The new album maps multi-instrumentalist Majamäki’s adventures around the globe. The album-launch show, taking place at Helsinki’s Tavastia, features a host of the album’s guests, including Ismo Alanko, Karri “Paleface” Miettinen, Johanna Kurkela,Stina Koistinen and Linda Fredriksson.
Respected musician, multi-instrumentalist Teho Majamäki – a veritable artisan of music – brought out his debut album, Travelogue, on 22 January. Bursting with faraway ethnic influences, the album is a layered sonic journal that has gestated over a period of 15 years; indeed, it reflects unexpected encounters, shifting moods and the joy of not knowing where the road is going.
Literally a travelogue, the album draws from a number of music cultures and sees a number of notable guest artists from the vanguard of Finnish pop and jazz music appear alongside Majamäki. These include Ismo Alanko, Karri “Paleface” Miettinen, Ville Valo, Johanna Kurkela, Stina Koistinen, Hossni Boudali, Linda Fredriksson, Jenia Lubich and Salla Luhtala, most of whom will also be seen on Tavastia stage in the album-launch spectacle on 27 January.
“My journey as a collector of sounds began in 2000 and took me all the way to Australia, Tanzania, Japan, India, Spain and back to Finland again,” says Majamäki. “The idea for the album came to me as early as in the 1990s. Now it’s finally true. The dominating feeling is gratefulness for each and every human encounter that I experienced during my journey.”
Indeed, it was human encounters – both planned and unplanned that kept the idea alive for Majamäki. Each song opens a door to a different place and story: to a tiny central Tanzanian village, Ifakara; to a wooden pier in Lapland with Sami yoik echoing in the distance; to a Japanese suburb alive with children’s laughter; to an Indian temple filled with the chant of sacred mantras; to an Australian subtropical rainforest.
“The stories of the songs have been born out of real life encounters. They are declarations of love to places that I have lived in or thanks to the goodhearted people that I have had the privilege to meet. What matters most in human encounters is not the duration but spontaneous sincerity and honesty. The wish to share experiences. I believe that music is everywhere around us all the time. All we need to do is to stop and listen and it will reveal its secrets to us,” Majamäki explains.
Majamäki’s songs got more substance around them through collaboration with Samuli Laiho. That was how he got the idea to invite guest soloists to appear on the album. Ville Valo turned a 100-year-old poem by Aarni Kouta into the text of the song sent to him to perform; while Ismo Alanko translated the lyrics of a Spanish flamenco song into Finnish. Poet A. W. Yrjänä wrote the English lyrics for Johanna Kurkela to sing and Paleface drew from the atmosphere of “Cesare Borgia”.
The music video for ”One Thousand Names of God” on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx1PJGEeoak
Audience can support the album financially until 27 January on: https://mesenaatti.me/teho-majamaen-debyyttialbumi-travelogue/
Watch the album teaser on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hePJGy04MhA
Teho Majamäki (b. 1971) is a versatile musician and percussionist. His main instrument is the vibraphone but he also plays the marimba, the tube, the udu and many other percussion, key and string instruments. His best-known musical project is the duo Ismo Alanko Teholla with the eponymous rock artist. Majamäki’s latest album is the collaboration disc, Under the Ground, with reedsman Tapani Rinne, released in July in conjunction with the opening of the Kehärata railroad in Vantaa.
Teho Majamäki: Travelogue
UduMoodMusic 2016 (UMMCD-004, release date 22 Jan 2016)
1. One Thousand Names of God (feat. Johanna Kurkela) / 2. Matsumoto (feat. Kanata Okjima, Matsuda Family) / 3. Lusifer (feat. Ville Valo) / 4. Colours (feat. Linda Fredriksson) / 5. Nana (feat. Ismo Alanko, Antonio "El Fofo" Salazar Heredia) / 6. Top Top (feat. Bibi and Mama Mwamalumbili, Anna Mzava & Catherine Mponda) / 7. Crystal Mind (feat. Stina Koistinen) / 8. Cesare Borgia (feat. Paleface, Hossni Boudali) / 9. Kádja (feat. Nillas Holmberg, Ulla Pirttijärvi) / 10. Kookaburra (feat. Jenia Lubich) / 11. Katoavaista (feat. Salla Luhtala)
Music and all instruments: Teho Majamäki
except: Verneri Pohjola, trumpet (tracks 2,3, 8), Ilmari Pohjola, trombone (2, 3, 8), Kari Hulkkonen, bass (1), Linda Fredriksson, sax (4), Jukka Orma, guitar (5)
Teho Majamäki Travelogue launch show
Wed 27 Jan at 20 Tavastia (Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6, Helsinki)
Teho Majamäki (perc), Mamba Assefa (perc), Juuso Hannukainen (perc), Riku Pentti (DJ), Paula Lehtonen & Klaus Nyqvist (VJ)
With: Ismo Alanko (voc), Johanna Kurkela (voc), Karri "Paleface" Miettinen (voc), Stina Koistinen (voc), Hossni Boudali (voc), Salla Luhtala (voc) ja Linda Fredriksson (sax)
Tickets 23 €, Tiketti