Think this - some seriousness. (Juha H.) 

Keitele Jazz Festival 2006

This Summer's Keitele Jazz Festival is over. It run from Wednesday this week through Saturday. There were many nice concerts. Below some pics of the bands that performed during the main concert in Saturday evening . Pepa Paivinen Quartet played very interesting and quite original music. The guitar player of the band, Timo Kamarainen, was especially wild. Chris Potter's Underground played very tightly. And I had forgotten how skilfully interesting sax player maestro Potter is... The last band of Saturday was Bill Evans- Randy Brecker SoulBop band. Evans and Brecker are so good - virtuosic musicians. The whole band played joyously.

Juha H.

Randy Brecker-Bill Evans SoulBop Band at the Keitele Jazz Festival 2006. (Juha H.) 

Chris Potter's Underground at the Keitele Jazz Festival 2006. (Juha H.) 

Pepa Paivinen Quartet at the Keitele Jazz Festival 2006. (Juha H.) 

Thursday evening this week. Dave Edmunds performing with his band at the KeiteleJazz Festival. (Juha H.)

Hoikkaset keikalla taas

Ensemble Hoikkaset played a gig. Two compositions of Matti Hintikka at the WanhaAsema, Suolahti. Finish Folk Music the band knew quite well - so we had to be quite careful. If a composition is "easy" - musicians have to remember to concentrate... And we knew this and played our parts ok. The house was packed full. And there were some lectures of Finish Art, how it's been connected to the WanhaAsema and Maija Piitulainen recited some poetry.

Juha H.

Yesterday evening. Ari Liimatainen and Liliana Nicolic Yiannoudaki at the opening of their Art Exhibition in Aanekoski. (Juha H.)

Maija ja muuta mukavaa

Maija Piitulainen visited. We finalized the coverdesign - texts and photos - of Kukkiva maa CD. I had done most of the work beforehand. Maija wanted only few more words added. The only a bit hard task was to choose the front cover. There were six ore seven different versions. Now all is done.

I recorded my composition Sadepilven reuna (= Lining of a rain cloud). Flute, a couple of lines of wx5s, Stratocaster, bass guitar and three tracks of percussion. Mixing tomorrow, I hope.

Juha H.

A relief that I "sculpted" a few weeks ago. (Juha H.) 

Lumme. (Juha H.) 

Mustikoista

I've been working once again with my music. In June I wrote a simple little composition - Mustikat kukkivat jo (= Blueberries are already blossoming). Today I rercorded it - flute, wx5, Stratocaster, bass guitar and three lines of percussion. Simple melody, simple music and some improvising.

Warm day - a long walk and some rowing with Sini on the Lake Keitele.

Juha H.

Above one of the compositions that I wrote today. This one I also recorded - flute, three synths and tiny bells. On the mountain of Silence. (Juha H.) 

Interludes

It took me most of the day - working with my music. In the morning I wrote two compositions and named them as Interludes - numbers 34. and 38. In the afternoon I recorded them. Both consist of four lines of woodwinds, two electric guitars and bass guitar. And in the evening I mixed the Interludes. Now all is ready. Sigh of relief. Some work done.

Juha H.

View from Kirppuvuori. (Juha H.) 

Aamukahvilla

Today I recorded my composition Aamukahvilla (= While having coffee in the morning). I wrote it about a week ago for my father, for his birthday. It has already been performed twice for him. So it was about the time to record it - flute, guitar, bass guitar and four tracks of percussions. More or less Finish folk music, sort of. Hopefully tomorrow I can mix the whole that I recorded today.

And when the evening got here I listened to some music, Tool and their CD 10000 Days - progressive Heavy Metal. Tool's music is a sort of a mixture between King Crimson and Hippie Music with some nice odd-meters.

Juha H.

Not many blueberries this year. (Juha H.) 

Rose of the day. (Juha H.) 

Vapaata

Yesterday PasunaPelimannit played a couple of gigs in Sumiainen. Outdoor music. Luckily the weather was nice and warm. Relaxed Finish Folk Music.

Today I've played my flute for a few hours and written two compositions. The First one of them is a wedding waltz in Folk style and the other one is jazz, sort of - a bit in the style of Miles Davis from the In A Silent Way Era...

Hopefully now I can have a few days off - at least 'till tomorrow. Friends coming to visit us.

Juha H.

Ilkka Rantamaki, Olavi Louhivuori and Verneri Pohjola at The TraktoriJatzit Festival. (Juha H.)

Jonathan Kreisberg, Ari Hoenig and Orlando LeFlemming jamming at the TraktoriJatzit Festival. (Juha H.) 

Cold Shot. FWD jamming at the TraktoriJatzit Festival last night. (Photo: Sini)

Bluesia

Jori and I had a rehearsal. This time NOT as Improvisages but as members of FWD-band. Rest of the orchestra was not in attendance. We two just played through some of the songs of our tomorrow's gig at the TraktoriJazz and then jammed some more. Rhythm 'n' Blues. Jori is the regular keyboard player of the FWD. I'm just their occasional hornsection - with my flute and tenor sax. NO other woodwind or brass players...

I called Ari. He's in Estonia and he told me over the phone: "It's helluva hot here!"

JUha h.

Jori conducting Koskelan Viihdelaulajat Choir at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. (Juha H.) 

PasunaPelimannit at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. (Photo: Hillevi) 

PasuunaPelimannit

PasuunaPelimannit had a rehearsal. Nice and relaxed playing - today's hot weather made it so. Tomorrow morning the band is going to travel to Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. Some gigs ahead.

Last football match. France or Italy - which is going to be the Champion.

Juha H.

Helle

For a few days the weather has been quite hot . And this warmth goes on possibly at least for a week.

Added some photos here. A journey across the Baltic Sea - to Stocholm, Sweden and back.

Soccer and guitar playing is a nice combination. World Cup. Tomorrow one more match.

Juha H.

Sunset, Baltic Sea. (Juha H.) 

Ja matkaan

Warm day - though luckily not yet hot at noon.

Now I'm going to have a couple of days off with Sini. After some hours we'll be leaving for Stocholm, Sweden. Our daughter Hanna-Maaria and her friend are coming with us. Across Turku's and Stocholm's archipelagos. It's a ravishingly beautiful channel over the Baltic Sea.

Juha H.

Musakivaa

Jori and I had a rehearsal - not as Improvisages this time. Next week we both will be going with separete acts to Kaustinen Folk Music Festival - Jori as a conductor and accompanist of a choir and I as part of PasuunaPelimannit. But we decided to combine some of it and thus it seems that I'm goint to play some flute, recorder and bongos with the choir...

Yesterday Jori and I rehearsed with the Four Wheel Drive in Suovanlahti, Viitasaari. That's were the TraktoriJazz is going to happen next week. Jori is keyboard player of the FWD. And for this particular gig I'm going to form the horn section for the band - with my sax and flute... Rhythm and blues.

Juha H.

Yesterday. Improvisages jamming before the concert in LaajaArt. (Photo: Sini) 

Improvisages today - after the concert in LaajaArt. From left to right - JH (woodwinds, guitar, computer...), Maisa Kivi (owner of the venue), Jori Maenpaa (keys, singing), Ari Liimatainen (visuals, stories). (Photo: Terhi Toropainen)

Flowers of the day. (Juha H.)