MIST SEASON

More and more bands from the Skandinavian country Finland are entering the Prog Archives site and I am pleased that Mist Season is also included. The debut CD from the Finnish five piece band will please the jazzrock afionados, what a virtuosic musicians, Finnish people can do more than play excellent ice-hockey and football, like my Ajax hero Jari Litmanen! The climates on the 11 songs alternate from bluesy and mellow to jazzy and swinging with great work on the piano and sax along some electric guitar (from jazzy to fiery). The rhythm-section sounds tight and powerful, often a base for solowork on the piano and saxophone. If you want to enjoy 54 minutes of great jazzrock oriented prog, this exciting album wil be yours!

MODERN SMOOTH JAZZ

One of the most interesting works of latest jazz i've heard along with Mindflowers ; this album called Mist Season is a solid debut album that on their own way ended combining a fusion between Spyro Gyra and The Brecker Brothers remembering the manhattan NYC jazz sound, Mist Season added this influences to a warm and pleasant for anyone that has been into jazz, and as well for the ones that didnt since the music is very digestable as for any listener searching for wise music. These musicians carries what nowadays is a must have on jazz bands, and thats the "Jazz wise" ingredient. Another interesting matter on the band sound are the "mood Swings" , most songs have very well crafted mood changes during the whole cd. Every musician seems to be inspired by a particular musician from different times, guitar reminds of mainly 80's and 90's artists... wich at times gives a Pat Metheny Group kind of feeling to some songs, following a more "rooted" melodies than most fusion bands.

I thought about doing a review song per song, but this album just needs an introduction, its clear that anyone who has listened to all sorts of jazz/Fusion bands will enjoy this band as much as i did... Its like combining the best elements from jazz and turning them into a modern crafted jazz. I gotta say im glad this band is more concerned about creating memorable songs more than doing a wank fest of technicall soloing, like some of the bands that came out in the latest 5 years on this genre. Those who can still bring the best jazz elements and make sensual music without limitating themselves in instrumental orientations are the ones that keeps the genre growing from its initial routes.

The album is mainly a source of jazz wisdom , bringing mature music towards emotive passages on piano and a very smart Drumm playing, Kimmo really shined on the arranges for songs that could end being monotone if it wasnt for the dynamic percussion, thought its a personal taste, i always enjoyed drummers that doesnt go all noise with the cymbals and stuff like Dennis Chambers in some ocassions, and more close to the Lenny White, "romantic Warrior" playing of capturing and englobing the songs and not just add fast and noise drums...

The beginning the album has some great improvisations and interesting arrangements for each song, such as the opening track, "Peppermint Patty", "Lydia", to some classicalesque fusion on "Life is". Then the Brecker brothers and Jay Beckenstein effect starts to appear on the "Siren's Gaze", wonderful sax melodies ...Kari Rantakallio achieved the domination of the saxophone as for not using superflues notes in any of the songs...wich makes hes playing very soothing and relaxing, wich brings to the head landscape and images that are very well reflected on the art work made by Esko Tuovinen on this album , talented photographer...worthy mentioning it on the reviews cause hes artwork and photographs are breath taking, makes you feel you already know Finland. Towards the end the album goes more Electrik Band with "Skeptoscopic Detector" and then culminates into a classical passage called "Lullaby For The Little One" that does works perfectly for a closing song. I would let this band pass, its good to know that we do not have to rely on 70's jazz only, that theres indeed interesting bands appearing from everywhere that still has the same passion jazz musicians had back in the days.

Stay Classy

Very Highly Recommended

4.5 stars!

Too nice for its own good.

Mist Season is a smooth jazz unit from Finland who claim in their cd booklet that each song tells its own story and that they believe in "music that does not hide occasional faults and failures." Very ironic quote because everything here is just a little too perfect.

The musicians are top notch and are shown in their best country club attire, playing completely inoffensive light jazz that is exactly what you'd expect to hear in your dentist's office while he's doing your teeth. Or in the Mall coffee shop while you're finishing your expresso. I do enjoy many jazz rock albums but this one just doesn't connect. I'm not saying this is bad music but it really needs to break a sweat. It's just too nice, too smooth, too light, too slickly produced, too professional, too perfect. It needs some grit and a smoky bar with a low ceiling. This is almost jazz you could meditate to and I'm not sure that's what most jazz fans want or expect. Now if you like your jazz very light and pretty you will want to ignore my rating and get this right away. The booklet contains gorgeous photography which for me was the highlight of the CD, each song has its own corresponding photograph. If you like light-jazz this might be a perfect disc for relaxing with drinks, but I can't recommend it broadly because I think it's missing quite a bit on the emotional vibrancy scale.

