Jazz Archives

Lump-in-throat jazz rock loveliness from this very under-recognized Finnish saxophonist, with an atmosphere as inviting as a warm bath. The rich and relaxed Canterbury-derived moves heard here exist in a direct lineage from Soft Machine's Third and early Nucleus and merits comparison with some of the other Euro units of the era that were carrying a flame forward for this sound, like France's Magma-associated Rhesus O and the related Belgian outfits Placebo and Solis Lacus.

:::Review by mutant-sounds.blogspot.com:::

Eero Koivistoinen - The Original Sin (1971)

A1. The Original Sin 10:05
A2. Rock & Roll 4:52
A3. Bye Bye / Hello 9:09
B1. Both & And 10:02
B2. Summersea 6:30
B3. Sinner 5:48

Credits
Bass – Pekka Sarmanto
Clarinet [Bass] – Unto Haapa-Aho
Drums – Esko Rosnell, Reino Laine
Guitar – Lance Gunderson
Piano – Eero Ojanen
Saxophone [Alto] – Eero Koivistoinen, Pekka Pöyry
Saxophone [Baritone] – Pentti Lahti
Saxophone [Soprano] – Eero Koivistoinen
Saxophone [Tenor] – Eero Koivistoinen, Pekka Pöyry
Trombone – Erkki Lipponen, Juhani Aalto
Trumpet – Tapani Luuppola

"Fairyport" was the 3rd album released by Finlands WIGWAM which also featured the introduction of another cast member with the entrance of the outstandingly talented composer/musician/bassist Pekka Pohjola. The end result was WIGWAM's first real stab at pure progressive rock and INMO is one of my more favoured albums of the 70's prog era. On "Fairyport", WIGWAM mix jazz, rock, pop all in one exploratory album with a nice wide range of themes and moods. Generally the songs are pretty organ drenched with lots of rhythmic syncopation. With "Fairyport" the threesome of Gustavson, Pembroke and Pohjola was completed. Jukka Gustavson (keyboards) wrote the most progressive pieces, with Jim Pembroke (vocals, piano) wrote the lighter and shorter songs and Pekka Pohjola's (bass) focus on the instrumental aspects. The bottomline is a very well balanced album with lots of progressive tendencies, instrumental prowess and instrumental mastery. There are several magical moments on this album including "Losing Hold" , "Cafffkaff, The Country Psychologist" and Pohjols's ZAPPA-esque instrumental tribute "Hot Mice". Band membership was Ronnie Österberg (drums, congas, percussion, backing vocals), Jukka Gustavson, (vocals, piano, organ, electric piano), Jim Pembroke (vocals, harmonica, piano, electric piano), Pekka Pohjola (bass, violins, acoustic guitar, piano, celeste and harpsichord). I guess every diamond has one rough cut and so too does "Fairyport" with the last track being a 17 minute live epic recording circa 1971 and sounds even with the re-mastered CD version like something off a bootleg. Having said that the studio material is to kill for and I would heavily recommend this album to all lovers of progressive rock.

:::Review by loserboy:::

Wigwam - Fairyport (1971)

1. Losing Hold (7:06)
2. Lost Without A Trace (2:29)
3. Fairyport (6:53)
4. Gray Traitors (2:48)
5. Caffkaff, The Country Psychologist (5:22)
6. May Your Will Be Done Dear Lord (5:28)
7. How To Make It Big In Hospital (3:01)
8. Hot Mice (3:19)
9. P.K:S Supermarket (2:20)
10. One More Try (3:26)
11. Rockin' Ol' Galway (2:27)
12. Every Fold (3:07)
13. Rave-Up For The Roadies (17:20)

Credits
- Jukka Gustavson / vocals, acoustic & electric pianos, organ
- Ronnie Österberg / drums, congas, percussion, backing vocals
- Jim Pembroke / vocals, harmonica, piano (2-12)
- Pekka Pohjola / bass, violins, backing vocals (3), acoustic guitar (8), keyboards (8-9)
+ Unto Haapa-aho / bass clarinet
- Eero Koivistoinen / saprano saxophone
- Tapio Louhensalo / bassoon
- Risto Pensola / clarinet
- Pekka Pöyry / soprano saxophone
- Hannu Sexelin / clarinet
- Jukka Tolonen / guitar (2-7-13)
- Ilmari Varila / oboe

Finland's premier saxophonist Koivistoinen ventured to New York City for this CD and employed some of the finest jazz players, including trombonist Conrad Herwig, trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist David Kikoski, bassist Ron McClure, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and guitarist John Scofield (on four cuts). Bugge Wesseltoft plays rather innocent, unobtrusive sythesizer on three other pieces. The horn charts are smartly arranged by the tenor and soprano saxophonist, and played to perfection. The music is contemporary, bop-based, modernistic, and well-swung by DeJohnette's personalized chatty signature rhythms. At their hippest and most basic, the band grooves on "Everblue," one of eight tracks Koivistionen penned. Brecker, Herwig, and Eero's tenor are united in a Horace Silver-type head nod. The easier swing of "Magreb" has a different Euro-soul, an ultra bright chart based on Kikoski pedal point piano. A similar vehicle from Kikoski informs Seppo Kantonen's "Kabuki," another cool chart with Scofield's electric guitar darting and searching for prismatic colors. McClure's piece "Inspiration" is a good swinger with tenor, trumpet, and trombone debating in point-counterpoint one-upmanship fashion. "Van Gogh" is a tenor-led tango with pining background horns, while the seascape beauty of "Clear Dream" -- with soprano and piano only -- gives a lush hint at the leader's soft side.
Koivistoinen displays a nice combination of Wayne Shorter's harmonic sense and Michael Brecker's lyricism. This is highly recommended.

:::Review by Michael G. Nastos:::

Eero Koivistoinen - Altered Things (1992)

01. Kabuki (Seppo Kantonen) 05:25   
02. Altered Things (Eero Koivistoinen) 06:40
03. Film Noir (Eero Koivistoinen) 07:48
04. Everblue (Eero Koivistoinen) 07:01
05. Van Gogh (Eero Koivistoinen) 07:52
06. Palapeli (Eero Koivistoinen) 05:77
07. Clear Dream (Eero Koivistoinen) 04:00
08. Inspiration (Ron McClure) 05:02
09. Maghreb (Eero Koivistoinen) 08:35
10. BLT (Eero Koivistoinen) 05:07

Credits
Eero Koivistoinen: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Randy Brecker: trumpet
Conrad Herwig: trombone
Dave Kikoski: piano
Bugge Wesseltoft: synthesizer [3, 5, 6]
John Scofield: guitar
Ron McClure: bass
Jack Dejohnette: drums

What would we do without those vinyl junkies? You know, those obsessed creatures that scour every record store, flea market, secondhand store and garage sale in hopes of finding some gem that has been lost in the mountain of recordings released over the last seventy years. Without them we would not have the pleasure of revisiting Eero Koivistoinen's fusion monster from Finland, Wahoo!

For some time Wahoo! has been a jealously guarded secret of DJs and collectors. Jon Newey, in his Jazzwise review, states that only 600 copies of the original LP were pressed, and further claims that those originals can often be found for as much as $500. The UK-based reissue label Whatmusic has thankfully brought it to the masses, available with its original artwork on LP or CD-digipak.
Recorded in 1972 with a one-off group, Wahoo! more than measures up to its reputation by delivering an incendiary brew of 70s fusion. It is everything that fusion should have been: raw, electric chaos held together by in-the-pocket beats and a muscular low-end. The music does not fall prey to any of the pitfalls that sank so much of the 70s' over-intellectualized pseudo-funk (i.e. wimpy synthesizers, tricky time signatures played with technical rigor mortis and extended noodling). Moreover, the production catches all the rough edges and the mixing layers the meaty rhythms created by the set-up of two drummers, two bassists and two guitarists.
Every cut provides a different blueprint on how to construct a groove. The title track slow-funk grinds with excruciating pleasure. The musicians ping pong in a syncopated frenzy, teasing with deliciously choppy phrases. Koivistoinen, his soprano sax hooked up to a wah-wah, squeals in delight while guitarists Matti Kurkinen and Ilja Saastamoinen viciously slice up the rhythm.
The ten-minute "Suite 19" masterfully unfurls itself. The track opens with a loose ambience that calls forth the ghost of John Coltrane's "Spiritual" as Koivistoinen, again on distorted soprano sax, glides over Edward Vesala's restless percussion. The band shimmers along in minor key ecstasy that eventually settles into silence. Then the Fender bass sparks a beat, Sabu Martinez brings his congas to a boil, the Rhodes and guitars sear the air and Koivistoinen's sax lines melt all over the red-hot groove. Yet the whole fire is kept from blazing out of control by the airtight bass being laid down.
My adjectives and metaphors could also rage out of control praising Wahoo! , so maybe we should just thank Whatmusic and those vinyl junkies one more time for their public service. They have delivered to us a gritty, passionate set of fusion that should not be overlooked this time around.

:::Review by Matthew Wuethrich:::

Eero Koivistoinen - Wahoo! (1973)

1. Hot C 7:37
2. 7 Up 4:54
3. 6 Down 7:54
4. Suite 19 10:47
5. Bells 5:42
6. Wahoo! 4:15

Credits
Bass [Fender] - Heikki Virtanen , Ilkka Willman
Drums - Esko Rosnell , Reino Laine
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] - Olli Ahvenlahti
Guitar [Electric] - Ilja Saastamoinen , Matti Kurkinen
Percussion - Edward Vesala , Sabu Martinez
Saxophone - Eero Koivistoinen
Saxophone [Alto], Flute - Juhani Aaltonen
Saxophone [Baritone], Clarinet [Bass] - Unto Haapa-Aho
Trombone - Juhani Aalto
Trumpet - Kaj Backlund