Did you get any fish? (Juha H.) 

Jordan Rudess

Right now I'm listening to Jordan Rudess - his latest solo CD Rhythm of time. Fantastic - right now quite majestic - beutiful, strong and virtuoso-music. I like it a lot. Only yesterday I heard it the first time. I'm definately amazed. Didn't expect the music to be so good. Great listening, great musicians- great everything! Rod Morgenstein on drums swings quite hard.

Some of the Rudess'es compositions resembled quite a bit of what Frank Zappa and PekkaPohjola have written. Humour abundant in some places. Nice, nice.

Juha H.

After sunset (Juha H.) 

Unelma Teatteri

Back from Helsinki. Dream Theater was quite fantastic! The band was definately extremely virtuosic - the musicians played so well together. I've heard them LIVE once before, but for Sini this was the first time. And she was amazed, almost overwhelmed. So much she liked the band. And of course I liked the band almost as much.

Musical virtuosity is what I like a lot. Dream Theater has got it all. But there is very little humour in the band's music. That's about the only thing that is missing. Or then it's not funny what they do, so no jokes. But Frank Zappa had it all. There was humour even in most of his instrumental compositions. Instrumental jokes are possible.

Juha H.

Dream Theater

Yesterday blogspot-server was down. I could not write anything, couldn't send any pics. Even reading blogs was very slow.

Now it's off to Helsinki - to see and hear Dream Theater LIVE!!

Juha H.

Suolla. (Juha H.) 

Marginaalitotuuksia

Sini has a sore throat - so she could not sing Maarian valssi. Some other day then, maybe next weekend. Forthcoming week is going to be a bit busy.

Began recording Ari Liimatainen's story Marginaalitotuuksia (=Marginal truths). It's about a mathematician and an ordinary guy discussing. But somehow their words never meet...

Machine Men in Bochum, Germany. It's their last gig on this European tour. Next week they'll be coming back home to Finland.

Juha H.

Yesterday's fire. All gone to ashes... (Juha H.) 

Sini and I went to Toropainen's hunting cottage. And the welcome was pretty warm... (JUha H.) 

Maarian valssi

The music goes on and on.

Recorded some tracks to my song Maarian valssi. I wrote the compositon and its words some ten years ago when my daughter Hanna-Maaria was quite small. This Fall Sini remembered the song and wanted to sing it. So today I laid down acoustic guitar, bass guitar and some percussions. During the weekend I'll record rest of the instruments and Sini can sing it.

Began reading Iron Sunrise written by Charles Stross. Hard Science-Fiction.

Juha H.

Sanat

Some weeks ago while in the forest I created a poem in my mind . After coming home I wrote it down on paper. Then I was pretty pleased that I could remember it for so long. (Though it would have been convenient to have a dictating machine with in the forest...) The name of the poem is Sanat (=Words). A slightly ludicrous and surreal story.

Today I recorded some backing tracks - human percussions - and on top of them I recited the poem into Pro Tools. After that I improvised some lines with my Yamaha WX5. Now the whole is mixed and ready.

Machine Men in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

Juha H.

Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum). (Juha H.) 

Vanhan naisen laulua

Eero Lahti of the Ensemble Hoikkaset came and recorded violin to Jouko Takala's song Vanhan naisen laulu (= Song of an old woman). He brought his banjo with. But after hearing the song he didn't want to ruin its beauty with his banjo playing. So he left the instrument for me to strum... And of course I recorded the track with it - backbeat strumming. I've never played banjo before. (Well, almost never. When I was young I tried one for a couple of minutes. But then it didn't appeal to me in any way...) I was surprised how loud and fluid it was to play. And I could play it right away, even legato lines. Though that is not surprising in any way because Eero's instrument is guitar-banjo.

Now Vanhan naisen laulu is pretty much mixed, too.

Today Machine Men in Munich, Germany.

Juha H.

Little lake before sunset. (Juha H.) 

Pumppu ja Venttiili at a birthday party this evening. Eero Lahti of the Ensemble Hoikkaset playing banjo. Later we - Eero and I - played some jazz with violin and flute. (Juha H.) 

Illalle ja aamulle

Today Sini sang my song Illalle ja aamulle (= For Evening and Morning). She sang it quite superbly. The recording went quite ok. I'm pretty happy. Earlier this day I recorded a couple of percussion tracks to afore mentioned composition of mine. And now the song is almost ready - mixed and all.

Today Machine Men in Vienna, Austria.

Juha H.

Beautiful but quite poisonous mushroom (= Aminata Muscaria) (Juha H.) 

Aamulle ja illalle

Recorded most instruments to my song Aamulle ja illalle (= For Morning and Evening). Though the name of it might as well be Illalle ja aamulle (= For Evening and Morning). The name depends on the fact in which order Sini is going to sing the words. The composition is quite much like a hymn - though neither the text nor its meaning is in any way religious...

Stormy day. Tale of a hurricane from the Atlantic Ocean hit Finland today. Here, quite far from the sea, it's been only some rain, some wind.

Juha H.

The Little Ligthhouse at the Lake Keitele, Finland. Again... (Juha H.) 

Jouko Takala's music

Recorded a couple of percussion tracks to Jouko Takala's song Vanhan naisen laulu (= Song of an old woman). Next - this week or later - Eero Lahti, violinist of the Ensemble Hoikkaset, will add his part. And then maybe someone plays banjo... Added all my parts to Jouko's other composition - Yksin oisia aania kuuntelen (= Alone I listen to voices of night). The song is so ready that I can begin to mix it tomorrow or later.

Machine Men tour has stopped today in Bordeaux, France.

Juha H.

Sini the Strong Lady in the forest.
-Oops! Sorry, she said. (Juha H.)

Voi hyva lehma ja muuta ihmettelya

I listened to Swallow the Sun's CD Ghosts of Loss. Cruel melancholy and almost beautiful sadness - growlingly slow and somber music. Thank you very much!

And after the listening of Ghosts of Loss I had a thought. What would happen if I'd combine Ari Liimatainen's stories with the Swallow the Sun's cruel-beautiful seriousness... Serious fun?? Could Improvisages somehow make this weird dream come true? Almost deadly seriousness with wonderously funny twists? Would this be possible? I would definately love to be part of doing it!! Could it be called Funny Metal?

Juha H.

Musiikkia, musiikkia

Well, well. I recorded Ari Liimatainen's story Kanan perse (= Chicken Ass). Weird, wonderful and a bit odd tale about a crazy guy who invents a game with his crazy friend . The original game is pretty sophisticated and very complicated. But in time it deteriorates into something simple and a bit weird. At that point the rules of the game go like this. When you near an other person you try to shout as fast as you can:"Kanan perse!!" (= chicken ass). The one who says it first is the winner. And after that the next game begins immediately. And again you call out:" Kanan perse!!" (= Chicken ass)... This goes on and on. Sometime someone goes crazy. That's quite inevitable. And everything escalates enormously. - Recitation, laughs, shouts, many sorts of weird noises and four lines of improvised woodwinds plus some percussions.

Ari's story resembles quite much Larry Niven's masterful short-story All the Myriad Ways in which billions of alternate Futures collide...

Ari's Internet Gallery is definately worth seeing.

Juha H.

Sini twisting a tree.
- Easy, she said. (Juha H.)

Vanha nainen yksin kuuntelee

Recorded bass to Jouko Takala's song Vanhan naisen laulu (= Song of an old woman). And began working on Jouko's other composition - Yksin oisia aania kuuntelen (= Alone I listen to voices of night). Flute, recorders, percussions, violin and maybe banjo will follow...

Machine Men began today their European Tour. I wish them luck and great gigs.

Juha H.

Zappaa

I travelled to Jyvaskyla - with Sini - and bought Frank Zappa's DVD Token of My Extreme. Watching and listening to it took much of the evening. The picture quality was lousy. Time has quite obviously deteriorated the original video. The quality of sound was not much better - passable anyways. The recording was from the seventies. BUT some of the music was still extraordinary, for example Inca Roads was amazing. The band seemingly had fun playing Zappa's music.

I bought also Swallow The Sun's new CD Ghosts of Loss. But I'll listen to it later...

Yesterday I had some good intentions of creating music today... Now it's too late. Tomorrow, tomorrow.

Juha H.

Wakaza mennee pain puuta

Finalized the mixing of my composition Wakaza and bounced it to disk. I hope that within a few weeks I can master it with some other material to be part of a musical compilation.

But what should I do next? Record bass and the rest of the instruments to Jouko Takala's compositions or begin to work with Ari Liimatainen's story Kananperse (=Chicken ass) or lay down some tracks for Sini to sing... Time will tell.

Now to jam with Ableton Live.

Juha H.

In the morning. (JUha H.) 

Improvisages ja Wakaza

Improvisages had a meeting and played some music, too. Synths, flute and Ableton Live. That was quite nice. I hope it'll happen soon again. It's time to get back together and create some music. And I'd like to meet some challenging and interesting multivision in the making - music, voices, noices and all kinds of visuals...

A couple of hours ago I began mixing my composition Wakaza. But now it's time to go to sleep.

Juha H.

Mountain cranberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), again... (Juha H.)

Today. Ensemble Hoikkaset played a gig on the Steamship Keitele at the lake Keitele, Finland. Pretty much great fun. (Photo by Sini)

Little Brook (Juha H.)