Invisible Man Jukka Perko with Jarmo Saari & Teemu Viinikainen

• 1Invisible Man02:33
• 2Like Father Like Son05:34
• 3Tears in Heaven03:04
• 4He Left the Road05:04
• 5Pimento05:25
• 6Sweet Solitude03:11
• 7Nameless Angel04:07
• 8Awakening04:10
• 9Helmi04:11
• 10Open Door04:18
• 11Don't Give Up04:32
• 12Pavane04:55
• Total Runtime51:04

Info for Invisible Man

Out of the Ordinary: The first thing one notices about Jukka Perko's instrumental trio Avara is its unusual set-up: saxophone, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. While that might seem an outlandish combination, the harmonic inventiveness and the lyricism on the album “Invisible Man” are often so completely jaw-dropping, one has to ask why it hasn’t been tried more often. The sound of the group is surprisingly dense for just three players, with each of the constituent voices supporting and complementing the others. Elegiac soundscapes reach out into the distance, evocatively shot through with sudden momentary flashes. The prevailing mood might be Finnish-melancholic; but there is always a glimmer of hope. Rather than needing to be loud to establish its presence, this music defines itself with a quiet strength which is all its own.

Jukka Perko is one of the leading voices on the Finnish jazz scene, combining the strength and muscularity of bebop with Nordic melancholy. There are also reflected shadows of European classical music, of the American jazz tradition and of Finnish folk music. Perko has worked alongside such stars as McCoy Tyner, Red Rodney and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and more recently was a member of Wolfgang Haffner's “Kind of Cool” ensemble. He was also particularly inspiring on his ACT label debut, “It Takes Two to Tango,” with another luminary of Finnish jazz, Iiro Rantala.

Perko’s path to forming Avara was a mixture of smart planning and good fortune. He remembers: “the bassist in one of my bands wasn't available one time, so I thought I'd give Teemu Viinikainen with his acoustic guitar a try-out. It worked out so brilliantly, he’s stayed. I've known Jarmo Saari since the nineties. When I heard him playing in a duo with another electric guitar player, I really liked how he got it together, and was intrigued to see how he would sound with an acoustic guitar. So I suggested to him that he should see how things would work out with Teemu and me. From the very first rehearsal, I just knew that the three of us had nailed it.”

On “Invisible Man” the three musicians Perko, Saari und Viinikainen have equal entitlement to create the music. There is no role model to fall back on, the conventional demarcation lines between the rhythm section and lead instrument have been eliminated. The principle behind Avara is to give the protagonists complete freedom and the possibility to stretch out and to develop. They take turns to determine the direction of the music, they can lead, follow, dovetail contrapuntally, or break free. Each of the three has a major influence on how the music develops thematically.

“What interests us is to tell stories and to create extended musical structures”, explains Perko. In fact the whole album is like a single film, a road-movie full of atmosphere, in which strong characterful melodies determine the plot. Whether being entertaining and exciting, or profound and contemplative, Avara definitely stirs the big emotions.

“Invisible Man” may be musically multi-faceted, but is in essence a ballad album. That is partly because of its core sound, and its story-telling character, but also because of Perko's individual way of doing things: “My idea of music has changed in the past few years and become more condensed. You could say it has become 'slower', I mean that in the sense that I am less focussed now on tempo and technique, and much more on depth and meaning. I'm far less interested in the offloading of the emotions of the individual, which have been the mainstay of jazz for such a long time. What holds my attention far more these days is interplay. I want all the musicians to be involved all the time, and not to drop back into the role of listeners.” Thinking about it, what is true for the trio is true for the CD listener too. It is clear that Perko and his two bandmates have achieved what they set out to do: they have created music which you can watch as it unfolds before your very eyes.

Jukka Perko, alto and soprano saxophone
Jarmo Saari, electric guitar
Teemu Viinikainen, acoustic guitar

Recorded November 19 & 20, 2015 by Klaus Scheuermann at Hansa Studios, Berlin
Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann
Produced by Siggi Loch

Jukka Perko
Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is one of the most versatile and distinctive musicians working today. Always demonstrating his extraordinary individuality and imagination, Pekka is unusually free and fluid in his approach and has been acclaimed for the spontaneity and freshness in his playing. As Pekka puts it: “I don't play to be different or the same as anyone else, I just play it the way I think it and feel it.” In 1995, Pekka became the first Finn to win the Sibelius Violin Competition. He says of his country: “I’m extremely proud that such a small country produced such a lot of really great music. Wherever I am, playing the Sibelius Concerto, I can see the landscapes of my homeland. It’s a bit like carrying around a small box of soil from your garden.” Pekka became Artist in Residence at the Tapiola Sinfonietta in September 2006, a post he took up along with pianist Olli Mustonen and conductor Stefan Asbury. This season he is also involved in SIB, a new concert series in Hämeenlinna, Finland, choosing both programmes and artists. Despite the first concert only taking place recently, the exciting and diverse programming has already created waves of excitement in the Finnish press.

