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Ikonen, Kari - Oceanophonic

SKU Texicalli 086
I see a lot of concerts and a lot of concerts by musicians I know and also a lot by musicians I don't. One of the best concerts I saw in 2009 (and certainly the best concert I saw by a group I was completely unfamiliar with) was the Finnish group Karikko, led by pianist Kari Ikonen. The music is a cross between ECM sound and progressive jazz-rock. Great melodies, tricky rhythms and a superb band: Kari Ikonen - piano, rhodes, moog Gunnar Halle - trumpet Sonny Heinilä - flute, alto flute, tenor saxophone Vincent Courtois - cello Tony Elgland - contrabass Mika Kallio - drummer I immediately bought a copy from the group and then wrote to the label. No reply. I wrote to Kari and he wrote to the label on our behalf. No reply. Months passed. Kari wrote to me recently and asked if we were ever able to get copies and I said "no". He said, "I have 20 copies here if you would like to buy them from me." I said, "yes!", and here they are. But there's only 20 and I don't expect to be able to easily restock this. Highly, highly personally recommended.

You can hear their music here

"For nearly a decade, the Finnish pianist and composer Kari Ikonen has developed his compositional voice through his ensemble Karikko. Ikonen deploys Karikko’s instrumental and improvisational possibilities almost as if he were composing for an orchestra, creating a style that balances elegance and intimacy with boldness and expansiveness. Vibrant, swinging rhythmic elements pulse through his music at all times, in dialogue with the lyrical voicings and rich colours of the ensemble passages. The 35-year-old Ikonen has studied piano performance and composition in Finland, most notably at the Sibelius Academy, as well as abroad at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Oceanophonic is Ikonen’s second album with the Karikko ensemble. Seven of the eight pieces are Ikonen originals, each displaying a different facet of his musical identity. He sensitively blends electronic keyboards and acoustic textures (“Kolme Medusaa”, “Neptunus”), arranges the group into unexpected combinations (the cello-trumpet duet on “Satamatriologian Nejäs Osa”) or brings out his subtle humour (the jazz-meets-tango of “Tangolla Päähän”). Interpreting such detailed and diverse compositions requires versatile and imaginative collaborators. After a decade of line-up changes, Ikonen has now assembled the definitive Karikko ensemble."
  • LabelTexicalli
Your Price $18.00
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