Sisällä/Ulkona (Inside/Outside)

by Heikki Koskinen

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This album comes with a live version of Niin Kauan Minä Tramppaan roughly translated to mean either So long shall I walk, or Keep on truckin'

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Includes unlimited streaming of Sisällä/Ulkona (Inside/Outside) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Velkutus (Walnut) 02:11	info	buy track
2.	Kalevala Prelude 03:33	info	buy track
3.	Kotimaani onko Soumi? (My Homeland, is it Finland?) 03:42	info	buy track
4.	Maanituslaulu 1 02:47	info	buy track
5.	Songs My Mother Taught Me 05:25	info	buy track
6.	Wall-nuts 1 02:12	info	buy track
7.	Vilu (Cold) 02:21	info	buy track
8.	Niin Kauan Minä Tramppaan (So Long Shall I walk) 05:33	info	buy track
9.	Wall-nuts 2 02:18	info	buy track
10.	Tuoll' On Mun Kultani (Yonder is my Darling) 04:40	info	buy track
11.	Pieni Sydän (Little Heart) 05:24	info	buy track
12.	Maanituslaulu 2 01:16	info	buy track
13.	Aamulla Varhain (Early in the Morning) 04:41	info	buy track
14.	Vaaputus 02:30	info	buy track
15.	Maanituslaulu 3 02:39	info	buy track
16.	Kukerrus 02:06	info	buy track
17.	Paljakka (Fell Top) 02:14	info	buy track
18.	Songs My Mother Taught Me 2 05:51	info	buy track
19.	Aamulla Varhain (Early in the Morning 2) 05:10	info	buy track

about

“NORTHERN WINDS & VOICES” was created by composer & multi-instrumentalist Heikki Koskinen for a project featuring new and old Finnish music arranged in innovative new ways, exploring the universal connections between immigrants and their motherlands. NW&V brings together musicians from many past projects and performances utilizing each musician’s unique sound in creating new sonic textures and ways to interpret these songs that are well known to the Finnish community yet arranged in non-traditional ways. NW&V takes the listener on a musical ride through a wide variety of styles and approaches, from written arrangements to free flowing extemporaneous group improvisations.

"Inside / Outside" was recorded in various settings ranging from studios and live gigs to the Berkeley Finnish Kaleva Hall utilizing its wonderfully unique acoustic ambiance. Playing late night sessions immersed in fantastic sounds swirling in the dark empty hall were a memorable experience.

About the songs:

“Kotimaani onko Suomi? / “My Homeland, Is It Finland?” is based on the often sentimental and patriotic song “Kotimaani ompi Suomi”. Our version takes a different, but still wistful, approach featuring spoken passages and saxophone: the Prelude includes passages from the Finnish national epic “Kalevala”, in Finnish & English.

“Songs My Mother Taught Me” gave us a chance to apply Charles Ives’ methods to his own song by infusing dreamlike Finnish folk melodies into Ives’ main arrangement. The intro & outro freely superimpose traditional melodies drifting in & out of our collective consciousness. My mother actually did sing these songs to me! Both the studio and live versions are on the CD.

“Niin kauan minä tramppaan” / “As Long Shall I Walk” is a song from Pohjanmaa district, its lyrics reflecting the boastful attitudes of the local bad boys, called “häjyt”. The saxophones and vocalese are employed through several tempo changes and moods.

“Tuoll’ on mun kultani”/”Yonder Is My Darling” lyrics are from Kanteletar, a collection of old Finnish folk poems. I heard it on my very first theater visit in my hometown, Turku, and it has stayed in my head ever since. Our arrangement features Kati’s expressive voice with flutes, piano and bass backgrounds with a new written intro

“Aamulla varhain” / “Early In The Morning” features Kati’s beautiful voice with ethnic Finnish instruments in this typically sad traditional song, filled with sweet pathos. It begins with the birch bark horn and atmospheric free improvisations with wooden flutes. Both the studio and live versions are included.

Original melodies such as “Maanituslaulu”, “Velkutus”, and “Vilu” are stylistically influenced by archaic Finnish music and the national epic “Kalevala”. Besides written themes the arrangements of these melodies employ lots of free flowing improvisations, including vocalese and many woodwinds.

Several of the CD tracks (Wall-nuts, Vaaputus, Kukerrus & Paljakka) are extemporaneous group improvisations that complement the arranged songs and feature ethnic woodwinds, small “sound” instruments, voice and double bass. Many of the free improvisations were inspired by the unique sounds at the Finnish Kaleva Hall.

credits

released April 28, 2016

Heikki Koskinen, (piano; tenor recorder; e-trumpet; kantele; arrangements) Kati Pienimäki Schenker, vocals; kantele / Steve Heckman, tenor sax; Bb & bass clarinet; alto,
bass & wooden flutes / Rent Romus, alto sax, flutes & kantele / Noah Schenker, double bass.

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about

Heikki Koskinen Oakland, California

Awarded Finnish Jazz Legend status by the Finnish National Music Archive, Heikki "Mike" Koskinen is a recording artist, composer, and educator currently living in San Francisco. He began his musical career in Finland with musicians such as Edward Vesala, Heikki Sarmanto, Eero Koivistoinen and Baron Paakkunainen. ... more