Sarmanto, Heikki - Counterbalance CD (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
Porter PRCD 1506
Heikki Sarmanto – Fender Rhodes piano
Juhani Aaltonen – flute
Lance Gunderson – guitar
Pekka Sarmanto – bass
Craig Herndon - drums
This 1971 electric jazz release is a early landmark of Scandanavian fusion. This is the first time it was reissued on CD.
“2nd album by Finnish pianist / composer Heikki Sarmanto, recorded soon after his return from Boston, where he attended the Berklee College of Music – the first Finnish musician to do so.
The core of the quintet, which recorded this album, was established in Boston. With three Finnish musicians: Sarmanto on Fender Rhodes, flautist Juhani Aaltonen and bassist Pekka Sarmanto (Heikki's brother and life-long collaborator), and two Americans: guitarist Lance Gunderson and drummer Craig Herndon.
Although there is plenty of great improvisations here and even some Free Form, the melodic content is clearly stated and well developed, with an overall atmosphere of typical Nordic tranquility and serenity in the air. Sarmanto's switch to the Fender Rhodes and Aaltonen using the flute exclusively have a deep impact on the album's overall sound and ambiance, which are predominantly relaxed and deeply reflective.
The worldwide explosion of fusion, which happened in the early 1970s and which affected the Finnish scene as much as any other musical scene in the world can be heard here as well, with Sarmanto / Aaltonen interplays resembling the Chick Corea / Joe Farrell dialogs on the early Return To Forever albums. But above all, the music, composed almost entirely by Sarmanto (with Gunderson contributing one composition), is a sublime example of European Jazz at its peak, combining the elements of Jazz tradition with harmonies from the European Classical Music and heritage from European ethnic music.
The Scandinavian Jazz musicians and composers, and Finnish ones in particular, were amongst the pioneers of Jazz-World Fusion, and many of their creations were deeply rooted in local folklore. Aaltonen's beautiful flute lines are full of clever innuendos to Finnish (but not only) folklore, as are many of Sarmanto's piano lines. Pekka's excellent bass playing is a clear evidence of his extraordinary talent and ability, which can be heard on countless Finnish Jazz albums over the years. Herndon provides a great rhythmic drive to the music and Gunderson solos and interacts with the other members of the quintet almost telepathically.
Overall this a beautifully played and well constructed piece of music, which one tends to remember fondly for a very long period of time. For people who never heard it before, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover a masterpiece of European Jazz, which has been unavailable for decades and only now reissued on CD for the first time. Don't even think twice!”-rym
- LabelPorter
- UPC656605863825