A Jazz/Progressive Rock band from Hämeenlinna, Finland, Mist Season were formed in 2004 and featured Keijo Hakala on bass, Timo Kajamies on keyboards, Kimmo Pörsti on drums, Kari Rantakallio on sax and Tommi Varjola on guitars.Some of the members had Classical education, some were involved more in Jazz Music, and the result of these influences was taped in late-2004 in the band's self-titled and self-released debut.

Balance is the perfect word to desrcibes Mist Season's debut, an all instrumental jazzy Progressive Rock effort, containing plenty of intense as well as mellow moments, with a well- crafted sound, interesting compositions and decent instrumental performances.The tracks show much diversity, ranging from proggier moments to full jazzy-oriented material, featuring always a strong melodic content and a unique dreamy atmosphere.Especially the opening tracks are nice examples of smooth jazzy Progressive Rock with melodic themes and beautiful interplays, fronted by the impresive keyboard work of Kajamies and the JAN AKKERMAN-like jazzy guitar stylings of Varjola.Just halfway throughout the gears are slowed down and the band's attitude is now closer to Lounge Jazz and light Fusion with heavy sax solos, more piano-based themes and a overall lighter approach.But the ending of the release holds some great surprises like on ''Kati'' with its great CAMEL-esque atmosphere and the clever use of flutes or the long ''Marieholm'', characterized by the virtuosic guitar exercises of Varjola and the fair amount of proggy breaks.

An interesting effort of well-developed and -executed jazzy Prog, sure to please also fans of melodic Progressive Rock who do not mind a jazzy taste among their listenings.Recommended.

It's actually eight years ago when I first borrowed the Finnish MIST SEASON's two first albums from a library and was pretty pleased. The CD booklets were packed with beautiful outdoor photography, mostly nocturnal in the case of the debut, suitably steering my reception towards starry-eyed romanticism. Perhaps my music taste was back then slightly mellower than today, as some of this music now feels too spinelessly soft. "Too nice for its own good", headlines Finnforest's two-star review for this debut. I certainly understand his thought: MIST SEASON's instrumental, highly melodic and smooth jazz-fusion indeed often sounds harmlessly nice, especially when it is at its happiest mood. My female friend recently commented on this album that some tracks sound like opening themes for TV quiz programmes, preferably from the late 70's or 80's, and I agreed. The first track 'Peppermint Patty' is exactly in that style with the joyous sax melody. I usually prefer melancholia over happiness in music anyway.

'Lydia', also composed by the keyboard player Timo Kajamies, succeeds in combining brighter sections with slow, dreamy and deeply romantic ones. 'My Joy' and 'Life Is' are other TV theme-like tunes. The playing is very polished, the saxophone is a bit cheesy all the way and the bright piano decorations of 'My Joy' are slightly oriented to easy-listening / New Agey stuff. But luckily the album gets better.

'Siren's Gaze' by drummer Kimmo Pörsti and bassist Keijo Hakala is a relaxed, serene ballad and quite beautiful as such. The mellow guitar sound reminds me of PAT METHENY. All in all the romantic emotions that grace the whole album come to life much better when the general mood is less joyous than on the earliest tracks. 'Kati' by Pörsti is a delicate love tune, featuring lovely flute playing. The drummer is without a doubt a romantic soul, and it can be witnessed also in PAIDARION's music that he has composed.

The tightest composition of the 11 is 'Skeptoscopic Detector' which allows the guitarist Tommi Varjola to show off his skills -- that could have been put in much larger use on the album. The track approaches the Fusion era's halcyon days of the mid-seventies. 'Lullaby for the Little One', again by Timo Kajamies who composed tha lion's hare of this album, is a peaceful and pretty closing tune.

Even though I don't like the rather naive happiness of some tracks and would welcome some more spine, I'm rounding my 3½ stars upwards with the help of the lavish and beautiful layout. This band is warmly recommended to all friends of mellow and melodic jazz/fusion.