JUKKA HAURU — Information (review)

Album · 1972 · Fusion

4.5/5 · 2025-01-12
FunkFreak75

The Finnish Jazz-Rock Fusion scene is taking off--and not just in the circles emanating from Wigwam!

1. "Mai-Ling" (6:16) interesting whole-band carry of the main melody while the simple militaristic rhythm section supports beneath. The two guitar tracks and saxophones are the most erudite--even if they are repeating "exotic" folk Eastern European melodies for the first three minutes. The second motif of guitar-led drums and bass only is a much better indicator of the high proficiency each musician possesses. Drummer Tapani Ikonen and bassist Heikki Virtanen impress (as does Jukka)! While the first part of this song sounded hokey and poorly planned and engineered, the second half more than makes up for it. (9/10)

2. "Room 1972" (1:52) sounds like music created to accompany a particular scene from an old silent film. A lot of sensibilities drawn from orchestrated classical music. (4.375/5)

3. "Jamsession the Finnish Yes Federation's Skinheaded Board" (1:33) a very entertaining Cheech and Chong-like skit in which a glossaphiliac expresses himself to his drug-stupored mate in multiple European languagall of which prefaces a spirited outburst of New Orleans jazz-rock. A very memorable song. (5/5)

4. "No More Blues" (6:55) a song that uses music to express humor in a very sophisticated, almost jazzy-avant-garde fusion way. Multiple tracks moving through their improvised melody-making as if separately but it all works harmonically and counterpointedly. At 2:25 the band switches to a different path--one that is more high-speed Hendrix/CREAM-like blues-rock. At the same time I hear a lot of influence from CHICAGO and BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. (13.5/15)

5. "Evil" (6:08) what starts out as a kind of jazzy variation of the opening of Ravel's "Bolero" turns more FOCUS-like with some excellent speed electric guitar play played over some beautifully woven folk melodies (especially from violinist Juhani Poutanen). The virtuosic similarities in melody and style between Jukka and Jan Akkerman are rather striking. Very creative, inventive song with some flashes of true brilliance from Jukka. A top three song. (9.25/10)

6. "Splitting" (3:24) jazz drums, bluesy electric bass, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and wah-wah distorted guitar that sounds like John Tropea in "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Nice display of skills and compositional capabilities--though the bassist always sounds a bit in his own universe. I do, however, like the disparate inputs of the horns and other instruments: it's cacophonic but somehow works as a cohesive weave. (9/10)

7. "Information" (4:35) an awesome weave between sax, violin, bass, and electric guitar that totally predicts the early J-R Fusion style of the great Jean-Luc Ponty. Awesome song. A top three for sure. (9.25/10)

8. "Refilling Valve" (3:40) strumming of the piano wires before the pianist commits to playing the keys--all the while the recording mike is obviously more focused and concerned with the sounds emanating from within the box than from through the piano frame as a whole. Some violin joins in in the second minute but then every body sits down (including the pianist and sound recording engineer) to listen to some lovely piano contemplations. I really respect the act of Jukka's giving pianist Olli Ahvenlahti this opportunity to express himself. Another quite memorable song--one that I really like. (8.875/10)

9. "What?" (4:44) opens with a motif that sounds like a song variation inspired by a motif in KING CRIMSON's "21st Century Schizoid Man." At 1:30 the band switches roads and moves onto the expressway with some standard drums, electric bass, Fender Rhodes, and electric guitar soloing (here Jukka still finding an anchor and inspiration in Robert Fripp's melody lines from "21st Century Schizoid Man"). I love Olli Ahvenlahti's Herbie Hancock-like electric piano accents thrown over the top of the frenetic bass and drum playing. (9/10)

10. "Waltz for the Straight Relatives" (2:25) a little FOCUS-like folk ditty that is repeated over and over with different layers and soloists for its two-and-a-half minutes. (4.375/5)

Total Time 41:32

Great compositions performed beautifully by some very skilled musicians. Too bad the sound treatments and engineering choices aren't a little more creative and advanced. (I'd love to have felt a little more cohesion in the overall sound blending of each song.) Though impressive in its variety of styles and influences, I would have liked to have heard a selection of tunes that gave me a better sense of Jukka's preferences. (I know that's unfair--especially as most hyper-creatives are cursed with wanting to express each and every thought and idea flowing through them, so, I apologize.)

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from a creative songwriter and his cast of highly-skilled instrumentalists.