KERKKO
KOSKINEN, VERNERI POHJOLA & UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA: "AGATHA"
(RTCD06)
Released in Finland August 15 2007.
On August 15 2007, Ricky-Tick Records will release "Agatha",
an album composed by Kerkko Koskinen and performed by trumpeter
Verneri Pohjola and one of Europe’s leading big bands, UMO Jazz
Orchestra. The album will be released in Finland, and is accompanied
by a live performance at the Helsinki Festival on 29.8.
Kerkko Koskinen (b. 1973) is an awarded Finnish
composer, who has previously worked with the chart-topping leftfield
pop ensemble Ultra Bra. "Agatha" is his first
orchestral record.
Verneri Pohjola (b. 1977) is a successful trumpeter,
who is regarded as one of Finland’s leading young jazz musicians.
He is best known from his work with Ilmiliekki Quartet and Quintessence,
to name but a few.
UMO Jazz Orchestra consists of the leading Finnish
intsrumentalists in the field of jazz. The group has significant
historical value in Scandinavian jazz, and over the years it has
performed with almost everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Bill Evans.
"Agatha" is a unique concept in contemporary
jazz. The record is inspired by Agatha Christie’s fiction, which
has been a long-term interest and object of passion for Koskinen.
His fruitful co-operation with Pohjola brings to mind the work
of Miles Davis and Gil Evans, a duo of jazz genuises that was
highly influential for defining the rich dynamics of the big band
sound during the heyday of modern jazz. Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini
and even Igor Stravinsky serve as additional reference points.
The record also marks a bold new step in the ever-expanding catalogue
of Ricky-Tick Records, previously known from their successful
endeavours involving a more dancefloor-friendly approach to jazz.
For more info and soundbites please go to: myspace.com/kerkkokoskinenagatha
