2.12.2008 :: PEKKA POHJOLA IM MEMORIAM ::
Pekka has been one of my heroes as a composer for nearly 30 years.
i was lucky to have a chance to perform his music and even some of
my compositions with him as the guest star for xl.
Pekka created a genre of his own where one could experience a
sense of play, love, anguish, sanctity, humour and landscapes. he
wrote unique pieces that were demanding to play, yet inspiering to
listen to or interpret. the dynamic range was rich with contrasts.
Pekka's music is brilliantly crafted with almost unbearably beautiful
melodies and often majestic, hypnotic rhythms. still, what i love the
most are his indisputable, grand but always highly sensible harmonies.
Compositions also reflect perfectly wide range of finnish characters.
it was inspiering to talk with him whether it was about composing, golf
or fatherhood. expectations and history as a prodigy seemed to disturb
and challenge him as a highly respected bass player. maybe it was more
natural being a composer.
i remember hearing imppu's tango and heavy jazz in 1982 and was no
longer a teddy boy! it blew my mind. pekka's uncle was the conductor
of tapiola choir. we were both members of it but during different
decades. i ran into Pekka as a teenager at tapiola high school when
he was rehearsing his suite for espoo big band. i had the opportunity
to write a suite for the same band 15 years later. tapio korjus/
rockadillo has supported and promoted our albums and careers
enormously for years. so, i guess i've been walking in pekka's
footsteps in many ways.
i will remember Pekka as a frail, funny, unpredictable, sincere,
stubborn and soulful person. his music will live forever...
16.11.2008 :: I REMEMBER NOVEMBER ::
it was once again lots of fun to join the fabulous hemma beast on
stage. brilliant, instant & funny far-out versions of hendrix, wham,
beastie boys, you name it! my alter ego is nylon string karlos saatana.
been listening to elvis, both einojuhani and tapio rautavaara, anki,
lil green, jukka linkola (the snow queen soundtrack) and dennis wilson.
3.11.2008 :: DRY WET SEASON ::
been suffering from mental hangover after Next Of Kin performances.
been taking care of my apartment and staring at old photos instead of
making music. loads of great memories of people, places, adventures.
some weird stuff was recorded for the upcoming Pepe Deluxe album at
my place, though... and i began "finishing" Trubamolli album. it's been
3 years so far with this project! wish to share it with you one day.
a wonderful project appeared for me: music performances (IMEHNOKE)
at the theatre academy of helsinki. and HERE is something about
the upcoming film by mika kaurismäki that i compose music for.
21.9.2008 :: LOOKING FORWARD TO... ::
biennale de la danse de lyon (Next Of Kin) and ANTI-festivaali (Solu)!!!
13 unique, exciting and demanding performances of "next of kin" in helsinki,
we made it! what a crazy, lovely process we have had...
"next of kin" album release concert along with milla viljamaa band was
quite a task. i even made visuals for myself for the first time. tired!
6.9.2008 :: RUNNING IN THE FAMILY ::
new album out and already some fine performances of "Next of kin" during
the past days! coverage, reviews and feedback have been surprising,
yet excellent. our piece seems to touch personal, universal and mixed
grounds. lots of discussion about traumas, fears, violence, beauty, hope,
and cross-over art among friends, relatives and... press. Amazing!
wonderful gathering/get-together-party at my place after the exhausting
premier week. laura hynninen joined me on harp to perform our trubamolli-
music to my dear friends and collegues. lots of candles.. and sparkling wine!
11.8.2008 :: SUMMERTIME ::
what a fine summer it has been.. great concerts, lots of free time, enjoyment
and... Jarmo Saari Solu: "Next of Kin" ALBUM to be released in TWO weeks!!!
check KUUNTELE for a brief introduction / album sample...
also getting ready for "Next of Kin" Finland premier at Helsinki Festival.
check out our trailer: weird, dark, hallucinatory, mysterious...
finally something about the piece and its music in my own words HERE
first music demos for an upcoming Mika Kaurismäki movie. more about it later..
Milla Viljamaa & Jarmo Saari Duo was a fantastic, intimate collaboration
at Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. so was Meta4 & Solu at Tuusulanjärvi
Festival. Meta4 string quartet is simply incredible and fun to work with.
i even found some of my ancient music from 1999 to work on together.
i'm convinced that electric guitar is a chamber music instrument!
we reached unbelievable artistic heights and spontaneous brainstorms with
Anna-Mari Kähärän Orkesteri at Oulunsalo Soi, a fine festival led by... Meta4.
i'm running out of words again. what a privilege it is to be a musician.
2.6.2008 :: LONDON CALLING ::
it was a thrill to bring Next of Kin to Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
we had two fine performances and it was interesting to get more
feedback about the piece. what a group we have and what a great
city london is. can't wait to continue from here. actually Next of Kin
album will be mastered tommorrow! check terosaarinen.com for
some brand new photos.
summer vacation just started and i swim and grill whenever i can. my #1
holiday listening at the momement is the brand new Von Hertzen Brothers
album. i love it! i will continue hod-rodding my guitars. new paint and
artwork coming up. soon i will start writing some nice music for Solu
and Meta4 string quartet.
12.5.2008 :: NEXT OF KIN premier! ::
the NEXT OF KIN world premier was held in vilnius, lithuania, last friday
after countless hours of preparation, rehearsing and speculation. our
whole team is amazing: so much talent, vision and dedication! we were
all very tired and (i suppose) reliefed after the performance that was
carried out without major technical problems. the process continues and
the piece will be refined to unexpected levels. "atu" everyone! luv you.
april jazz 2008 was unforgettable. great concerts with "marzi & friends"
and espoo top20 (featuring maarit hurmerinta, mira luoti, eero raittinen,
jorma kääriäinen and tuomari nurmio) in my home town. our houseband
was marvelous! maria schneider & ebb concert was, again, a very
special event. the compositions were beautiful, demanding and organic
masterpieces.
i finally wrote something i've been planning for a long time: a congratulation
song. watch out if you have a birthday or an anniversary!
25.3.2008 :: WINTER? ::
this winter has been strange. only occasional snow and subzero weather.
hardly any chance to ski or skate..., but lots of music in my mind.
i've been fine-tuning trubamolli, recording lead vocals and additional
appearances of marko timonen (percussion), pekka kuusisto (violin and
vocals), marzi nyman (guitar and vocals) and laura hynninen (vocals).
sounds very good: rich, yet intimate and exciting.
we even played 2 unforgettable gigs with laura, featuring marzi and
some of his compositions and lyrics. have to do it again some time!
played some jazzy guitars for the upcoming album of teemu mattsson at
finnvox. jumped again on stage spontaneously with hemma beast. What a joy.
been watching films by hayao miyazaki with the kids. he is a genius.
"laputa: castle in the sky", "totoro", "princess mononoke", "howl's
moving castle" and "spirited away" are my favorites.
watched "e.t." after all these years and bursted into tears!
started making final quad-mixes of "next of kin" with juha heininen at
hip-studios. sounds great, i must say! juha is a real treasure.
visited the island of madeira. absolutely beautiful!
20.1.2008 :: NEXT OF KIN developing ::
i want to tell a bit more about my project with Tero Saarinen Company...
there is an open rehearsal coming up so not so much secretiveness anymore.
solu turns into a one man orchestra (i like to call it tuglas sinfonietta!):
- my brand new 7-string viola da gamba, glassharp (made by my grandfather
some 70 years ago!), theremin, kalimba and lap steel might appear live on
stage along with pre-recorded trombone, kitchen and bathroom samples,
barrel organ, pedal steel and heavily prosessed/edited guitar etc...
my son, aarre, is responsible for the child voices. the performance
(and my laptop!) is full of ecxiting sounds and motifs.
the whole team is gifted with fine creative vision and hard-working attitude.
experimenting and working with tero and the gang is both demanding and FUN!
the world premier is set for May 2008.
and... check out the updated GIGS-section!
31.12.2007 :: PROSPERO ANO NOVO 2008! ::
bahia estava encantador! met wonderful people, visited the islands of boipeba,
morro de sao paulo and itaparica and even jammed a bit with local musicians.
the city of salvador is amazing. i (meio-brasileiro?!) want to go back soon!
muito prazer: juha, jussara, eeva, charles, inate, luis, carlos e outros. beijo!
can't wait to continue working with tero saarinen dance company. they have
re-modelled their website: terosaarinen.com. check it out!
year 2007 wasn't so bad. may year 2008 be full of... love and adventure!
7.12.2007 :: BRASIL ::
on my way to salvador, bahia. can't wait to feel the heat, enjoy music... e falo
portugues! some of that atmosphere can be experienced nowadays also at bossa
restaurant in helsinki!
played a nice solu set warming up for one of my heroes anssi tikanmäki and
his orchestra at tampere klubi in november. also 2 killer gigs with tuomari
nurmio soon after.
juha heininen recorded laura hynninen (harp) and marko timonen (perc) for the
upcoming trubamolli album. i also sang a few leads. exciting! no guarantees it
will be released during this decade!
26.10.2007 :: NEXT OF BUDAPEST ::
had a concert in budapest last weekend. henna salo and the rest of the finnagora
staff were charming and very professional, and so were the people at A38. solu
keeps developing in front of audience. i'm very pleased. köszönöm!
went to the release party of the book "RYTMIHÄIRIÖITÄ uuden suomi-jazzin nousu"
by markus partanen (like 2007). nice but short jam session feat. raoul björkenheim
and marzi nyman. almost a reunion of reuna and xl on the stage, too!
trying to update my gear a bit. i dream of performing with a laptop setup. okay,
i may lose some rock and street credibility, but be able to produce some unique,
extraodinary sounds and techniques. whatever helps me get my message across.
"next of kin", tero saarinen's new piece is developing with giant steps. i love
watching the choreography progress little by little. real brainstorm every day.
found this blog-text by accident from the net. anyone who reads finnish can
guess what it means. but an actual translation? solu performed in tallinn 2005.
help me, obi-wan... :
"Ja uskumatu... kömpisin köik teadaolevalt suurimad ja vöimalikud muusikapoed
läbi ja mitte kusagil ei olnud Jarmo Saari plaati ( Whääää... mis ma siis nŸŸd teen?)
Ilmselt pean veel natukene kannatama ja siis uuesti neid kammima minema."
19.9.2007 :: AUTUMN LEAVES ::
totally bananas about the new japanese SOLU website:
music.sky-sea.net/official/jarmosaari/
mr. nobu matsubara and his team have worked hard and done a remarkable job!
check it out and enjoy! lots of GRRREAT live photos, concert footage and more...
i'm about to drive for one of the farewell concerts of the bar mary in porvoo.
i have endless amount of fond memories of the place during the last 10 years
or so. XL, don huonot, amko, solu, trubamolli etc. and fat beat of course.
KIITOS jokke and bunuel for all the unforgettable evenings of hospitality,
love, bohemia, delicious food and fabulous music of any kind!
witnessed the police live in stockholm. they are true heroes of mine even with
slightly slower tempos and less unpredictability. to me it was a steward copeland
show along with some of the finest pop songs ever written. "one train later" by
andy summers is one of the greatest memoirs i've ever read.
there are some excellent album releases on my playlist:
the stance brothers - kind soul by my ex-band mate teddy rok. groovy & dangerous!
jouni järvelä group - a grand day out (live). use to play with these guys too. great!
john mcgregor - maa ei oo pimee. organic and beautiful. what a singer he is!
katan hiviya - uslovnosti'. can you imagine django, piazzola, jimi and bonfa in a box?
i had the honour of playing in a same show with him in tokyo. very unique!
23.8.2007 :: SUMMER 2007 ::
i've played some fine festival gigs during the summer with different ensembles
(tuomari nurmio, fat beat, anna-mari kähärä etc.). i'm also deeply involved
in our upcoming project with tero saarinen dance company. it was again a
great pleasure to see their stravinsky evening twice in helsinki. outstanding!
i play viola da gamba a lot nowadays trying to build up from my roots as a cellist.
pedal steel is my other new challenge. also studying brazilian portugues keeps me
humble. there's so much to learn!
saw the heroes of my youth, genesis, play live in helsinki. i had forgotten how
romantic, elegant and important they are, at least to me. i would be a different
person and musician without the music they created during the period from circa
1974 'til about 1981. respect. next week i'll head to stockholm to hear the police!
i was happy to co-write and arrange a lullaby for the upcoming "ipanapa"
children's album with tommy lindgren, a dear friend of mine. he actually wrote
the touching foreword for the latest solu album and is best known for the amazing
music he makes with the don johnson big band. there's no limit when he shows up
for any given fat beat gig.
very excited to see the premier of "sonic mirror" a brand new music documentary
film by mika kaurismäki. the movie follows billy cobham playing the drums
around the world in all kinds of interesting situations. nervous to see how our
performance with him went at april jazz 2005 with the espoo big band.
i have finished 17(!) songs for my trubamolli home demo. there's been lots of work
fine-tuning the lyrics and arrangements. there are 2 duo gigs with the harpist
laura hynninen coming up. i have really hard time memorizing my poems! lead
singing feels more natural every day...
