Ensemble Hoikkaset

Hoikkaset played a gig today. And we actually rehearsed before our performance. This is quite ordinary. But what was a bit different - we also played LIVE some of the music we had rehearsed. It is quite ordinary that before a gig we prepare some music and then play for real something else... This is the way it goes - and it keeps you nicely on the edge. So you have to be very careful while performing the LIVE music. And I like this.

Machine Men continue their European tour...

Juha H.

Today I saw the first dandelions of Spring. (Juha H.)

Musaa ja Sandmonkey

I continued working with my music. One more song is taking its shape. Edith Sodergran wrote the poem Salojarvi (= Lake in Forest) almost a hundred years ago. And for my part - keyboards, recorders and domra are done...

Great Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey announced today that he'll quit. It's too dangerous for him to blog in a country where there's no real freedom of speech, no real democracy... I've read his texts quite regularly for a couple of years. He's been a delight with his humour and brave seriousness. Actually since last autumn I've wondered how long he can continue to write freely. During the winter bloggers have had quite dire times in Egypt and now it seems to be getting worse... Sad, sad. But as the great late author Kurt Vonnegut said: "That's the way it goes."

Juha H.

Ilta musalle

Machine Men have propably played the First gig of their European Tour. Hopefully everything's gone well or even better. Earlier today J-V sent an e-mail - then all was fine, fine.

I mixed and bounced to Disk my composition of Edith Sodergran's poem Suurissa metsissa (= In the big forests). Yesterday Sini sang it superbly. That was fine, fine.

Juha H.

Tony and J-V of the Machine Men. Tomorrow begins their European Tour. Now the group has already flown to Belgium. Sini took this photo just before noon today. (Juha H.)

Aspen - a close-up. (Juha H.)

Ice formations - a photo I took a week ago. Now all of the icy cover of Lake Keitele has melted away. (Juha H.)

Takaisin Sodergranin pariin

I'm back working with Edith Sodergran's poems and my compositions based on her stories. So I began recording Suurissa metsissa ( = In the Big Forests). It's a happy story of searching and finally findind peace and love...

Here's a good guitar player - Andy Timmons.

It rains outside.

Juha H.

Keikka takana

Everything went quite nicely - the choir sang better than while rehearsing and we musicians did our parts quite ok. The concert with mixed choir and band is done. Jori played grand piano (Bosendorfer) and conducted the choir. The accordionist did her part quite well. My instruments were flute, recorder and domra. This was the first time I played domra LIVE. Now afterwards I feel happy. So most of the concert must have gone quite well. There were many chances for me to improvise. I could interprete the arrangements quite freely. And that is always nice.

Juha H.

Found object - on the beach of the Lake Keitele. (Juha H.)

Musiikki jatkuu

Sini sang and I played bass for my composition Kesa vuorella (=Summer in the Mountains) written around Edith Sodergran's poem. I'll try tomorrow to mix this happy piece of music.

Early this morning I saw the first wagtail of spring. The icy cover of Lake Keitele has melted away.

Juha H.

Sunset, yesterday. - Now I've composed eighteen poems written by Edith Sodergran. That should be enough. (Juha H.)

Musaa vaan

All evening I worked with my composition Kesa vuorilla (= Summer in the Mountains). The music itself is created around a poem written by Edith Sodergran - simple little story of peacefully beautiful life by a mountain brook. Now I've recorded all percussions (three tracks of Roland Handsonic), keyboards (Korg N1), Akai EWI and recorder. Only bass guitar and Sini's singing are still missing.

Now some domra playing.

Juha H.

Holocaust Memorial Day. Last summer Sini, Hanna-Maaria and I visited the monument for victims of holocaust in Berlin, Germany. (Juha H.)

A cheap necklace I found today - thrown away and forgotten. (Juha H.)

Musaa ja matkailua

Well, I created one more composition around a poem written by Edith Sodergran. Now there are at least fifteen songs down on paper scribbled around her words... I'll propably do some more. It's so nice to work with texts of a real poet.

Early tomorrow morning Sini and I are going to leave for Tampere, Finland. A bit of a holiday and some celibrating with friends.

Juha H.

Ice formations. (Juha H.)

Musaa

Jori, the accordionist and I rehearsed with mixed choir. Actually it's the only rehearsal before the concert within a couple of weeks - though we'll do a warmup before the real thing.

I had no time to compose more poems of Edith Sodergran. I've already written some fourteen songs within ten days. I'm going to do some more...

Juha H.

Snow and cold returned. But hopefully within a few days the winter goes away for good... Finally today I mixed and bounced to Disk my composition of a poem written by Edith Sodergran. Tahdet (=Stars) is done. (Juha H.)

Willows. (Juha H.)

Pasha Sini created today. And I composed one more poem written by Edith Sodergran.

Juha H.

Runot jatkavat

I composed two more poems written by Edith Sodergran - one of them telling a simple little story of living happily in mountains and the other of planets travelling in space so fast, so bravely and fast.

Juha H.

Edith Sodergran

The project continues. I wrote one more composition around a poem written by Edith Sodergran. Strange fishes live in her colourful waters and it is the most dangerous thing to set out to sea... But there you might find a wonderous destiny of your dreams.

I'm back to working with Pro Tools. I began to record the first composition I wrote for the Sodergran-project. Tahdet (=Stars) is well under way - keyboards, woodwinds and some percussions are done. Bass guitar, some more percussions and Sini's singing are still missing. Hopefully tomorrow. Today I recorded the first time Akai EWI. It worked just fine. Lovely.

Juha H.

Musaa taas

Today I wrote two more compositions around Edith Sodergran's poems. Very nice! I like poems and I like making songs out of them. And as Frank Zappa said - this must have been his deepest thought ever - music is the best. - But who said it? Suzy Creamcheese, so there must have been some sarcasm involved...

Jori and the accordionist visited. We rehearsed for a forthcoming concert for mixed choir and us. Playing music was great fun. (This is quite remarkable because before the rehearsal I was very tired.) Once again music saved me.

Tonight Machine Men are playing a gig in Tampere, Finland.

Juha H.

Musaa

Composed one more poem written by Edith Sodergran. It took quite much time. Sodergran's poetry doesn't rhyme, her thoughts are sometimes a bit obscure and fantastic. And the inner rhythm of her stories is not so easy to turn into songs. But I like - I've actually always liked her poetry...

Rest of the day playing flute, domra and Akai Ewi.

Cold and biting wind howls outside.

Juha H.

Akai EWI 4000S

Wow!! I bought me Akai EWI 4000S - woodwind synth. And after the first day it seems and feels like a very musical toy - well, actually a real instrument. The mouthpiece is very responsive. I like it... But of course it takes more than one day to really learn to play with an instrument of so many possibilities.

Now I've composed four poems written by Edith Sodergran. Some day soon I'm going to begin to record them. My plan is to compose at least ten poems...

Juha H.

Ice like Deep Space Scenery... (Juha H.)

Pasunapelimannit

Pasunapelimannit had a rehearsal in Sumiainen. The instrumental variety of the orchestra is quite interesting. This time we had two violins, banjo, mandolin, domra, guitar, accordion, clarinet, flute and percussions... This is something else when compared to more ordinary Finnish folk music. But the whole sounds great. Mostly fast and hilarous music.

Juha H.