JUKKA HAURU

Uber-talented guitarist Jukka Huaru is back with, unfortunately, his only other album as band-leader/featured soloist and composer. The sound and collaborators' inputs are much more cohesive on this album.

1. "Enema Syringe" (5:45) what opens as a full minute of displaying MAHVISHNU ORCHESTRA fire turns RETURN TO FOREVER at 1:20 with the introduction of the MiniMoog. At 1:45 then it sleakly slides over into pure JAN AKKERMAN territory before morphing magically into LARRY CORYELL and then GEORGE DUKE to JOE ZAWINUL-led WEATHER REPORT for the finish. The accompanying bass, drums, and keyboard playing is nothing short of miraculous! Amazing! Even if it is a bit imitative and even plagiaristic, this is pure Jazz-Rock Fusion perfection! (10/10)

2. "When I Met My Wondergirl" (8:52) beautiful and spacious LONNIE LISTON SMITH-like Cosmic Music with some awesome JAN AKKERMAN-like tone and feeling up top, mixed with the piano, sax, and bass (this latter grâce à the addition of Pekka Pohjola). The exposition takes a long time of stop-and-go before finally settling down into a fairly straightforward flowing "ballad" in the fourth minute. Just following the work of the two bass players is pure bliss-- such a humbling joy! (19/20)

3. "Waltz Bourgeois" (4:20) interesting near-avant garde music of not-so melodic but more harmonically-conscientious musical constructs. This is closer to true jazz and the future avant waves of Jazz/Jazz-Rock than any of the other songs on the album. (8.875/10)

4. "Episode (Santiago 11. 9. 73)" (12:37) Now we are definitely in advanced WEATHER REPORT territory, complete with some excellent Wayne Shorter-like soprano sax and Heikki Virtanen's Jaco-like bass thrumming. Even the percussion play sounds like Acuña/Alias/Badrena trio and the clavinet and other keys like Joe Zawinal. The only thing that sounds different is Tomi Salminen's drum play, which sounds far more Lenny White. But then Jukka's lead guitar work sounds so much like that of NOVA's Corrado Rustici. Great, rich Fender Rhodes sound from Jukka Linkola--which peaks with the awesome solo in ninth minute. This is then followed by a great LARRY CORYELL-like guitar solo. I love this Latinized song! Just when it sounds like it's drawing to a close in the eleventh minute, the military drums and droning low-end piano chord-pounding keep it going so that Jukka and Teemu can play out for another minute. (23.5/25)

5. "Elegy (for Victor Jara)" (4:11) here we get a cross between Al Di Meola and Jan Akkerman in guitar style and support sound palette performing a lovely little lushly-surrounded Spanish acoustic guitar [iece that eventually goes electric guitar in its second half (not unlike Jan's "Soft" and "Hard Vanilla" songs on Focus' Mother Focus album). (9.3333/10)

6. "Goodbye Pinochet" (3:05) more Latin-infused high-speed Jazz-Rock Fusion of the Chick Corea kind, even to the degree of Jukka Linkola's keyboard play and the excellent play from the rhythm corps, though Jukka's guitar play here sounds more like the Toto Blanke side of Jan Akkerman or even a little of Al Di Meola's plucky-muted stuff. A great, peppy, tightly-coordinated song! (9.5/10)

Total Time 38:50

I can understand reviewers who disparage Jukka's conformity to the styles and sounds of the course that "standardized" (Third Wave) Jazz-Rock Fusion artists had taken, but I cannot help but extoll the amazing compositions and performances exhibited through this extraordinary lineup of musicians on this record. And, yes, Jukka's creativity on his 1972 debut was so high and so individualistic, but I am much happier with the overall orchestration and sound engineering of these compositions than those of Information. This is what "peak" Jazz-Rock Fusion should sound like!

A/five stars; a masterpiece of fully-formed, superlatively-engineered Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. I feel so lucky to have been allowed to know this music!

The Finnish Jazz-Rock Fusion scene is taking off--and not just in the circles emanating from Wigwam!

