The second album to be released in the UMO Recordings series (26th Aug. 2010) of archival recordings is Primal Mind – UMO Plays the Music of Raoul Björkenheim, Live in Helsinki 1991, a live recording of a concert given by Raoul Björkenheim and UMO at the Jumo Jazz Club on 10 May 1991. The concert consists of the premiere of Primal Mind, a work for solo guitar and big band lasting nearly 70 minutes. A freeform nine-movement suite, it showcases a wide range of guitar sounds.
In an interview with Harri Uusitorppa in Helsingin Sanomat (10 May 1991), Raoul Björkenheim described Primal Mind as dark and unpredictable, a sort of ‘shock treatment’ in the spirit of Frank Zappa. The concert was given a glowing review by Jukka Hauru a few days later (Helsingin Sanomat, 12 May 1991). Hauru hailed the work as a milestone in the history of Finnish big band music and described Björkenheim’s music and personality thus: “The primeval soloist power of [Jimi] Hendrix, the orchestral imagination of [Gil] Evans and the timeless vision of [Miles] Davis.”

Raoul Björkenheim – virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer

Raoul Björkenheim (b. 1956) is a Finnish jazz musician, composer and guitarist. He received the Yrjö Prize of the Finnish Jazz Federation in 1984. His own band, Krakatau, released its first album in 1988. He has also worked with Sound & Fury led by Edward Vesala and with Roommushklahn, the Scorch Trio, the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and the Tampere Philharmonic.

Raoul Björkenheim has been collaborating with UMO for nearly 30 years. He wrote his first work for UMO (Other Places) in 1982, followed two years later by Some. Later, in 1998, he appeared on the album Electrifying Miles with UMO and Eero Koivistoinen. His most recent release is a solo album with orchestra entitled The Sky is Ruby, which he composed and recorded in 2007.

UMO Recordings

In February 2010, UMO launched a new recording series featuring Finnish big band composers, compiled from previously unreleased live and studio recordings from the archives of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE). The recordings are co-produced by UMO, Provisual Oy and YLE.

Previous releases: Beauty and The Beast – UMO Plays the Music of Pekka Pohjola (Live & Studio 1977–2004)

Coming in 2011: UMO Plays the Music of Eero Koivistoinen

More information:

Johanna Laitinen

johanna@umo.fi

tel. +358-40-1921900