Various Artists
Odd Jazz Vol. 2
Label: Odd Funk Records
Genre: Jazz / Avant Garde
Availability
- LP €25.99 In Stock
Edition of 700 ex.
ODD JAZZ is a collaborative creation of Finnish musicians recorded at the all analog studio in Southern Finland, Hämeenlinna. On this album you find compositions performed by various music collectives in different formations with the unified goal to enrich their compound and give us listeners the delight of sharing their experience of the vast unknown. A feeling of unity is transmitted through the spiritual and mostly improvised idiom. The core members of Odd Jazz are Tuure Tammi (trumpet) and Juha Sarkkola (drums, percussion).
On the first song ‘Moon Water’ they are joined by Tero Kemppainen on bass, who paves the way with his submerging and deep sound for the two soloists Tuure and Sami Pekkola (tenor saxophone), both journeying in the imaginary world and building an ethereal foundation for the whole record to come.
‘Free-Zing’ hints at chilly circumstances. It is one of the shortest compositions on the album and a very playful interpretation of the piercing feeling.
‘Koshi Gambo’ features Tauna Niingungo on vocals and ngoni. It carries you unexpectedly to a sphere of syncopated African rhythm patterns with pulsating percussions.
‘Ain’t No Answer’ performed by Mush Tone Ensemble perfectly resolves the first side of the record. Once again Tero Kemppainen’s bass hits you with an infectious groove and blends with a fierce drumming of Juha Sarkkola, before Tammi on trumpet enters to ascend together towards the summit of the dynamic sound.
‘Wavesphere I’ creates a mystical dimension with immense forms, comparable to a viscous stream that beholds the feeling of suspension. A well conceived ending of side 1.
Side 2 starts with a glorious ode to Ornette Coleman - ‘Nette Or Nette’ - performed by Fågelbörs. Instantly recognizable rhythmic motifs and soaring melodies, a swing to the bones from the very first note. The earth-shaking music bursts with singalong melodies and encompasses the space around and in between.
‘Live From The Joint’ is a free jazz freak-out in dub. Distinctive sounds of organ bass pedals bopping in the lower register. You can feel immediately that Juha Sarkkola (drums) and Jouni Joronen (organ) had their moment. The way they are playing off each other is delightful. Taking that hit feels so good.
‘Wavesphere II’ reminds you once again that we have entered untraveled realms of the players subconscious and acts like a counterpoint to the unabated ’One More Freaky Tune’ played by Jooklo Sextet. The first guitar strum invites the band to a free interpretation and everyone unleashes its powers in spaceways.
The album closes with ‘Doll No Sleep’ - the performance by Pascal & Baya Rays, where Tuure Tammi switches trumpet for a bass. This is a moment to cherish. The presence of electric piano, played by Arttu Lauris, thoroughly epitomizes transportation to an otherworldly dimension. A mellow and lyrical ending to exploration of space unknown.