SAMSA TRIO: SAMSA TRIO

Pekka really went all of his life totally own way. In sixties/seventies it was really rare in Finland, that no-one made selfpublished records. Only independent label was Love Records and I believe it would have wanted to release at least legendary Pekka's Sperm-orchestra album Shhh-Hein'sirkat. Instead of that Pekka decided to release his records by his own 0-label. No idea, how many copies were pressed, but it's possible they all weren 't sold at their release time, because Pekka haven't ever been business man at all. Anyway they become very expensive collector's items and for recent years you haven't got any possibility for example listen this album anywhere. Luckily German Vinyl-On-Demand wanted to release all Pekka's seventies works in the same box, so I finally also got possibility to listen this very rare album. Samsa Trio-album came same year as Pekka's first solo 'One Point Music'. Samsa Trio was shortlived band, where former Sperm men Antero Helander & Mattijuhani Koponen joined with Pekka.

There are no recording details in this album, but I believe this has recorded live in Pekka's homestudio with few microphones. Recording quality is still quite good. Unlike Pekka's later albums, this is totally acoustic, fully instrumental and there is even no electric guitar. 'Kuun Alla' (= under the moon) starts album with Koponen playing tugging valse in piano. Pekka joins with freeform acoustic guitar playing, also soon Helander with sax. Helander's playing varies from soft to strong & very free. In the end of these piece Koponen plays very tingling back to the sax and Pekka changes guitar to maracas. Next 'Kiven Poiminta' (=picking the stone) is the only piece released after vinyl release in cd-compilation 'More Artic Hysteria'. Koponen plays in it even more tugging piano, Helander has changed to recorder & Pekka plays percussion & trombone same time. 'Kaislikko' (=bed of reeds) is the most freeform piece where musicians change instruments many times, there are at least cello, kantele, piano & sax. Last 'J'' Sulaa' (=ice melts) is the most rhythmic piece including strong percussive beat. In the end it changes more freeform, Helander starts to play piano passages, Pekka improvises with cello & Koponen changes recorder to percussions. In the end there is short, strong piece with cello & two saxes.

This album is almost same kind of masterpiece as Sperm-album & Pekka's first solo. It really brings in my mind the feelings of Finnish nature in the winternight. Music is really weird but interesting. There is not much acoustic stuff in Pekka's discography, I think there has come only 'Pagoda'-e.p under name Omar Williams & Pekka Airaksinen year after this album. That e.p. is also included in that 'Works 1968-1976'-box that is must to all Pekka-fans (who are not ready to pay for the original releases if they happend to be available). This album is highly recommended to all avantgarde-jazz -fans!