UOMA

Over 71 minutes of wonderful folk-tinged instrumental jazz fusion from this seven-member jam band (and a whole mess of guests) from Finland. Throughout the album I enjoy the electric instruments like the bass and the drum kit drumming, but it is the traditional folk and classical instrumentation that really love: harp, violin and strings, xylophone, marimba and other hand percussions, flutes, and other woodwinds (sax, bassoon, clarinet). I also seem to enjoy the slower parts best--even though the album never gets going at break-neck speeds, they just have a brilliant way of magnifying the weave of melodies during the slower sections.

1. "Kuoriutuminen, part 1 (2:10) flute, bassoon, cello, and harp open this with a gorgeously woven lines that, when woven together as they are, create incredibly beautiful chords--incredibly beautiful symphonic music. The composer of this music (tuned percussion player Olli Kari) really knows what he's doing! (5/5) 2. "Kuoriutuminen, part 2 (6:17) full rock/jazz contingent are now involved, carrying the melodies and emotions forward in an ensemble before switching to a two chord vamp for some electric guitar soloing and free-flowing vibraphone and glockenspiel beneath. Great drumming from Ville Väätäinen as Heiki Puska weaves several tracks of different soloing electric guitars together over the jazz-rock rhythm track. Bassist Veikka Pohto really steps forward with Ville joining him beneath Antti Lauronen's soprano saxophone solo in the fifth and sixth minutes while the guitarists go crazy beneath--both the lead and rhythm guitarists. Definitely a blues-rock vamp for the gang to jam over. What amazing musicianship! (9.25/10) 3. "Kuoriutuminen, part 3 (5:08) here we downshift back to the bucolic folk melodies (even led by the flutist before Heikki and the rest of the band join in and drive that gorgeous melody deep into our brains. (10/10)

4. "Different Realities (11:14) a brassy three-part suite that sounds like American jazz rock. The middle movement is great with its emotional melodies and the final movement with its awesome STEELY DAN/Larry Carlton-like guitar play are my favorite parts (though I really adore the constant, fluid yet-active support of that xylophone!). (18.3333/20)

5. "Chinese Daydream, part 1 (3:12) opening with harp leading the way for a group of Asian percussion instruments through some gorgeous Westernized Asian chord progressions. In the second half of the second minute Asian clay flute soars above the continuing harp chord-flow while percussives continue adding their intermittent accents. (9.5/10) 6. "Chinese Daydream, part 2 (5:43) The second half of the two-part suite sees the full jazz band getting involved in recapitulating the main themes with their own jazz-band ideas and interpretations. The melodies the band "sees" for this interpretation are quite gorgeous--reminding me of a cross between Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (though only in melody, not in style or sound). Great doubled up acoustic guitars in the fourth minute before the horns, tuned percussions, piano, and electric guitar get involved. Amazing! (9.75/10)

7. "Arabian Ran-Ta (9:59) great even-tempoed folk-infused Jazz-Rock-World Fusion. (19/20)

8. "Vesikko, part 1 (4:00) a rockin' opening that reminds me of both HUMBLE GRUMBLE and a bit of Änglagård. In the second half it starts getting even thicker and heavier, reminding me, for about a minute, of MAGMA. (8.875/10) 9. "Vesikko, part 2 (6:14) the folkier side of jazz with FLAIRCK coming to mind as well as, a little later, CAMEMBERT and OIAPOK. I absolutely LOVE THIS! Xylophones, glockenspiel, marimba, flutes, bass, and lots of percussion (and, later, harp and cello) all involved in creating a very beautiful, very rich, very Oriental sonosphere. It does lose a little of its momentum and cohesion as it approaches its finish and transition to "part 3." (9.375/10) 10. "Vesikko, part 3 (12:56) Back to some more heavier CAMEMBERT-like jazz-quirk before trying to move again into the Zeuhl-ish territory. This does not last long before the band decide to take a totally different side street--one that incorporates some very American melodies (like a combination of "MacArthur's Park" and The Allman Brothers (and Derek & the Dominoes) before turning FROM.UZ). In the seventeenth minute all I hear is "Crashmind" from FROM.UZ's 2008 album, Overlook. Nice guitar soloing (from both electric guitar and pedal steel guitar--thus the Allman Brothers reference) over the tuned percussion. Such ground-breaking music: I know that there are several prog bands in the near future who will make great use of this kind of sound palette and stylistic approach. Wow! What a cacophony of instruments somehow blending together to make that amazing weave over the 19th, 20th, and 21st minutes! (23.5/25)

11. "Lullaby" (4:22) very gently picked acoustic guitar opens this playing all alone before Saara Rautio's harp joins in (on two tracks!). Flutes and bassoon join in during the second minute, then a key change results in the offering of some knee-buckling melodies: coming from several wind instruments all at the same time, each one different yet forming perfect harmonies and a weave that is quite heavenly. It's rather hard to believe that all of this started (and ends) with but a simple arpeggio. (9.875/10)

Total Time: 71:21

There's a lot of music here, but it is all incredible: worth every single minute of one's attention. After years of sitting with this music--revisiting it never enough--I am ready to give this album its due as one of the greatest albums of the Naughties--and definitely the best Jazz-Rock Fusion album of that decade! Simply amazing!

A/five stars; a mijor masterpiece of masterfully-composed and performed folk-based jazz-World Music fusion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!

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