HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jussi Pekka Pohjola (13 January 1952 – 27 November 2008) was a Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. Best known as a bass player, Pohjola was also a classically trained pianist and violinist. Pohjola rose to fame as the bass player of the Finnish
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
band
Wigwam A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup' ...
, but he soon departed on a solo career, initially releasing Frank Zappa–influenced progressive rock albums. As his career progressed Pohjola developed a more novel musical style that could best be described as
fusion jazz Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...
. In addition to Wigwam and his solo albums, Pohjola played with the band Made in Sweden, and the bands of
Jukka Tolonen Jukka Jorma Tolonen (born 16 April 1952) is a Finnish jazz guitarist.Lönnqvist, Niclas.Jukka Tolonen är musikern av Guds nåde (in Swedish), Hufvudstadsbladet, August 3, 2018. Tolonen became famous as guitarist for the progressive rock band T ...
and
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
. Pohjola belonged to one of the most prominent musical families in Finland. Conductor
Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...
is Pohjola's cousin.


Biography


Early life and career

Pohjola was born in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, Finland and studied classical piano and violin at the
Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It al ...
in the city. After a stint with (the seminal Finnish band led by brothers
Eero Eero is an Estonian and Finnish masculine given name (pronounced: /e:ro/). Notable people with the name include: * Eero Aarnio (born 1932), Finnish interior designer * Eero Aho (born 1968), Finnish actor * Eero Akaan-Penttilä (born 1943), ...
and Jussi Raittinen), he joined
Wigwam A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup' ...
in 1970, contributing on two of their albums before leaving the group in 1972 to pursue a solo career (although he contributed again on Wigwam's ''Being'' in 1974). Pohjola's first solo album, '' Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva'' (''Resin Eye Bark Ear''), released in 1972, bears a notable resemblance to the work of Frank Zappa. After leaving Wigwam, Pohjola played with the Jukka Tolonen Band for a short time. In 1974 his second solo album, ' (''Bialoipokku the Magpie''), was released in Finland. The album saw Pohjola's sound developing in a more distinctive direction, with heavy use of trumpets, saxophones and piano. The somewhat jazz-influenced album sufficiently piqued the interest of
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
executive Richard Branson for him to release it in the United Kingdom the following year under the name ''
B the Magpie B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It re ...
''. The album was re-released, in October 2010, by Cherry Red Records. At the request of Virgin, Pohjola teamed up with
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
to record and produce his third solo album, released in 1977 in Finland as '' Keesojen Lehto'' (''Grove of the Keeso'') and in the UK as '' The Mathematician's Air Display''. The album was released, in Germany (1981, album and cassette) and Italy (1987) as simply ''Mike & Sally Oldfield / Pekka Pohjola''. The album was also released in 1981 on the Happy Bird label, in the Netherlands, under the name ''The Consequences of Indecisions'' and credited to Oldfield instead of Pohjola. Oldfield asked Pohjola to join him on his 1978 tour and Pohjola can be heard on Oldfield's live album ''
Exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
'', released in 1979. In 1978 Pohjola formed , which released a self-titled album that same year. In 1979 Pohjola released '' Visitation'', his fourth solo album. All of Pohjola's 1970s solo albums exhibited
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
influences, but these were undoubtedly strongest on his 1979 ''Visitation''.