As Artistic Director of Finland’s Our Festival each summer, Pekka creates his own programme of events. In 2008, the festival welcomed mezzo-soprano Anne-Sofie von Otter and pianist Bengt Forsberg, and also saw the premiere of the ‘Tanabata’ project and the ‘Reddress’ installation by Korean artist Aamu Song. The 2009 festival encouraged listeners to link music from completely different genres and eras, such as Robert Schumann and Joy Division, where Pekka explored the common themes of the tragic figures. Pekka has also recently set up Our Orchestra to strengthen and continue collaborations with musicians who have taken part in his Festival and concert series. Setting Pekka apart from most other violinists of his generation is his desire and ability to improvise; and his love of playing many different styles of music, channelling the same intensity into each genre. He has worked in the past with Finnish electronic jazz group Rinneradio and Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail, consisting of French horn and vocals, performing electronic music based on improvisation with live sampling. In May 2009 Kraft - Pekka’s Finnish violin and accordion duo with Johanna Juhola - released Max Höjd, their first CD (Texicalli Records). Other unusual projects include a collaboration with the young Austrian multi- percussionist Martin Grubinger where they performed in key venues throughout Germany and Austria, and a recital at New York’s Lincoln Center where Pekka combined Bach’s D minor Partita with electronic improvisation on chorale melodies.

Pekka is increasingly seen directing ensembles from the violin, including the London, Scottish, Irish and Zurich Chamber Orchestras. Last season, he returned to the Australian Chamber Orchestra and was a great hit with critics and audience alike. This season, he directs the Britten Sinfonia in a major tour of the Netherlands and UK, as well as the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Munich Chamber Orchestra and Camerata Nordica. As a concert soloist, Pekka continues to work with some of the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors, offering some fascinating contemporary repertoire as well as fresh insights into the core works. Last season saw him perform the Peteris Vasks and Magnus Lindberg Violin Concertos with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and at the Casa da Musica in Porto respectively. Highlights of this season include a performance of the Thomas Adès Violin Concerto under the baton of the composer himself, and his role of Resident Artist at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s “Sibelius Festival” in April 2010.

Pekka’s most recent CD release is a selection of works for violin and guitar by Niccolo Paganini on the Ondine label with guitarist Ismo Eskelinen. Other releases include two highly-acclaimed discs of works for violin and piano by Sibelius with Heini Kärkkäinen and a recording of works for violin and orchestra, with the Tapiola Sinfonietta. Pekka also features in 4, a DVD documentary about Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, presenting Winter in the snowscapes of Lapland.

Pekka was recently selected as one of eight individuals in the Konzerthaus Dortmund’s “Junge Wilde” series, which celebrates a new generation of highly gifted, musically-diverse young performers. Pekka gives his first “Junge Wilde” recital of electronic solo improvisations at the Konzerthaus early in 2010.

Pekka Kuusisto plays a Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini violin of 1752 kindly loaned by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Jarmo Saari
(b. 1970) is one of the leading Finnish guitarists of his generation. Saari has carried out his musical vision in diverse environments and collaborated as a musician and/or composer with percussion master Trilok Gurtu, sax giant Michael Brecker, prog legend Pekka Pohjola, world famous Tapiola Choir, chartbusting rock band Don Huonot, Finnish treasure Umo Jazz Orchestra, trombone guru Nils Landgren and a cappella phenomena Rajaton, to name a few.

His sonic landscapes and often multi-layered real-time sound processing - created by the electric guitar, human voice or several odd instruments, including theremin and glassharp - are essential on his solo albums and have enriched the sound of many jazz combos, rock groups, chamber ensembles and big bands. He has performed in 25 countries and is featured on over 60 albums.

Saari has also made distinctive studio albums as a dedicated producer for a dozen top artists varying from jazz to tango, pop, rock or electronic music. His highly visual composition style is well documented in his works for cinema, contemporary dance, theatre and television. In 2006 he started collaborating with Tero Saarinen Company on a contemporary dance production called 'Next of Kin' as well as with film director Mika Kaurismäki on 'Sonic mirror' featuring Billy Cobham and film score of 'The house of branching love‘.

Teemu Viinikainen
is one of the top 20 jazz guitarists in the world", says internationally renowned professor, author and critic, Stuart Nicholson.

As a supreme instrumentalist and soulful interpreter, the well-known virtuoso from Helsinki has, over the years, played in a number of top groups. Among others, the ensembles of Jukka Perko, Eero Koivistoinen and Jukkis Uotila have assisted in Viinikainen becoming well known by jazz audiences. Within their ranks, he has risen to become a world-class guitarist. This is evidenced by his cooperation with such major overseas artists as Joe Lovano, Tim Hagans and Randy Brecker.

Viinikainen has also enjoyed wide acclaim in his home country of Finland and has received, for example, the Finnish Jazz Federation’s Yrjo-award and a Sony Jazz Award. In addition, he has also twice been nominated for a Teosto award for his recordings with the Perko-Pyysalo-Viinikainen trio. The most important group at the start of his career was the U-Street All Stars, which rose in popularity during the early 2000s after a victory in Spain’s Getxo jazz group competition. The band also recorded two full-length albums on the prestigious Blue Note label. Viinikainen’s first solo album Tales of Robert Dickson was released in 2005 and has been followed up with a new release entitled Nyt! on which he is accompanied by bassist, Ville Herrala, and drummer, Mika Kallio.

Viinikainen holds a master's degree in music from the jazz department of the Sibelius Academy, where he has also worked as a teacher since 2002. His prowess on the pedagogical side can be seen in his recently published jazz guitar textbook Rytmi elää (The Rhythm Lives).

Booklet for Invisible Man