We love this Jazz Liisa series from Finland – as it features unreleased work from the 70s, but which matches the quality of some of our favorite German and Japanese jazz records of the time! The first half of the set was recorded for Finnish radio, and features a group that really shows the power of that scene at the time! The lineup features trumpeter Mike Koskinen at the helm – blowing in a much more outside way than some of his later studio albums, with a cascading array of tones and soundshapes that recall some of the hipper British work of the end of the 60s – such as records like Mike Westbrook or Michael Gibbs – both of whom would be good comparisons here, especially in the tension between the idea of the group, and the strong solos of the individual members. Other players include Juhani Aaltonen on tenor and flute, Mircea Stan on trombone, Kaj Backlund on trumpet, Pekka Poyry on flute and soprano sax, Olli Ahvenlahti on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Edward Vesala on drums – and titles include "PS DC", "Murusia 2", "Numero Puolitoista", "Song For Sally", and "Peretelmia". On the second half, Otto Dorner's just the conductor on the set – but it's also clear that he's a very musically-minded fellow, as the action he gets from the group on the session is really wonderful! The players are all sharp-edged instrumentalists who represent the cream of the Finnish jazz scene of the time – Juhani Aaltonen on tenor and flute, Markku Johansson on trumpet, Seppo Paakkunainen on baritone, and Christer Boustedt on alto – all musicians who really bring a lot of their individual voices to the performance, and are given great space to solo by Donner – in a way that reminds us of some of the more open-ended bigger band performances from the MPS Records releases of the early 70s. Titles include "Och Tusen Tusen Strala Ock", "For Her", and "Saxballad". CD

A great selection of tracks that includes work with Gary Peacock, Bobo Stenson, John Surman, Dino Saluzzi, Juhani Aaltonen, and Jan Garbarek. CD

A really great meeting of Finnish jazz generations – in which the legendary reedman Juhani Aaltonen is definitely the father, supported here with work by three younger musicians who might qualify as his musical sons! Aaltonen is amazing – every bit as compelling as on his famous Finnish sides of the 70s – blowing tenor and flute, and matched in spirit and soul by the great Jonas Kullhammar – who's also on tenor, and some baritone – really matching Juhani's approach, and reminding us once again that Kullhammar is not only one of the greatest saxophonists of his generation, he's also one of the most generous, and able to shift into the modes of his collaborators. The rest of the quartet features Christian Meaas Svensen on bass and Ilmarki Heikinheimo on drums and percussion – and the whole thing might be one of the most beautiful, soul-drenched records we've ever heard on the Moserobie label. Titles include "Sorrow Wave", "Refletions", "Il Ju Jo Christ", "The Sun", and "Kiirohige". CD

A seminal bit of modern jazz from the Finnish scene of the 60s – a record that still sounds as revolutionary now as when it was recorded, and a set that really set the tone to come for so many Finnish experiments in the 70s! Leader Esa Pethman plays flute and tenor – and is clearly inspired by the modern jazz experiments of the American west coast scene of the early 50s – but takes those modes even further, maybe inflected with a bit of European modernism – and set free on a shifting lineup that's full of future Finnish heavyweights – including Heikki Sarmanto on piano, Pekka Poyry on alto, and Juhani Aaltonen on flute – all musicians who would later rise to fame for their Love Records recordings of the 70s. The whole thing's wonderful – sophisticated, but spontaneously swinging – and titles include "Shepherd Song", "Etude No 1", "Mr Peter", "Blues Fantasie", "The Flame", and "Disillusion". LP, Vinyl record album