Jazz Finland Live

Duo Mikko Innanen & Simo Laihonen celebrate the launch of their new double CD, April Fools.

Mikko Innanen, saxophones and wind instruments
Simo Laihonen, percussion

Tickets 10 €

https://eclipsemusicrecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/april-fools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx-QyfyAI3k&t=11s
http://www.eclipse-music.net

After half a century’s worth of hunting for aural experiences, battle fatigue may creep up on even the most active and cultivated listener. When faced with yet another serving of the same, tried and tested powerhouse free jazz, a sense of ”been there, done that” sets in fast. Standing on the shoulders of giants, going through the motions. Executed perfectly, yet still… Ho hum. Nothing bad as such but nothing original either.

But just as one is about to throw in the towel - or headphones - up comes an album that penetrates the ear canals like a lightning from beyond our reality. A collection of music from the crossroads of tradition and transformation. Something that knows where it’s coming from but is eager to innovate. Exactly what jazz was and still is supposed to be, in other words. (Or any artform wishing to carry out our modern standards, come to think of it.)

What makes this particular experience pivotal is the way in which these tunes test the limits from within. The movement is subtle, not aggressive and one is instantly reminded of the old sayings about how great freedom comes with great responsibility. And this is, of course, especially true with improvised music: The very best of this genre are always rooted in tradition, forever aware of their lineage.

The bar is set exceptionally high when the performing line-up consists of just two people. However, when listening to Simo Laihonen really get down to business on his drum set, I really find no use for the butt of all Finnish musician jokes - a bassist - on this worksite. Laihonen excels in sounding rich and gauzy at the same time and underlining the newer idea of drums being much more than just something you hit. As a musician fully understanding this concept, he is the perfect counterpart for Mikko Innanen’s exceptionally multidimensional expression. On this level music has no need for pharisaic ornaments or humorous accessories. It comes and goes freely, straight from one soul to another.

One might even venture a guess that jazz has moved beyond its big external revolutions and is heading towards something new, witnessed for example on this album. A new spiritual and personal development that comes from the inside. And as long as this progression pushes at the limits of the community as well as the individual by embracing all-encompassing musicality and diverse rhythmics, we are on the right path.

It is the pilgrimage of both jazz and humanity which relies not on marketing gimmicks but on the freedom that stems from its makers’ honest commitment to creativity and openness. This is the message so meritoriously conveyed by this album. And what’s best, it does not forget the power of liberating laughter.

- Pekka Kejonen (translation: Petri Silas)