22.5.2007 :: LIFE AFTER JAPAN ::
tokyo absolutely blew my mind! haven't seen anything like it: so modern, groovy,
intense, complex, colorfull... for a finn who's used to all the space and silence.
i have so many new friends who were so helpful and sincere to us. i stayed in a
nice hotel near gotanda station with tmu and actually had lots of time to wander
around the (huge!) city. it was great to learn about the exciting and versatile
culture whether it was about food, city life, ancient history, religion or japanese
typing. I found some (official?) jeff beck bootlegs and tmu some japanese noise and
power rock to bring home. and of course totoro! the ghibli museum was wonderful.
the finnish bands played great showcases. my favorites were von hertzen brothers,
alamaailman vasarat and memnon. we also had outstanding japanese opening acts,
thanks to our coordinator, organizer tomoyuki ohsawa, who did a great job with
his associates and contacts. thank you!
it is demanding to play solo, as you can imagine. it is twice as demanding, but
also twice as rewarding to play solo abroad! sometimes i wonder why i do it!
one listener said solu was very soulful. that really touched me. i don't want to do
tricks with technique or electronics. rather move people, create atmospheres and
tell something important about me. it can be both personal and universal.
and i must praise the audience in tokyo: so intense, encouraging and friendly!
there's something about finns and japanese that feels really good!
tapio, my record label chief is familiar with tokyo and he introduced us to many
local musicians, artists and music lovers. i'm listening to one of my many new
japanese cd's right now. anyway, it's impossible to express how important and
inspirational it was to visit tokyo and actually perform there. thank you: tapio,
tmu, tom, noriko, pauliina, jutta, fellow musicians, nobu, hiroshi and all the rest!
22.5.2007 :: TOKYO CALLING ::
i will be heading to the airport with t-mu within few hours. been working on
the solu set (and set-up) a lot during the last few days. i even made a new costume
for myself. well, actually it is a shirt full of crazy shapes and hidden slogans that
i colored and painted. i'm glad to travel with tapio korjus from rockadillo records
because he has been to japan several times and even speaks some japanese, i think!
i met mr.tomoyuki ohsawa in helsinki few weeks ago and he has worked very hard
to make everything perfect for us in tokyo. i'm very excited.
i wrote 6 new songs during my short stay in barcelona. something i want to
work on with my harpist friend, laura. also enormously inspiering 2 weeks
with tero saarinen dance company. i get to follow the rehearsals and improvise
with strange sounds and instruments. it's great to experiment new territories.
some "making of LOVE" reviews:
rytmi *****
soundi ****
rumba ****
hifimaailma ****
aksentti & jazzrytmit liked it too!
i feel that my point(?) is getting across.
pia kuisma has started to take care of booking my gigs. she is fantastic.
tapio korjus is in charge of my releases, publishing as well as my career(!) in
japan. so pleased and thankful for their effort.
23.4.2007 :: THE MAKING OF SPRING ::
sensitive and encouraging atmosphere during the SOLU album release concert at
kanneltalo in march. valo virtanen and tmu made it all perfect. the gig also
introduced my new duo "trubamolli" with laura hynninen, an extraordinary harpist.
what a thrill!
had a wonderful vacation in southern portugal and barcelona. very inspiering.
i have to go back to barcelona very soon. found new friends and couldn't stop
staring at all the beautiful buildings, alleys and people. adorable.
returning to routines hasn't been easy. luckily i have my kids and friends. luv ya.
heard two great solo performers during funky elephant festival: slamming
acoustic guitarist petteri sariola and human beat box phenomena felix zenger.
watch out! but i'm not about to retire yet...
14.3.2007 :: HERE WE GO!!! ::
it's my 37th birthday and i'm so excited to have my second solu album released!
it is a very intimate effort and i try to be open to all kinds of reactions.
i made the album experimenting with beautiful and dangerous sounds imagining:
"what does love sound like? how does it make us behave? what is love made of?
how to we react to the impulses?" these personal yet universal thought patterns
are carried out with guitar-only instrumental method. far out, is it?!
close your eyes, open your ears and let me guide you to this sensitive and erotic journey!
LOVE, jarmo
11.3.2007 :: I'M BACK AGAIN::
zarkus & solu was unforgettable at savoy the 1st of february. zarkus is such a sensitive
and open minded musician. i love to make music with him. it's so creative and he is so
relaxed and full of joy. we just had to join the stage during our so-called solo sets.
"tuomari nurmio & kongontien orkesteri" played 2 wonderful gigs. antero jakoila
couldn't make the gigs, but we had two of my much admired guitarists to back him up:
timo kämäräinen and varre vartiainen. you should check them out, seriously!
also 4 great gigs with fat beat sound system and giant robot. my kids joined us for our
trip to jyväskylä. we had outstanding vocal contributions by many fantastic artists.
saw "von hertzen brothers" at turku after our gig. they are something else!
one night with "emma salokoski ensemble" in tornio as a back-up guitarist. it is a joy and
an honor. what a lovely bunch! we actually also played some of their new material.
my back is still ill, but i need to go on. tero saarinen dance company is planning a
helluva show for 2008. i have worked on some demoes and participated on their
rehearsals. what a thrill... they are, if you ask my humble opinion, the hottest in the
world of modern dance. ready to go to any direction or anywhere with him/them.
6.1.2007 :: HAPPY NEW YEAR ::
my site just changed into this permanent address a few days ago!
there will be some new material for you to check out and enjoy.
we had a ball with kie von hertzen experimenting with the cover photos.
i found myself in funny positions (naked) with my gibson firebird
in a photo store, analyzed by a 3D scanner.
here is a info teaser about the new album (to be released soon, i hope!):
The making of "LOVE"
Written, directed and produced by Jarmo Saari. Starring only the electric guitar
performed, processed and edited by Jarmo Saari.
Recorded entirely alone and directly to computer at Villa Tuglas 1-10/2006.
Mixed by Tmu Korpipää and Jarmo Saari. Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen/Finnvox.
Visual concept and photos by Kie von Hertzen. 3D scan by Jarmo Andersson/Kuvatehdas.
Graphic design by Anselmo. Foreword by Tommy Lindgren.
1. Glow (opening)
2. Passion
3. Desire
4. Senses
5. Pleasure
6. Tease
7. Souls
8. Lust
9. Faith
10. Embrace (closing)
This is a behind the scenes look at the making of LOVE. An exclusive ten part journey
into the most hidden crevices of a man's psyche as it is rocked by the most universal
of all experiences. Hear and experience the crossing of paths, the collision course,
the blissful coexistence. Witness the most vulnerable bouts of fear inter-coursing
with the most powerful rushes of human desire. From everything to nothing,
from the fleeting to that which will always remain.
Travel through the mysterious desert landscape of deserted souls. Let your bare feet
caress the sand as the burning sun illuminates the path ahead - or sets it on fire.
Brace yourself for the making of LOVE.
17.11.2006 :: SOLU II ::
the 2nd solu album was mastered by pauli saastamoinen at finnvox this week.
he is a true wizard and always very encouraging. so..., there are ten tracks and i am very pleased with the results. i would like to tell you more about it, but i do not know what, yet.
my pal kie von hertzen and i are working on the cover concept. it will be something really special. it ought to be.
i am slowly starting to work again, even play a little. i am grateful that it only took a month to get my back in better shape.
did i ever tell you how much i dig "the police"? steward copeland«s super 8 movie documentary "everyone stares" is amazing. talking about movies, sofia coppola has a very special ability to use music in diverse ways on her films. maria antoinette is another great example.
got the brand new U2 X U2 book in my hands. what an opus! i was very pleased to work a little bit on the translation of some musical terms into finnish language with petri silas. the edge is one of my greatest influences on the electric guitar. his endless curiosity and sound esthetics inspire so much.
1.11.2006 :: BEEN A WHILE ::
dark.dark.dark. the title of the new arttu takalo album expresses my feelings right now. sorry. a disk in the upper part of my backbone is swallen (clumsy english translation).
