Moonflower
, by the legendary Finnish pianist
Heikki Sarmanto
and his quartet, is the first "new" album on
Luke Mosling
's
Porter
label; the other two projects that make up his opening salvo are reissues of private-press recordings done by
Mait Edey
Seeds
imprint in the early '70s.
Sarmanto
is best known to American audiences for his work with
Sonny Rollins
and
Art Farmer
. He's recorded 25 albums as a leader, including
New Hope Jazz Mass
for jazz ensemble, orchestra, soprano, and choir (conducted by no less than
Gregg Smith
and performed at
the Newport Jazz Festival
). His symphonic jazz poem
Suoni
premiered at
Carnegie Hall
in 1988. Given the scope of those projects,
is a much more intimate work; it expands on the intense lyricism of
's larger works in a smaller, more soulful setting.
's group also includes drummer
Craig Herndon
, bassist
Pekka Sarmanto
, and saxophonist
Juhani Aaltonen
.
composes like a veteran; having come up during the "new thing" period, he always had one foot inside the tradition and one on the margins. He has been influenced as much by 20th century classical music and the folk music of his native Finland as by jazz. He's also been deeply affected by the written word, which seems to be a thing with pianists; like
Michael Garrick
, poetry has always been a part of
's suitcase of passions. All of this said, in the 21st century he has looked the tradition squarely in the eye and found a way to extend it with regard to all the things that he's absorbed in his lengthy career. On
, an intensely lyrical jazz with deeply focused ensemble play and improvisation walks hand in hand with notions of dynamic, texture, and the interplay possible when four players are listening to an idea as well as to one another.
This is evident in the title cut, which opens the set. The gentleness of
's opening melody is skeletal, suggestive rather than pronounced; it is only articulated in full when
Aaltonen
reflects back the harmonic structure by way of a question rather than a statement. The other players follow suit, and what emerges over eight minutes and change is something that flowers gradually but increasingly seductively.
"At the Fountain"
extrapolates on ideas first set forth by no less than
Vince Guaraldi
50 years ago. The sense of movement and time skips along a lightly swinging line, as
accents each chorus with his left hand, and with
Herndon
's brushwork on snare and cymbals skittering and skipping, the piece feels like a dance -- and in fact that's exactly what he's doing, and passes the baton to
Pekka
during a brief solo. The entire ensemble then comes together and carries forth this song-like structure, until the group literally whispers it home. The feeling of intimacy that comes from these first two selections is not the least bit reflective or turned inward. Quite the opposite. The music on this session is inviting; it doesn't need to assert anything other than its delight in expression and communication: spontaneity, harmonic invention, and the investigation of melodies and modes come together seamlessly throughout. There are no pyrotechnics here; what happens on the deeply intimate pieces like
"Madame Chaloff,"
"Wolf,"
"Grasses Swaying in the Wind"
is thoroughly modern jazz that finds swing and soul important aspects of each articulation, each statement, even as it evolves freely. There is great joy in this music, but no cheap exuberance; like poetry, it unfolds a chorus at a time, where the compositions reveal themselves to the improvisers and the ensemble becomes a functioning holistic apparatus seeking the heart of the tune. The playing is wonderful, the recording pristine, and the sense of song is deeply moving. ~ Thom Jurek