PEKKA POHJOLA — Flight of the Angel (review)

PEKKA POHJOLA — Flight of the Angel album cover Album · 1986 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Matti P
Flight of the Angel ended PEKKA POHJOLA's most productive era that had started in the seventies; his next album was Symphony No. 1 (1990), an attempt to be a serious art music composer. His amateurish symphony hasn't received very positive feedback from the art music circles. Elements from the classical music have naturally always been present in his unique Fusion, also in this five-track album that features some strings too, although not very notably.

'How About Today?' is a rollicking up-tempo composition, very rock oriented in sound; Seppo Tyni's electric guitar is in the centre. I wouldn't place this one high in Pekka's scale, or in the scale of Fusion in general. The title track is unsurprisingly a delicate and more thoughtful piece, built on a simple melody -- not unusual in his composing style -- but the way the music grows grander before returning to gentler touch is very fine. One could think there's not enough substance for 6 ½ minutes, but there is.

'Il Carillon' is a solo piano composition (played by the respected pianist Liisa Pohjola, Pekka's aunt). It has some Sibelius influence and Debussy-like impressionism.

'Pressure' is very easily recognized as a typical Pekka Pohjola composition with the heavily repeated leitmotif and its stretching to the limit. It's a matter of taste whether there are enough ideas for 10 ½ minutes. Well, he's done similar things more succesfully too. The synths are central in the sound. The progressivity comes mostly as dynamic changes, not in the melodies.

The best is saved for last: 'Beauty and the Beast' (10:54) is a highly progressive track full of rich details; the arrangement is many-sided, from the funkiness of brass to the exciting synth patterns and the strings in the final section. And above all is the gorgeous bass playing! This is the masterpiece of this album which as a whole is more uneven than most of his earlier works.

(Edited from my 2014 review in ProgArchives, where I've reviewed almost each album of my legendary countryman.)
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Sanyas Hard Bop
STEVE TURRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Pianohooligan : Critique of Swing in Two Parts, Pts. 1 & 2 Third Stream
PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI (PIANOHOOLIGAN)
Buy this album from MMA partners
Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead : Spi​-​raling Horn Avant-Garde Jazz
JASON STEIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Utopia Jazz Related Improv/Composition
OLIVER LUTZ
Buy this album from MMA partners
Charlie Pyne Quartet : Nature Is A Mother Vocal Jazz
CHARLIE PYNE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Critique of Swing in Two Parts, Pt. 1
PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI (PIANOHOOLIGAN)
js· 11 hours ago
FULL ALBUM - Oliver Lutz - Utopia w/ Leif Berger, Constantin Krahmer
OLIVER LUTZ
js· 1 day ago
Lift
DAVE WILSON (US/NZ)
js· 3 days ago
Nature is a Mother
CHARLIE PYNE
js· 3 days ago
Marta Warelis solo @ FourOneOne 5-11-23
MARTA WARELIS
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed