BJORKENHEIM, RAOUL (ECSTASY) Out of the Blue
Description
'Björkenheim has been well regarded since his 1980s work...but his recent releases have been particularly memorable.' – Stereophile
Ecstasy is usually an all too fleeting experience offering the briefest glimpse at transcendence. But a heightened sense of consciousness and discovery manifests throughout Out of the Blue, the transporting second album by composer and guitar maestro Raoul Björkenheim and his extraordinary Finnish quartet Ecstasy.
Featuring the celebrated drummer Markku Ounaskari, the young and dauntingly prolific bassist Jori Huhtala and saxophonist Pauli Lyytinen, Ecstasy has forged more than a signature sound. Over the course of five years the musicians have honed a supremely interactive modus operandi marked by unstable textures, rapidly shifting meters, and emotionally charged melodic flights. Earthy, pristine and unmistakably Nordic, the music evokes the grandeur of Finnish landscapes and the hothouse intimacy of a tight-knit Helsinki scene where the musicians regularly convene to refine their volatile sound.
'I always felt there's something special about having a band,' Björkenheim says. 'An all-star session can be good too, but the thing I'm missing nowadays in jazz is really good bands playing together tightly, turning on a dime together, and especially improvising together.' True to Raoul's statement, on the group's second album, everything is upped from the last one: the compositions, the improvisations, the ensemble work and the solos!
Titles
01. Heads & Tales
02. Quintrille
03. A Fly In The House Of Love
04. Uptown
05. You Never Know
06. OLJ
07. Roller Coaster
08. Zebra Dreams
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