Kataja yksin kukkulalla

Lonely juniper on a hill. (Juha H.)

Varhainen aamu

Early morning walk. (Juha H.)

Usvainen aamu

Foggy morning at 5.30. - My song Lintu pieni laulaa hetken (= Litlle bird sings a little) is mixed and bounced to HardDisk. Happy chirpy music. (Juha H.)

Helsinkiin ja takaisin

Sini in Helsinki today. We travelled there and back to see a couple of art exhibitions. One of them was in the building seen at the background - Kalevala in Finnish Art at the Ateneum Art museum. And the other exhibition was Marita Liulia's Choosing my Religion in Kiasma. Especially Liulia's art was more than wonderful. Well, maybe she's a genius. (Juha H.)

Talven rannalla

At Winter's Beach. (Juha H.)

Sotakirja

For some time I've been reading Chris Bellamy's quite massive book Absolute War Soviet Russia in the Second World War. The text is based mostly on Russian archives - of which some are older and some from the time since Soviet Union collapsed. Massive book from massive material. The war on the Eastern Front with its giant battles was the biggest and most horrendous ever fought.

Very interesting in Bellamy's text is that he depicts so well what happened before the beginning of the Operation Barbarossa - what led Nazi-Germany to attack Communist-Russia.

Here and there Bellamy doubts the truthfulness of Russian archives. And because of this there is at least one real mistake. He claims that Finns lost during the Winter War (1939-1940) 48000 men. But in reality that number is twice the actual number. Why didn't he check the figures from Finish archives? He used Russian ones instead and those were from the 1950-ies.

All in all Bellamy has written an absolutely interesting book!

Juha H.

Lintu pieni laulaa hetken

All evening I recorded my song Lintu pieni laulaa hetken (= Little bird sings a little). Three tracks of percussion, bass guitar, keyboards and three lines of different recorders are done. Now only Sini's singing is missing. And this is a good day's work.

Juha H.

Tuppaa esiin

Stickin' out. (Juha H.)

Perkussioita

All evening I recorded percussion instruments - a lots of them into Pro Tools. Luckily my hands didn't get any sore and I could blow one tinwhistle line, too. The whole sounds quite much African... Now only bass guitar and J-V's solo guitar is missing.

Juha H.

Majakka

While walking on the icy cover of Lake Keitele today. - Most of the day I just played and wrote music. During this weekend I composed eight songs for Sini to sing. (Juha H.)

Rauhaisa lauantai

Quite peaceful was my day. One small gig did I play with my flute at a funeral. I performed my composition Illalle ja aamulle (= For the evening and morning) which can be heard here as a bit orchestrated version and as a song. Today I played it slowly. - When someone dies it makes you silently wonder all kinds of thoughts beyond words...

All in all the day was bright and sunny.

Juha H.

Pupujen kolmio

Triangular rabbit path. - All evening I did nothing but played, recorded, mixed and wrote music. Now's time for something else - sleep, I think. (Juha H.)

Kirkkaus

While trekking today. (Juha H.)

Kuvataidetta

Sini at an art exhibition. (Juha H.)

Jethro Tull

Yesterday Jethro Tull played a mighty fine concert at Pakkahuone, Tampere. They performed two sets, two hours of music - from Cross-Eyed Mary to Aqualung and Locomotive Breath. Anderson played flute almost exclusively - with just a short stint with bamboo sax and acoustic guitar during Thick as a Brick. Especially Tull's second set was great and they performed very energetically. - Still today I feel happy and smily because of the gig.

Juha H.

Talven sunnuntai

I recorded bass guitar and Sini sang her parts. Now my song Mita kaipaan (= What I long for) is mixed and bounced to HardDisk. Pro Tools 8 is so wonderful.

Tomorrow Jethro Tull performs in Tampere, Finland. Sini and I'll be there.

Juha H.

Nelijalka

Four-legged creature. - Sini and I went to a concert today. There performed Suo. Modern Finnish Folk. Good musicians and fine music. Later in the evening I recorded percussion into ProTools. (Juha H.)

Aamu sarastaa

Above a composition I wrote just some minutes ago - Aamu sarastaa (= Dawn is breaking). For a very long time I've liked and admired Japanese poetry. And one of my favorites has always been Ryokan. For years every now and then I've read his poems - in Finnish or in English. (My Japanese is non- existent...) Today I thought that now I'll begin this longtime dream-project - to compose Ryokan's poetry. (Juha H.)

Ensemble Hoikkaset keikalla

Ensemble Hoikkaset played a gig today. Six compositions - Finish Folk Music and a couple of older songs played instrumentally. There were some 400 people in the audience. And fun it was once again.

Later in the evening I recorded keyboards. First track of my song Mita kaipaan (=What I long for) is ready.

Juha H.

Korvessa

While trekking in the forest. - And later in the evening I recorded a couple of lines of percussion. (Juha H.)

Hoikkaset

Ensemble Hoikkaset rehearsed today. It was the first time this year. During the Winter we've played gigs every now and then but earlier there was no real need for any practising before hand... This time we decided to prepare us better.

Later in the evening I recorded some synthlines into Pro Tools. Parts of them were written, parts I improvised.

Juha H.

Musaa

Began working with my song Me kaikki hiljenemme (=We all fall silent). Keyboards and some lines of woodwinds are done. The whole is going to be dark and somber... Well, the end may have some glimpses of light and hope. Time will tell.

Juha H.

Runomusaa

Performing poetry and music is done for today. All went quite ok. After three rehearsals this was the first gig for the project. The venue was packed full and afterwards the audience thanked wholeheartedly and happily. For me it was once again nice to improvise with my flute.

Now to sauna.

Juha H.

Vanha kuva

An old photo. J-V, Jopo and me playing something I wrote for the occasion... (Photo: Sini ; Juha H.)

Rauhaisaa

Nothing much - recorded a couple of tracks of percussion, played flute for a few hours and watched a DVD of the music of Frank Zappa. - Peaceful life.

Jopo and Riikka are back from Los Angeles. How nice!

Juha H.

Runoja ja musiikkia

Poetry and music project - the last rehearsal and on next Sunday we'll go live. The whole is a compilation of poems depicting a lifestory of a woman. My part is mostly to improvise with flute.

While walking to the rehearsal and back today I listened to Jan Garbarek. At the moment his music, the way I feel it, is very much affecting how I feel about this on-going poetry and music project. Very nice.

Later in the evening I recorded recorder into ProTools.

Juha H.

Vikajoella

Vikajoella (= On the WrongRiver). - Above something I wrote today. That's not the way music should be notated. The key signature is not so very compatible with the melody and accompanying chords... But then on the other hand - why not? (Juha H.)

Satama

Harbour of Tallinn. - All evening I just and only ... recorded bass guitar. (Juha H.)

Pakkasenkirkas aurinko

Frost bright sun. (Juha H.)

Neal Asher

I've been quite frantically reading Neal Asher's book Hilldiggers. Hard politico/military Science-Fiction with some ideas of weird genetic manipulations, AI, aliens... Now I've only some 20 pages to read - and I have to go...

Juha H.