IIRO RANTALA ~ My Finnish Calendar
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Stumbled upon on Spotify. Well now – this is one irrepressible Finn! Rantala is a jazz pianist, albeit one that refuses to be bound by any conventions, jazz or otherwise, and rightly so – break out say I!
He has fantastic control of the keys, on both the rambunctious and the gentler passages – it’s a true pleasure to listen to such assured musicianship. I can hear what he’s trying to put across for each month, at least I fondly imagine I can! For example, January starts off quietly and seriously; slow, as it no doubt would be in the northern hemisphere, slight post-Christmas depression, still cold, everything a bit sluggish, that sort of thing, whereas in February things pick up a notch and March is an unfolding of springy creations. That piece fits so well with my day which is pale blue (due to still weak, newly emerging sunshine) and I’m lucky enough to be looking at a vast expanse of luminosity - so still that the yacht’s masts are reflecting at great length in the water, the shimmering white fingers interrupted by the odd kayak or a humpback rolling sedately past – breathless - magical.
Nothing jars – this is good honest playing and wonderfully measured timing (in my less than educated opinion), filled with nuance and colour but also moving at a decent pace. “December” builds up to celebratory close with a positive carillon coming off that keyboard. Very nice … I likey.
Here's "January" ...
As a footnote – I have just found a commentary on each month by Iiro Rantala which is absolutely hilarious! Lol! Not at all what I had envisioned but most entertaining!! “June is the month of fake happiness …” for example, very funny – worth a listen … https://www.deezer.com/en/album/105167932
January’s commentary includes this … “The Finnish mind is usually an enigma wrapped in a mystery but this album helps you to understand us little bit better. We change with the weather. Trying to describe the mental mood on Finland in January with one word – it’s ‘hangover’. It’s a multiple hangover from various sources, Christmas is the main one. Finns find Christmas very stressful because they have to spend money … so each January in Finland, starts slowly and in a pathetic, melancholic minor key, but this is natural state of mind for the Finns. Some people are having non-alcohol January which makes them even more grumpy.”
Stumbled upon on Spotify. Well now – this is one irrepressible Finn! Rantala is a jazz pianist, albeit one that refuses to be bound by any conventions, jazz or otherwise, and rightly so – break out say I!
He has fantastic control of the keys, on both the rambunctious and the gentler passages – it’s a true pleasure to listen to such assured musicianship. I can hear what he’s trying to put across for each month, at least I fondly imagine I can! For example, January starts off quietly and seriously; slow, as it no doubt would be in the northern hemisphere, slight post-Christmas depression, still cold, everything a bit sluggish, that sort of thing, whereas in February things pick up a notch and March is an unfolding of springy creations. That piece fits so well with my day which is pale blue (due to still weak, newly emerging sunshine) and I’m lucky enough to be looking at a vast expanse of luminosity - so still that the yacht’s masts are reflecting at great length in the water, the shimmering white fingers interrupted by the odd kayak or a humpback rolling sedately past – breathless - magical.
Nothing jars – this is good honest playing and wonderfully measured timing (in my less than educated opinion), filled with nuance and colour but also moving at a decent pace. “December” builds up to celebratory close with a positive carillon coming off that keyboard. Very nice … I likey.
Here's "January" ...
As a footnote – I have just found a commentary on each month by Iiro Rantala which is absolutely hilarious! Lol! Not at all what I had envisioned but most entertaining!! “June is the month of fake happiness …” for example, very funny – worth a listen … https://www.deezer.com/en/album/105167932
January’s commentary includes this … “The Finnish mind is usually an enigma wrapped in a mystery but this album helps you to understand us little bit better. We change with the weather. Trying to describe the mental mood on Finland in January with one word – it’s ‘hangover’. It’s a multiple hangover from various sources, Christmas is the main one. Finns find Christmas very stressful because they have to spend money … so each January in Finland, starts slowly and in a pathetic, melancholic minor key, but this is natural state of mind for the Finns. Some people are having non-alcohol January which makes them even more grumpy.”
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson
