LIVE AROUND EUROPE
by Mika Pohjola with Matt Penman, Roberto Dani

Live Around Europe is a collection of pianist and composer Mika Pohjola's European live concerts from summer jazz festivals in 1996 and 1997, featuring bassist Matt Penman and drummer Roberto Dani. All tracks are written by Pohjola's creative and productive pen, but the renditions here are rather exclamatory versions of tunes heard on his excellent Myths & Beliefs (1996, GM Recordings) featuring guitarist Mick Goodrick and the two subsequent follow-ups, The Secret of the Castle and Announcement, both featuring saxophonist Chris Cheek.

On Live Around Europe Pohjola is in a trio setting (as he is on his Blue Note recording, Live in New York), and often more free as a pianist and leader to explore alternative angles and longer versions to his tunes, than the studio versions with his quartets would allow. It is worth mentioning that it is the compositional variety which sets the sound of the trio, and that is particularly conspicuous on this outing.

More than twenty years later from their initial recording, this trio can now be heard at its best in a remastered edition of a nearly two-hour release.

http://europe.bluemusicgroup.com