SAVITAIPALEEN POLKKA / SEA JOURNEY

When Sukellusvene were recording their only album, Atte Blom of Love Records told them that someone was insisting there to be a polka, too. That someone was most likely remembering the band's performance in the national pop contest of 1974 when they had featured a polka section in one of their songs. Teippi Tuomanen recalls (in the interview I made for the liner notes): "Well, there wasn't, so we had a quick rehearsal and just taped the polka. It ended up getting a lot of radio play, and we even performed it on TV several times."

'Savitaipaleen polkka' is a good-humoured Finnish traditional song which still occasionally sees new interpretations in the folk genre. Sukellusvene turned it into a speedy jazz-rock number, and it really grooves. Lasting only 2:28, it cannot make anyone getting bored. Within the limited length they managed to include brief solos for electric guitar, organ and alto saxophone.

The B-side track 'Sea Journey' is a cover of a piece composed by Chick Corea. According to a quick googling, it originally appeared as a solo piano piece 'Song for Sally' on Corea's 1971 album Piano improvisations Vol 1, and re-named in Gary Burton's repertoire. It was suggested for the group by either drummer Timo Kotineva or keyboardist Kari Litmanen. Soprano sax and synths are soloing in turns in this airy and lively piece of three minutes. Very enjoyable piece of fusion indeed. These tracks are included as bonuses on Svart Records' re-release of Vesi- ja lintumusiikkia (the vinyl version has a separate 7" single with original cover design).