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Opaque

Pekka Pylkkanen
1 disc

1. Donnerwetter
2. Wallaby's Dance
3. Lumi
4. Tomcat
5. Black Pearl
6. Picture of Dorian Gray, The
7. Balinese Wedding Song
8. Hilipata
9. Trou Dans la Boue, Un
Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 86068
Credits

Producer Pekka Pylkkanen
Engineer Juha Heininen; Juha "The Professor" Heininen
Personnel: Pekka Pylkkanen (soprano & alto saxophones, flute, alto flute, Indian flute); Samuli Mikkonen (piano, keyboards); Seppo Kantonen (piano); Pekka Luukka (guitar); Hannu Tantanen (acoustic & electric basses); Marko Timonen, Miukko Hassinen (drums); Mango Altonen (percussion).
Recorded at Millbrook Studios, Helsinki, Norway in October 2000. Includes liner notes by Pekka Pylkkanen.
Personnel: Pekka Pylkkanen (flute, alto flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Pekka Luukka (guitar); Hannu Rantanen (acoustic bass, electric bass); Marko Timonen (drums).
Audio Mixers: Juha "The Professor" Heininen; Pekka Pylkkanen.
Liner Note Author: Pekka Pylkkanen.
Recording information: Millbrook Studios, Helsinki, Finland (10/09/2000-10/27/2000).
Arrangers: Marko Timonen; Hannu Rantanen; Pekka Pylkkanen.
Finnish woodwind specialist Pekka Pylkkanen proposes that opaque qualities embody the music presented on this 2001 release. Here, the Tube Factory sextet melds Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms with variable crosscurrents and softly stated patterns, for a set consisting of congenial melodies atop a thoroughly contemporary sound. On the duet piece titled "Black Pearl," Pylkkanen's airy flute work hovers above acoustic pianist Samuli Mikkonen's articulately rendered niceties, whereas the band also institutes march-style beats and lilting harmonies amid an altogether jovial outlook. And while Pylkkanen's 1999 release, Pekka's Tube Factory, might prove to be a little more electrifying in spots, the leader does exhibit more of his laudable chops to complement a series of rhythmically charged arrangements. Otherwise, the folks at Naxos Jazz continually pursue superior audio engineering. Hence, an attribute that is irrefutably evident on this fine outing. ~ Glenn Astarita
Critic Reviews

JazzTimes (5/02, p.146) - "...An appropriately haunted atmosphere permeates this album...which calls fro repeated listenings to unwrap its many layers..."