John McLaughlin ja Dream Theater

Lately I've been listening to John MLaughlin, his new CD Industrial Zen. Wonderful music, excellent bass players, masterful drummers and Bill Evans playing sax. Rest of the musicians are tops, too. I'm delighted. I've liked McLaughlin since Mahavishnu Orchestra and that's a long time. Awakening was a real eye opener for me...

But now it's time for Dream Theater and their all new DVD Score. At the moment the DVD-player in our living room is showing and pushing through PA Afterlife...The band is incredible!!

Juha H.

This morning. (Juha H.) 

City Scenery from Tampere, Finland. (Juha H.) 

Toropaisen majalla

Just some half an hour ago Sini and I came back from Toropainen's Hunting Cottage. We had a lively and nice chat by a campfire. While cycling back home after the sunset the surrounding forest began to darken. The light was beautifully soft...

Earlier this day I had some time to watch and listen to Black Label Society, their new double DVD - The European Invasion Doom Troopin'. The band sounded not so very heavy metal. There were surprisingly many elements of Rock and even some shades of Blues. Zakk Wylde is definately a remarkable guitar player.

Juha H.

Rauhaisaa sunnuntaita

And the Sunday was quite relaxed. Right now our living room's DVD-player is showing the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Escpecially I like Danny Elfman's music. There are so many different styles mixed together - from serious to light and entertaining.

While travelling by train in Southern Finland I had some time off from other obligations and could read something. The book of my choice this time was Pendulum of War the three Battles of El Alamein written by Niall Barr. I'm half way through the book. Rommel's Afrika Korps is stopped and the 8th Army tries to destroy the Germans - and Italians. But that is/was in no way any easy task. The final victory of the British Forces over Panzerarmee Afrika is still months ahead...

Otherwise - some hours of playing flute.

Juha H.

After sunset Lake Keitele. While cycling back home the last kilometers of our journey to Southern Finland. (Juha H.) 

Rentoututtavaa

It was quite a relaxed day. I didn't work so very much with my music or with anything else. Some close relatives visited. And that was nice.

Early tomorrow morning Sini and I are going to travel to Tampere - and from there to Helsinki. I'll be back in Saturday. So this is the plan.

Juha H.

Rowan. Sending the pic again. (Juha H.) 

Noh

Every now and then - though luckily quite rarely - Picasa seems to fail me. Sending of a picture for some reason doesn't materialize. Let's wait. It may well be that when I publish these few lines the photo of a rowan miraculously appears...

Juha H.

Masterointia

Mastered a compilation of my music. It took most of the day. The whole sounds now quite ok. Much of the music is pretty relaxed and beautiful. Some fragments are a bit Avantgarde. Folk meets jazz and then there are some elements, some compositions that sound more like modern concert music.

Juha H.

Lame darts - blue makes them so... (Juha H.) 

Musiikillisia viittauksia

Tonigtht I feel less tired than yesterday. And it feels good.

I wrote, recorded and mixed one composition. And with the other newborn piece of music I just had the time to write and record it. Some six minutes of almost "finalized" - orchestrated time of noize. Soprano and alto recorders, tin whistle, Yamaha WX5 plus lots of percussion instruments... So music took most of my day.

Machine Men are recording their fourth CD in Tampere. Their First week in studio is behind. Most of the drums and basses are done. Next week they'll start recording guitars and vocals. I met J-V today and he said everything is ok.

Great Finish poet of modern times Jarkko Laine died today.

Juha H.

Huomenna

I just realized that I'm absolutely tired. My original thought was to write something meaningful or at least something... But no, no, no... I'm way too tired right now. Hopefully tomorrow...

Juha H.

Tower and the Sky. Wittenberg, Germany. (Juha H.) 

An other manhole cover from Berlin. There'll be no more of them. Only two I photographed. (Juha H.) 

Rauhallista ehtoota

Again a long day of work with my music. Mixed one of my composition and recorded another. It took some time. Creating - composing, recording and mixing - music is a very time consuming way of living. But this is what I like.

And in the evening - picking raspberries. A lots of them in our backyard. Soon both freezers are filled to the brim with different berries...

Juha H.

Manhole cover, Berlin. (Juha H.) 

Sunnuntaita

There was quite a lot of work with the photos I took in Germany. Luckily Photoshop is very nice software. Some pics I added here - city sceneries.

Mixed my composition Surun jalkeen (=After the Sorrow). Sad music in e minor for recorder and some other instruments.

And the day was quite hot. Sunshine and picking the berries...

Juha H.

Berlin by night. (Juha H.) 

greensleeves... 

Accordion rulez!

Maybe someone noticed I havent wrote a post for a while. I´ve been very lazy. Its been very hot and dry in Finland this summer. Between gigs and k-deejaying mostly i´ve played my russian accordion. Its possible to buy such a accordion for a very low prize in Finland because Russia is not so far away from here. I get it for free from my friend last year! It´s of course a piano accordion. I couldn´t play another type of accordion (maybe two-rowed I could). I´ve been amazed how fine I can pick the left hand buttons with a little practise. I´ve played every kind of music. I love to play finnish walzes from past 50 years. I have also started to play jazz and blues with the instrument. Last week I practised to play Hancock´s Watermelon man, Desmond´s Take five, Oliver Nelson´s Stolen Moments and plenty of other tunes with right left hand (bass) voicing in the left hand. It would be nice to play accordion with a band or Juha who have just arrived from Berlin.

Takaisin kotona

Just came back from Germany. Everything went fine. The foiled terrorist plot at the Heatrow airport London didn't much affect our flight back from Berlin - except that the security check was a bit more careful. But that was merely good.

Juha H.

Feather on the beach. (Juha H.) 

Aamulla matkaan

Mixed my composition Meren syvyys (=Depth of the Sea). The process was fast and quite easy. So I didn't spent much time with it.

In the morning Sini, Hanna-Maaria and I will begin our journey to Berlin, Germany. So few days with no posts.

Juha H.

Musiikki jatkuu

Finally I had the time to mix my composition Elizabeth's March. Now it's done and sounds some kinf of folk music... And in the evening I recorded Meren syvyys (=Depth of the sea). I wrote the composition in May this year. Today I decided to record it. Six lines of WX5s and two Stratocasters... In the morning Maija visited. We created the coverdesign and label for the poetry CD. I made her four copies of it. Later I'll do more... So nothing much happened today.

Juha H.

Runomusa jatkuu

Maija Piitulainen visited. She had a poetry book with her. I recorded her reciting the whole book. Most poems were pretty short. And after she left I added some music - thus making it more than just mere recitation. It was actually great fun to improvise with poems. Yamaha Wx5 is such a marvelous instrument and it is so easy to record - when compared to acoustic woodwinds... The length of the musical poetry compilation is 12 minutes. And it sounds quite good...

Toropainen visited and went back to the depths of forest.

Juha H.

Yesterday I recorded the composition above. Unfortunately I could not mix it today. Too many other obligations, like chainsawing... Elizabeth's March is really not a march - it's too fast for that. Music for recorder and an other woodwind instrument - plus guitar, bass and percussion. It was great fun to record it...(Juha H.)

Ari Liimatainen's sculpture floating on the water during the Keitele Jazz Festival. (Juha H.)

Tavallista

An ordinary day. Most of the time I worked with music - recorded and mixed my composition Kielon tuoksu (= Fragrance of Lily of the Valley). Woodwinds, guitar, bass and percussions. I also wrote two all new compositions. So nothing extraordinary.

Juha H.