late on friday night working the cd stall was the first sign
a number of people asking for cds of this group post-performance
they were also the talk of day 2 at the wangaratta jazz festival
a few people i spoke to raving about their friday night performance
drawing comparisons with norwegian group the tord gustavsen trio
who blitzed the festival with 3 stunning performances 4 years ago
the relatively unheard-of ilmiliekki quartet hail from finland
1 other performance scheduled for late saturday afternoon
so i too headed for the main stage with most other attendees
it seems the word travels fast when a new discovery is made
mind you a program write-up referencing radiohead adds appeal also
its a standard drum/bass/piano/trumpet lineup that comes on stage
adding to the appeal is an average age i reckon to be 20-something
i love the old(er) guys but the inventiveness of youth is very appealing
trumpet player verneri pohjola assumes the role of band leader
quietly and politely thanks the crowd and takes it away
leading the band into a set of tunes delivered expertly
the impression being that each note has been rehearsed
the music seems complex and yet quite light and precise
the trumpet particularly sounding very lyrical when in charge
with the other musicians also given time to demand attention
it somehow sounded unlike anything i had heard before
though i couldn't really point to why that was so
tempting to put it down to a generic scandanavian sound
which really is quite a lazy way of describing a group
apparantly they include a few covers in their set
bjork and radiohead being favourite artists to borrow from
so my ears were trying to pick up any known melody
but alas nothing was recognised though highly likely played
each tune was disctinctly different from each other
most memorable though was the last tune in the set
where the trumpet player played a very impressive solo piece
with his instrument pointed well inside the body of the piano
so that the vibration of the piano's strings was picked up
and brilliantly added into the mix of the sound
providing a hauntingly melancholic piece of music
this had the crowd totally besotted and as one
leading to wild and generous applause at its conclusion
this show-closer a ornette coleman tune titled what reason could i give
their whole set justifying the mutterings at the festival
i encountered the band at the coffee stall post gig
thanked them for their eclectic performance
in turn politely and genuinely thanked for being there
methinks that's not the last we'll hear of the ilmiliekki quartet