1980s

In 1980 The Group changed its name to Pekka Pohjola Group and released the album '' Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme'' (''The Dragon of Kätkävaara''), with musicians Pohjola on bass and with Ippe Kätkä (drums), Pekka Tyni (keyboards) and Seppo Tyni (guitars). The group disbanded soon after the release of their second album. Pohjola's next solo album, '' Urban Tango'', was released in 1982. It was a radical departure from fantasy- and nature-inspired works of the '70s. It was also the first Pekka Pohjola album to feature comprehensible singing, the vocals provided by Kassu Halonen. ''Urban Tango'' was also the first of Pohjola's albums to be released on his own Pohjola Records label. His next album was the soundtrack to Hannu Heikinheimo's 1983 movie '' Jokamies'' (released in 1984 under the title ''Everyman'' in the United States and Germany). The album was notable for an abundant use of synthesizers. ''
Space Waltz Space Waltz are a New Zealand glam rock band formed in 1974 by frontman Alastair Riddell. In 1974, they had a number-one hit in New Zealand with "Out on the Street". Career In 1974, Alastair Riddell (vocals/guitar), Greg Clark (guitar), Eddi ...
'', released in 1985, further explored the themes first heard on ''Urban Tango'' (1982). 1986's '' Flight of the Angel'' was to be Pohjola's last album of the '80s. The following year a compilation of his material was released under the name '' New Impressionist''. Pohjola's record label in the United States during the 1980s was Breakthru' Records, a pioneering audiophile record company started by Robert Silverstein in 1983. The advent of the compact disc in 1984 made it very difficult for independent American record labels to make CD pressings in the U.S. as the first plants, aside from the
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
plant in
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, were in Germany and Japan. As a result, Breakthru' scrambled and forfeited away its rights to unscrupulous distributors in an effort to adapt to the fast changing audio landscape of the music business during 1984 and 1986. With the 1985 release of ''
Space Waltz Space Waltz are a New Zealand glam rock band formed in 1974 by frontman Alastair Riddell. In 1974, they had a number-one hit in New Zealand with "Out on the Street". Career In 1974, Alastair Riddell (vocals/guitar), Greg Clark (guitar), Eddi ...
'', Breakthru' Records became the first label ever to release a compact disc by Pohjola. The first Pohjola album to be released on CD, ''Space Waltz'' was mastered in New York City by mastering engineer legend Greg Calbi. Pressed on CD in Switzerland, ''Space Waltz'' was also released by Breakthru' Records on audiophile vinyl and cassette. Robert Silverstein's 1980 interview with Pohjola can be found on the Music Web Express 3000
www.mwe3.com
web site.


Later life and death

During the late '80s Pohjola composed '' Sinfonia No 1'' ("Symphony No. 1"), which premiered live in 1989 and was released on CD in 1990, performed by the AVANTI! music group. Returning to the music scene in 1992, Pohjola released his ninth solo album, '' Changing Waters''. The album's sound differed greatly from Pohjola's guitar-driven works of the '80s, offering a softer, more piano-based soundscape. ''Changing Waters'' was given in an international release in spring 1993. The album featured Finnish top musicians Seppo Kantonen (keyboards), Markku Kanerva (guitar) and Anssi Nykänen (drums), who became Pohjola's regular band. In May 1995, Pohjola released '' Live in Japan'', a recording from three shows in Tokyo in November 1994. Later that year, Pohjola released a double CD, '' Heavy Jazz - Live in Helsinki and Tokyo''. His next studio album, '' Pewit'', followed in September 1997. In May 2001 Pekka Pohjola released ''Views'', on which he toned down the rock-solid guitar-based sound of ''Urban Tango'' (1982) and ''Space Waltz'' (1985), instead focusing more on jazz and pop-classical arrangements, leaning heavily on strings and brass arrangements. The only song on ''Views'' to feature a guitar is "The Red Porsche", after a poem written by
Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
. Pohjola's piece "The Madness Subsides" from ''B the Magpie'' (1974) was sampled by
DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sh ...
as the main bass line in his song "Midnight in a Perfect World", from the wildly successful debut album '' Endtroducing.....'' (1996). On 27 November 2008 Pohjola, who had alcoholism, died of an
epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
at the age of 56.


Family

Pekka Pohjola was part of the renowned Pohjola musical family. His father was choir director and cellist . Choreographer and music pedagogue Erkki Pohjola and violinist and conductor Paavo Pohjola were his uncles, and pianist Liisa Pohjola was his aunt. His younger brother Jukka Pohjola is a violinist. One of his three sons, Verneri Pohjola, is a trumpeter, and another one, Ilmari Pohjola, is a trombonist. His cousins include conductor
Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...
, cellist Matti Pohjola and composer Seppo Pohjola.


Discography


References


External links


Pekka Pohjola
discography at Discogs.com
Pekka Pohjola
biography & discography at ProgArchives.com
Pekka Pohjola
discography at AllMusic.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pohjola, Pekka 1952 births 2008 deaths Musicians from Helsinki Finnish bass guitarists Finnish record producers Finnish male composers Finnish jazz musicians Male bass guitarists 20th-century bass guitarists 20th-century Finnish male musicians Male jazz musicians Wigwam (Finnish band) members Neurological disease deaths in Finland Deaths from epilepsy