reworkings of earlier pieces from various projects.

'Awakening' is a nice, laid back opening piece with a focus on Pacha's electric guitar. 'At Lombardy Convent' is composed by the regular TSOP contributor, keyboardist David Myers, and originally appeared on the various artists 4-CD project Decameron III. Apart from its vintage prog sounding middle section it is a highly elegant and mellow piece featuring also flute, cello and violin.

There are only two songs with vocals. 'Changewinds' is sung by Carlos Espejo and the jazz-flavoured 'Darker Places' by Dan Schamber. Well, they bring variety, but neither of these vocal tracks is among my favourites on the album.

'Fused' is an enjoyable and lively fusion piece composed and performed [with Kimmo on drums] by multi- instrumentalist Jari Riitala. Those who are familiar with the mellow fusion of Pörsti's former band MIST SEASON will certainly enjoy his composition 'Sorrow and Recovery' with lots of flute. Two Mist Season originals are reworked for this album, the folky 'Dance of the Miststress' and the dreamily beautiful 'Kati'. Pörsti's composition 'Past and Present' originally appeared on Jan-Olof Strandberg's fusion album Made in Finland (2012), and the hectic album closer 'Nucleo Antirapina' on an album of Otso Pakarinen who plays keyboards, guitars and bass [with Kimmo on drums].

Although Past and Present may appear as a slightly patchy, gathered-together sort of an album, it offers first-rate instrumental prog/fusion worth four stars. Ed Unitsky has once again done great artwork throughout the lavish package.

To sum it up, the 15 tracks of Ihmeellinen iltapäivä (= Miraculous Afternoon) are either vocal songs of mostly light and jazzy nature (ie. not much to do with rock, although they're definitely not entertainment vocal music either!), or instrumentals that have some resemblance to then-future band MIST SEASON. Generally I prefer the instrumentals. Not that the songs were bad at all, but compared to some of my favourites in the lyric-oriented vocal music ("laulelmamusiikki" in Finnish) and its fine artists such as Anneli Saaristo, Susanna Haavisto etc., these songs are less memorable and some of them a bit too joyful to my taste. They are all sung in Finnish, by male and female singers that I wasn't familiar with. Some of the songs are quite pretty nevertheless, and the arrangements featuring various acoustic instruments are well done. The compositions are either by Kimmo himself or by his collaborators. The most serene of Kimmo's vocal compositions have resemblance to the songs he has composed to prog band PAIDARION's more vocal-oriented debut album Hauras Silta.

As I said, especially the instrumentals point the way to the jazz-oriented Mist Season. The flute is often heard, here and there also violin, saxophones are heard. Nice if rather uneven album, but not necessary for the prog-oriented followers of Kimmo Pörsti's career.

The 73-minute, beautifully packaged album starts with 'Arrival', one of Kimmo's own compositions. 'Heaven's Gate' is a gorgeous, slightly Camel-like instrumental written by Jose Manuel Medina from Spain. 'Creer Crecer' and 'Cruz del Sur' composed by Jaime Rosas and sung by Rodrigo Codoy were originally made for the Colossus' conceptual sets Decameron II and Paradiso, respectively. Other composing collaborators include Rafael Pacha and Finnish multi- instrumentalist Jari Riitala. Unless one deals with each 13 tracks in detail (which I choose not to do), it would be exhausting and in the end a bit pointless to give credit to all fine musicians featured on this album! The music has a good deal of stylistic variety: for example some folky elements here and the grandiosity of symphonic prog there. The production is excellent but that comes as no surprise if you're familiar with TSOP or Paidarion.

Despite the diversity and the wide cast of composers and collaborators, Wayfarer succeeds to be pretty coherent album. The release feels in every way a true labour of love, full of sincere spirit and emotion. Six of the 13 tracks are instrumentals, some of them very elegant and beautiful especially when flute is involved. The album's only female vocalist Jenny Darren is featured on three songs: 'Wayfarer' and 'Icy Storm' are mellow pieces not so far from the style of Paidarion's debut album Hauras silta.

I hate to say this, but actually there is one track I rather skip, 'This Day Is Yours', because I really don't like Kev Moore's stuffy voice. All in all Wayfarer is a beautiful, easily enjoyed album, warmly recommended to the fans of TSOP, despite this effort being less symphonic. But definitely no less inspired, and it's really great to witness Kimmo's skills in composing more than is possible within the TSOP context.