Un

Reijonen, Jussi
Unmusic
Jazz | Jul 2013

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2013-07-14
JUSSI REIJONEN: Un
Unmusic, 2013

WORLD-JAZZ – Finnish guitarist/oudist brings together a quintet from the Middle East, Scandinavia, and Spain for a unique multicultural set that balances a Nordic jazz sensibility with ancient traditions. Tracks 1,3 and parts of 6 have energy but the rest is wide open and quietly meditative, with lots of little silent moments. Good stuff all around.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 3

1. 7:56 – twisty midtempo: oud, piano & bass navigate perc rapids; opens up
2. 10:31 – Coltrane ballad: minimalist, very quiet, ethereal and just beautiful
3. 11:32 – very Middle Eastern: spiky uptempo bookends slow sinuous dance, piano fantasy, trudging march, and impressive qanun (zither) solo
4. 7:10 – solo guitar (mostly), very spacious with gentle African-blues sound
5. 9:06 – fretless guitar & bass: deep, meditative middle eastern mystery
6. 13:38 – agile, wordless fem vocal adds to the otherworldy quality; moves from a soft pitter-patter to a vast stretch, then walking rhythm
Track length is actually 6:53, followed by 30-second silence, then very slow solo guitar exploration

[ Fo ] - 14 July 2013

Recent airplay

Serpentine
RebopJun 10, 2016
Serpentine
No Cover, No MinimumJun 06, 2014
Bayatiful
RebopSep 19, 2013
Bayatiful
No Cover, No MinimumSep 13, 2013
Serpentine
RebopSep 05, 2013
Serpentine
RebopAug 22, 2013

Charting

2013-07-14 — 2013-09-15 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Sep 15 1
Sep 8 1
Aug 25 1
Aug 18 2
Aug 11 3
Aug 4 2
Jul 28 2
Jul 21 1

Track listing

1. Serpentine
2. Naima
3. Bayatiful
4. Toumani (Blues For Mick)
5. Nuku Sie
6. Kaiku