1. "Mai-Ling" (6:16) interesting whole-band carry of the main melody while the simple militaristic rhythm section supports beneath. The two guitar tracks and saxophones are the most erudite--even if they are repeating "exotic" folk Eastern European melodies for the first three minutes. The second motif of guitar-led drums and bass only is a much better indicator of the high proficiency each musician possesses. Drummer Tapani Ikonen and bassist Heikki Virtanen impress (as does Jukka)! While the first part of this song sounded hokey and poorly planned and engineered, the second half more than makes up for it. (9/10)

2. "Room 1972" (1:52) sounds like music created to accompany a particular scene from an old silent film. A lot of sensibilities drawn from orchestrated classical music. (4.375/5)

3. "Jamsession the Finnish Yes Federation's Skinheaded Board" (1:33) a very entertaining Cheech and Chong-like skit in which a glossaphiliac expresses himself to his drug-stupored mate in multiple European languagall of which prefaces a spirited outburst of New Orleans jazz-rock. A very memorable song. (5/5)

4. "No More Blues" (6:55) a song that uses music to express humor in a very sophisticated, almost jazzy-avant-garde fusion way. Multiple tracks moving through their improvised melody-making as if separately but it all works harmonically and counterpointedly. At 2:25 the band switches to a different path--one that is more high-speed Hendrix/CREAM-like blues-rock. At the same time I hear a lot of influence from CHICAGO and BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. (13.5/15)

5. "Evil" (6:08) what starts out as a kind of jazzy variation of the opening of Ravel's "Bolero" turns more FOCUS-like with some excellent speed electric guitar play played over some beautifully woven folk melodies (especially from violinist Juhani Poutanen). The virtuosic similarities in melody and style between Jukka and Jan Akkerman are rather striking. Very creative, inventive song with some flashes of true brilliance from Jukka. A top three song. (9.25/10)

6. "Splitting" (3:24) jazz drums, bluesy electric bass, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and wah-wah distorted guitar that sounds like John Tropea in "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Nice display of skills and compositional capabilities--though the bassist always sounds a bit in his own universe. I do, however, like the disparate inputs of the horns and other instruments: it's cacophonic but somehow works as a cohesive weave. (9/10)

7. "Information" (4:35) an awesome weave between sax, violin, bass, and electric guitar that totally predicts the early J- R Fusion style of the great Jean-Luc Ponty. Awesome song. A top three for sure. (9.25/10)

8. "Refilling Valve" (3:40) strumming of the piano wires before the pianist commits to playing the keys--all the while the recording mike is obviously more focused and concerned with the sounds emanating from within the box than from through the piano frame as a whole. Some violin joins in in the second minute but then every body sits down (including the pianist and sound recording engineer) to listen to some lovely piano contemplations. I really respect the act of Jukka's giving pianist Olli Ahvenlahti this opportunity to express himself. Another quite memorable song--one that I really like. (8.875/10)

9. "What?" (4:44) opens with a motif that sounds like a song variation inspired by a motif in KING CRIMSON's "21st Century Schizoid Man." At 1:30 the band switches roads and moves onto the expressway with some standard drums, electric bass, Fender Rhodes, and electric guitar soloing (here Jukka still finding an anchor and inspiration in Robert Fripp's melody lines from "21st Century Schizoid Man"). I love Olli Ahvenlahti's Herbie Hancock-like electric piano accents thrown over the top of the frenetic bass and drum playing. (9/10)

10. "Waltz for the Straight Relatives" (2:25) a little FOCUS-like folk ditty that is repeated over and over with different layers and soloists for its two-and-a-half minutes. (4.375/5)

Total Time 41:32

Great compositions performed beautifully by some very skilled musicians. Too bad the sound treatments and engineering choices aren't a little more creative and advanced. (I'd love to have felt a little more cohesion in the overall sound blending of each song.) Though impressive in its variety of styles and influences, I would have liked to have heard a selection of tunes that gave me a better sense of Jukka's preferences. (I know that's unfair--especially as most hyper-creatives are cursed with wanting to express each and every thought and idea flowing through them, so, I apologize.)

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from a creative songwriter and his cast of highly- skilled instrumentalists.

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 (of approximately 36-40 minutes length, at least on the releases), some of the live dates featured two artists, and this was the case in December 15th, 1976. Guitarist and composer JUKKA HAURU (b. 1950) was added into ProgArchives roughly four years ago. He 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. The liner notes reveal that right at the start of the gig, the E-string of Hauru's guitar broke. Hardly anyone noticed it, but probably because of that accident Hauru looked angry in the end when the audience applauded. A few years later he quit playing altogether and pursued a career as a music critic.

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. Have to say I personally prefer the Söderberg set.

On the CD this Pop Liisa 05 is combined with Pop Liisa 06: Finnforest and Elonkorjuu (1977) -- my review for that is to be expected.

If your into Zappa influenced music this is a really, really good one out of Finland. Jukku is a guitarist extraordinaire and he plays in Frank's style at times but not always and this guy is exceptional. He released 2 studio albums in the seventies and this is the debut from 1972. Lots of musicians helped him out over the month of July when he recorded this. Plenty of sax and we get bass and double bass and yes this is quite jazzy. I was thrilled to see that the violinist on here is Juhani Poutanen the leader of the band JUPU GROUP who's album I just reviewed last week. We get that zany Finnish humour like on the closer "Waltz For The Straight Relatives" or the outstanding but short "Jamsession The Finnish Yes Federation's Skinheaded Board" where we get some incredible female scat singing.

Best song for me is "Splitting" with that nasty distorted electric piano along with Jukku's guitar work makes this a must hear. "What ?" is another winner but there's lots of those on here. The jazzy groove before the electric piano and guitar trade off then we get this uptempo soundscape of double bass, drums and the guitar lighting it up. Distorted electric piano too. Yes! Our very excellent violinist does his thing on the title track an uptempo and repetitive track with a Zappa vibe. More of that violin and Zappa like guitar on "Evil". Some humour with those funny vocal expressions that come and go on "No More Blues". So much going on late. So impressive. Suspense and Avant with the short "Room 1972" and what a great title. The opener has an Asian vibe at times and I like when it turns into a "Rock" mode late to the end.

Another awesome Jazz influenced album from the seventies. More please!

Nice to see this Finnish guitarist added here. Nowadays Jukka Hauru is best remembered, at least by common Finns, as a music critic. His career as a musician - active mainly in the late 60's and the 70's - had an emphasis on being a session/live guitarist for several groups and artists. In the early 70's he also was a producer for a brief period (notorious for rejecting the future-classic prog band Haikara; in the end he only produced the Kalevala debut and his own debut!). Later he composed some songs for e.g. KOM Teatteri. Hauru's solo ouput consists of two albums only, Information (1972) and this one released by Love Records in 1975. Both are instrumental fusion comparable to Frank Zappa or Mahavishnu Orchestra. It's sad how few people, apart from the critics, noticed his albums at the time, maybe because Jukka Tolonen (Tasavallan Presidentti, solo) was THE guitar hero back then.

The opening track 'Enema Syringe' is a groovy, lively, fast-paced piece. At first it seems to focus self-poignantly on Hauru's guitar skills, but the whole group is totally involved, and also synths have solo moments. 'When I Met My Wondergirl' lives up to its charming title as a dreamy and romantic composition. These two tracks feature the bass legend Pekka Pohjola and the saxophone legend Pekka Pöyry. 'Waltz Bourgeois' contains lots of saxes played by Teemu Salminen. This is my least favourite; it attempts to be witty and humorous without really taking off.

The whole B-side was composed earlier than the A-side, ie. in the autumn of 1973, after the military takeover in Chile. As one can guess, the music is more 'serious' and complex, especially in the 12½-minute 'Episode (Santiago 11.9. 73)'. Sonically it sometimes reminds me of early Pekka Pohjola albums such as Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva or Harakka Bialoipokku. 'Elegy (for Victor Jara)' is a beautiful, moody piece in a slow tempo, starring bright guitar and electric piano sounds. 'Goodbye Pinochet' is the shortest track at three minutes, and easy to enjoy by any listener who likes jazz.

Episode is not a faultless masterpiece, but it's a strong work with excellent musicianship, and the music has good balance between technics and emotion. The album was re-released on vinyl in 2016.