PIHKASILMÄ KAARNAKORVA

Pekka Pohjola's debut solo album is a technically and compositionally adept tribute to Frank Zappa, one of Pohjola's great musical heroes. Not explicitly, of course, but there's no mistaking that Pohjola on this album is following the fusion blueprint Zappa established on Hot Rats and using it as the basis of his own work. And it's pretty excellent work too - Pohjola's bass playing is of course a highlight, but all the instrumentalists get their chance in the spotlight. Although some of the compositions do outstay their welcome a little - only to be expected when Pohjola also had a fairly prolific career with Wigwam at the time and had to split his ideas between solo albums and Wigwam albums - by and large this is a great contribution to the Zappa-influenced side of the fusion genre, though it doesn't quite match the stature of Hot Rats.