Olli Ahvenlahti - Mirror Mirror - Import CD

Credits:

Olli Ahvenlahti

Description:

Finnish jazz pianist Olli Ahvenlahti offers a crisp blend of acoustic post-bop and 70s-style jazz funk on 2024s Mirror Mirror. A journeyman performer, Ahvenlahtis career goes back to the 60s and has found him working in a variety of settings, including playing in prog rock groups, backing improvisers like Dizzy Gillespie, and even conducting the Eurovision orchestra for several years. He also helmed many of his own albums, touching upon a mix of hard bop, soul-jazz, and crossover sounds. Since the 2000s, he has led his own small groups playing sophisticated, yet accessible jazz. Here, he has put together a stellar quintet of top Finnish players, including trumpeter Jukka Eskola, saxophonist Joonatan Rautio, bassist Ville Herrala, and drummer Jaska Lukkarinen. Together, they create a rich interplay that nicely combines the swinging, contemporary work of Dave Hollands groups with the warm harmonies of Herbie Hancocks many bands. Without ever sounding retro, Ahvenlahtis compositions on Mirror Mirror feel like an updated take on the funky jazz and fusion he championed in the mid-70s on albums like Bandstand and The Poet. Cuts like the opening title track, the loping "Paint It Blue," and the kinetic "Rhythm and Rhymes" balance infectious melodies and hooky grooves with harmonically adventurous improvisation. With Mirror Mirror, Ahvenlahti reflects the best of his past work while keeping the sound of his group focused in the present. ~ Matt Collar

Tracklisting:

1.Mirror Mirror
2.Paint It Blue
3.For Dizzy and Lionel
4.A House in Montagnola
5.The Opening Game
6.Rhythm and Rhymes
7.The Redwood Story
8.Bedtime Snack