19 days of pain, so far! cannot do much except wait.
the upcoming solu album got almost finished before my back injury. hope to get it ready and released by january 2007.
played my first jarmo saari trubamolli gigs singing along with my acoustic guitar accompaniment in september. finnish poems and some of my own lyrics.
very quiet, fragile and intimate set. solu set felt so easy to perform after this "trial of daring". plans to have laura hynninen (harp) to join me on stage.
the third zetaboo album "outerrail" was released in the beginning of october. i love it. adveturous, yet tender feeling was well captured. very personal statement about love and the journey of life. extremely happy and proud of my fellow band members' contributions. david wilczewski (sax) joined us on stage in sellosali, espoo.
finished "tangomanifesti" album with tuomari nurmio. it was released last week. at least 3 gigs were cancelled due to my back problems. what a drag.
heading to far east (hanoi, singapore, shanghai, hong kong...) with the espoo big band to perform kukko, linkola, pohjola and some of my music (neandertal grooves) in the end of november, hopefully.
books and films: "the master and margarita" by bulgakov and "volver" by almodovar are brilliant. i have had a chance to watch lots of dvds lately. sting:"bring on the night", jeunet:"amelie", forman:"amadeus", eichinger:"downfall", gilliam:"12 monkeys", mann:"collateral"... great stuff. i wish i could return back to making music and playing gigs, though.
26.8.2006 :: AUGUST ::
busy with helsingin juhlaviikot (helsinki festival). performing and enjoying.
some much happening in the city every day/night. here are my work missions:
"tuomari nurmio ja kongontien orkesteri" made its first appearance last weekend.
some people even danced to our "odd tango". the band is really versatile, funky and
dangerous. more gigs later in the fall.
also performed as a duo with my long time friend arttu takalo. we have been making
music together for 15 years(!), mainly with our group xl. what a brilliant composer he is.
this time it was just vibraphone, acoustic guitar and vocals. yes, vocals and some
new material! very special evening with nice audience and strong emotions.
we have lately performed and recorded together with kalle ahola, hanna suonpää and
tuomari nurmio.
next week will be hectic. zetaboo at huvilateltta and nurmio & umo at savoy.
zetaboo album "outerrail" is ready by now. kie von hertzen took some great photos at
my place on a sunny day. i like to cover art too. a very special album, indeed,
coming out soon.
solu album almost ready for mixing (to be released early next year, i suppose).
working on final tunes titled: "passion" and "desire".
7.7.2006 :: SUMMER ::
summer in helsinki, i just love it. swimming, cycling, books, strawberries, grill food,
world cup soccer on tv, friends, caipirinha...
flew to madrid for a week in may. wrote lots of new music and lyrics in the retiro park.
such a beautiful city. love the people, language, food, coffee, wine and architecture.
it's great being a stranger alone without a map or a plan. very inspiering.
lovely solu gig at kerava jazz. it always works the best if i trust my instinct and let
myself get blown away by instant ideas. t-mu is such a treasure to make me sound SO
good! still no idea of how to play new tunes live.
played two gigs as a sub with emma salokoski ensemble. brilliant, demanding set
of music. more coming up at pori jazz.
four very different albums finding their shape at the moment:
solu: the making of "love"
- more sensual tunes added. fresh sound inventions and brand new methods.
nice to make weird, intimate music at home. i would work much harder if the
weather was worse! still very productive at the moment.
zetaboo: "outerrail"
- lovely trip diary with an organic touch. i love this group and being part of it. the
artistry of the members is amazing. david wilczewski (stockholm) played some great
reeds for us. my kids added marvelous vocals on one tune.
tuomari nurmio: "tangomanifesti"
- tango world music from outer space. never heard anything like it.
i get to play strange instruments and produce the project.
premier gig of kongontien orkesteri at huvila-teltta / helsinki festival 19.8.
fat beat sound system: "feed the vocalists"
- strange mixture of murder dub grooves, excellent rap, slavic sounds and spontaneity.
my son overdubbed some funky darbouka.
truly excited about all of these. let's see how the release schedule will turn out!
favourite piece of music at the moment is the album "lost weekends" by solo adultos.
t-mu has made a discussion forum that has currently been hidden in the promo section.
feel free to write or ask something in english or finnish.
21.5.2006 :: I'M BACK ::
had a great solu-trip to sunny copenhagen with t-mu on the 1st weekend of may.
played two gigs and met wonderful artists such as kaarina kaikkonen, sirkku peltonen,
mika myllyaho, juha jokela, not to mention the fine staff of the finlands-instituttet.
got my ipod working. lovely little toy that will alter the habits of a music listener.
music has always been there and it will. it's the artists' responsibility to create
great music no matter where technology and commercialism take us to.
i just watched two of my favorite movies: "the kid" (chaplin) and "metropolis" (lang).
both made in the 1920's. timeless, emotional, ingenious movies. makes me think...
played with espoo big band, chico freeman and marzi at the 20th april jazz festival.
also met the most incredible and extraordinary guitarist yamandu costa from brazil.
i was lucky to have met him already in rio last december. his music can change lives.
in tallinn with amko for jazzkaar festival, april the 22nd. what a city, what a gig!
read "bono on bono" by mischka assayas, "jazz" by toni morrison and
"kolme päiväkirjaa" by ingmar bergman and maria von rosen. great stuff.
fallen in love with the new paul simon and william orbit albums.
in soundtrack studio with tuomari nurmio for two days.
the "tango" album is under construction and due to next fall.
went to see "punahukka" by kari hotakainen at kom-teatteri. brilliant actors and text.
mastered two albums by hanna marsh with pauli saastamoinen. hanna is a marvelous
singer and a fantastic songwriter. zetaboo and arttu takalo featured on the albums (to
be released soon). do check out and enjoy the touching interpretations.
on my way to madrid to write some music.
meanwhile t-mu starts mixing first half of the new solu album!
5.4.2006 :: HELLO DARLINGS ::
just turned 36. am i young or am i old?
i am fine.
making progress with the new solu album.
titles: "embrace", "desire", "passion", "tease", "lust" and "pleasure" under construction.
erotic instrumental music with a twist.
solu performed at cirko-klubi, umo jazz house, helsinki on friday 24.2.
nice opportunity to jam with a great handstanding acrobat Mika Kaski.
the recordings of the new zetaboo album are nearly finished.
happy to have the magnificent janne haavisto recording (and hopefully mixing) us.
a collaboration gig with "emma salokoski ensemble" at helsingin juhlaviikot in august.
the breathtaking tango single by tuomari nurmio has been released. pretty wicked.
played bass, guitar, theremin, accordion(!) and keyboards on it.
been celebrating the release of the album "marzi" by marzi nyman.
so honored to be one of the featured musicians.
if any interest, please check out the brand new albums by "von hertzen brothers" and
"don johnson big band", and do not forget to watch the movie "brokeback mountain".
another unforgettable gig at oulun musiikkijuhlat with anna-mari kähärän orkesteri.
no question: amko is the most fantastic band i have ever played in.
solu live in copenhagen 6.5. and at kerava jazz on 9.6. watch out!
25.1.2006 :: NEW MUSIC, INFO AND CURRENT VIBES ::
"I see monsters, butterflies and dragons".
(aarre saari, almost 6 years, after hearing my two brand new solu tracks).
solu performs at cirko-klubi, umo jazz house, helsinki on friday 24.2.
along with a magician, an acrobat and a scary sideshow.
started brazilian portugese studies at the embassy in helsinki.
watched "modern times", "city lights" and "the circus" by charles chaplin
with the kids on dvd. what a genius.
new projects between solu & tero saarinen and solu & tuomari nurmio taking their first steps.
plans to make a new recording called "interrail" with zetaboo in february.
15.1.2006 :: GREETINGS AND NEWS ::
welcome to solu weblandia!
more solu gigs in february. detailed info coming up very soon.
new material under construction at villa tuglas home studio.
great trip to rio de janeiro in december 2005! beware of more random influences.
saw "stop making sense" after 20 years with t-mu at orion. one helluva concert movie!
11.9.2005 :: WEBPAGE LAUNCH ::
solu webworld opens! check here for info about gigs, future plans and whatnot.
11.9.2005 :: jarmo saari solu at popkomm
solu is present at this years popkomm festival in berlin as part of the finnish music
showcase. solu is playing alongside lau, quintessence and ilmiliekki on thursday 15.9.
