PROGRESSIVE

A jazz-fusion blast

Released in 2001 but recorded in 1991, Jartse Tuominen's 'Progressive' is an album of whirling drums and guitar acrobatics played within several different musical contexts: boogie-rock ("snack" with cheerful guitar and vintage keyboards, bringing to mind Dixie Dreg's "the Great spectacular" of 'dregs of the earth', and the second half of "scare"), jazz-rock ("flying with you" with opening and closing sections in a light smooth-jazz vibe where Gary Moore-like guitar replaces the saxophone, followed by some more upbeat piano-driven jazz madness), jazz-funk ("first", with clever use of cymbals, crushing guitars and pompous keyboards not far from the "cheesy" sounds of Frank Zappa's "easy meat" as performed on the live recording 'tinseltown rebellion'), military march (first half of "scare" and the "worrying" - hence the song title - interplay of repetitive and echoing rhythm guitar and keyboards, reminiscent of Cure's opening track to 'seventeen seconds', the aptly named "a reflection "), hard-rock ("sledgehammer" like Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" on steroids and Van Halen-like guitar phrasing, as well as the last third of "shaving cream man" with its Annihilator-like rhythms including Jeff Waters-like soloing), far east folklore ("one night in Tokyo, with accents of japanese tradtional music in main theme), progressive rock ("one night in Tokyo" again, with dark crimsonesque atmosphere - think "lark's tongue in Aspic pt 2" - and the first two thirds of "shaving cream man" that we can regard as a tribute to Rush's 'moving pictures' with the overture of "red barchetta" and the soloing of "YYZ" in the middle of the track).

This album showcases the "extraterrestrial" skills of the musicians and is a good addition to anyone who likes their music dynamic and cheerful, where jazz-fusion would meet the guitar-shredding world of the Shrapnel label records.

I felt the urge to write a small review and that is a rare thing for me. I have 3 of Jartse's albums and it is clear that he can shine in any genre he pleases. They are all completely different, from blues to hard rock and all of the same calibre. I was always a big fan of Brand X and Colosseum 2 with Gary Moore. The album "Progressive" is right in that ballpark. Incredible playing but never just speed for show. There wasn't a great deal of new music around to astound the senses in 1991, so how the hell this got missed I have no idea! I hope he will make another in this vein. Play this one loud!

Finnish guitarist Jartse Tuominen has been building a career mostly in the USA - as a guitarist (sponsored by Gibson), composer, producer, and as a founder/organizer of GTR-Tour. He has released five albums officially since 1999, but this album was recorded ten years before its larger release, in 1991. It features Kilroy Koskimies on bass and Matti Takala on drums. All seven instrumental tracks are composed by Tuominen.

The opening piece 'Snack' is a lively jazz-rocker in a breath-taking fast tempo. The guitarist's and his bandmates' technical competence is amazing, no doubt, but frankly that's about the only thing that impresses me in this one. 'Flying With You' starts softly but accelerates into a faster tempo before the halfway. There are keyboards involved, even though the album info doesn't mention any keyboards, and my CD is a promo disc without the full information. Anyway, this brilliant fusion track is my favourite. 'First' returns to the adrenalin-fueled speed and technical boistering.

'Scare' builds the intense atmosphere with a march-like drumming and a wailing guitar on top of the repetitive and simple melodic phrase. As expected, the playing gets wilder but there's not much of other progression in the composition itself. 'Sledgehammer' hits hard exactly the same way as the first and third high-tempo tracks. I rather concentrate on the excellence of bassist and drummer in it. 'One Night in Tokyo' (8:02) is the longest -- 'Flying With You' close behind -- but at this point I'm up to my ears of that killer speed, and despite the length the piece has not much of else to offer. Well, there's a brief middle-part focusing on buzuki, as if a moment to catch one's breath before the run continues. 'Shaving Cream Man' gave an earlier reviewer some associations of Moving Pictures -era RUSH, and yes, I've got them too. Also this one's in a fast tempo but maybe there's slightly more dynamics in the composition and arrangement than in other fast numbers.

I guess I made it pretty clear what this music is primarily all about: technical brilliance and fast playing, starring electric guitar. If that's what you wish to hear, look no further, but personally I'm having a more critical view than all the others who have rated this album. Good, but not exactly my cup of tea, thank you.