PEKKA POHJOLA GROUP: KÄTKÄVAARAN LOHIKÄÄRME

Part of the fun of listening to Pekka Pohjola is the "What's he going to do next?" factor. And after the grand, orchestrated epic that was VISITATION, he did an abrupt, 180° turn with its follow up.

Here we're presented with Pohjola at his most stripped-down. Bass, piano, guitar, drums and that's it! I think part of the impetus for this album was how well-received Seppo Tyni was on VISITATION. I imagine Pohjola wanted to specifically make an album that featured him. Definitely a wise decision; each of the tracks feature an infectious, intricate bassline from Pohjola and some tasty solos from Seppo. Pekka Tyni on pianos and Ippe Kätkä on drums round out the quartet.

As close as Pohjola has ever come to straight-on fusion, this is nonetheless undeniably everything one would expect from a Pekka Pohjola album. The melodies, chord progressions and, most of all, the bass parts are all unmistakably Pohjola. "Inke ja mä" is one of his finest compositions of all time, a real jewel in his crown.

So, would I recommend starting here? If you're coming from a jazz or jazz-fusion perspective, probably. Otherwise, probably not, as it's a rather atypical PP release. Which is not to say it's bad-quite the contrary, it's EXCELLENT!-but it's Pohjola trying something a little different. And, much to our delight, succeeding.

If I'm not mistaken this is the only PEKKA POHJOLA album to feature the word "Group" after his name. This time the line-up /instrumentation is as elemental and unvaried as it gets with Pohjola: the composer playing bass only, accompanied by Seppo Tyni (guitars), Pekka Tyni (keyboads) and the drummer Ippe Kätkä. The 44-minute album consists of only four tracks between 7'34 and 14'33 in length.

The opening title track ('lohikäärme' means dragon) is the longest of them. It sounds very good, especially for the calmer, rhytmically clear basic part with distinctive drum sounds. Time and time again it evolves into more hectic "chorus" part in which the electric guitar screams like a frightened person, to return back. It also contains a long guitar solo, but frankly the composition is seriously over-extended for its musical substance.

'Tehdasmusiikkia' (= Factory music) is a Fusion number centering on a playful guitar melody that appears in turns with the more soaring melodic lines. The unmistakable Pohjola touch is heard in the little details but this is far from the finest music he made. I'm not fond of 'Sampoliini' either, a fast joyful number that seems to be primarily a place to show off the musicians' virtuosity.

'Inke ja mä' (= Inke and me; referring to Pekka's divorced wife) is the highlight, and in my opinion among the best Pohjola pieces ever. Unlike this album in general, it is full of emotion, and that emotion is pretty melancholic, thoughtful and introspective. The way the repetitive "chorus" melody grows and grows -- orher movements being mostly very delicate -- is truly marvelous. This track is a perfect example of Pekka Pohjola's unique style. Since the album as a whole is not that interesting to me, three stars will do.