Tasavallan Presidentti (in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

'' President of the Republic'') is a Finnish progressive rock band. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist

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 Ta ...

and drummer Vesa Aaltonen. Other founder members were Måns Groundstroem (bass) and Frank Robson (vocals), previously of

Blues Section Blues Section are a Finnish rock music group. They started in 1967, formed around the vocalist Jim Pembroke, a British expatriate songwriter now living in Finland. The other members of the band were Eero Koivistoinen (saxophone), Ronnie Österb ...

Juhani Aaltonen Juhani Aaltonen (born December 12, 1935) is a Finnish jazz saxophonist and flautist. Born in Kouvola, Finland, he studied at Sibelius Academy and Berklee College of Music. He began playing professionally at the end of the 1950s. He played in a ...

(saxophone/flute) had earlier played in Soulset; he was replaced in 1970 by Pekka Pöyry. Eero Raittinen replaced Robson as a vocalist in 1972, the same year as the album '' Lambertland'' was released in UK. The album was a tight fusion of jazz and folk rock with highly inventive and imaginative lyrics which charted at the number 7 position in Finland. '' Milky Way Moses'' reached number 12 in Finland in 1974. The band toured in continental Europe and the United Kingdom in 1973 and 1974, but Pöyry, stricken with bouts of manic depression, was occasionally replaced with keyboardist Esa Kotilainen on live dates. Tasavallan Presidentti disbanded in 1974, then reunited from 2005 to 2006 with original saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen, as Pöyry had committed suicide in 1980. The band celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with two concerts in December 2019 in Helsinki and Tampere.Tasavallan Presidentti täyttää 50 vuotta – asiaa juhlistetaan konserteilla ja ainutlaatuisella livealbumilla.
''Soundi'', 7 October 2019 (in Finnish).

Discography

Albums

* ''Tasavallan Presidentti'' (1969) * Pekka Streng with Tasavallan Presidentti: ''Magneettimiehen kuolema'' (1970) * ''Tasavallan Presidentti (II)'' (1971) * '' Lambertland'' (1972) * '' Milky Way Moses'' (1974) * ''Classics'' (compilation) (1990) * ''Tasavallan Presidentti'' (2000) * ''Still Struggling for Freedom'' (live) (2001) * ''Tasavallan Presidentti Six'' (2005, EP) * ''Six Complete'' (2006) * ''Pop-Liisa 1'' (2016)

Singles

* ''Time Alone with You'' / ''Obsolete Machine'' (1969) * ''Solitary'' / ''Deep Thinker'' (1970) *

Kirka Babitzin Kirill "Kirka" Babitzin (22 September 1950 – 31 January 2007) was one of the most commercially successful Finnish musicians. His career spanned from the late 1960s until his death in 2007. Previously associated with Ilkka Lipsanen's The Isl ...

& Tasavallan Presidentti: ''Saat kaiken / Kaukainen valo'' (1970) * ''Sisältäni portin löysin / Selvä näkijä'' (1972)

Band members

* Frank Robson – vocals, keyboards (1969–1972, 1983-) * Eero Raittinen – vocals (1972–1974, 1995, 2000) *

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to ...

, flute (1969–1970, 1983-) * Pekka Pöyry –

, flute (1970–1974) *

– guitar * Esa Kotilainen – keyboards (1974, 1990, 1995) * Måns Groundstroem –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(1969–1972, 1983–2002) * Heikki Virtanen –

(1973–1974, 2002-) * Vesa Aaltonen – drums

References

External links

Unofficial fan site
{{Finland-band-stub Finnish progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1969