Pekka Pohjola -

Pekka Pohjola (Jan. 13, 1952 — Nov. 26, 2008) was a Finnish bassist and composer whose four-decade career included stints in Wigwam, Uni Sono, and The Group. Between 1972 and 1980, he released five solo albums on Love Records and Dig It. Starting with 1982’s Urban Tango, he issued recordings on his namesake Pohjola label.

Background

Pekka Pohjola was born in Helsinki on January 13, 1952. He trained first in classical music and studied piano and violin at the Sibelius Academy. As a boy, he won violin competitions, but rock pulled him away from the conservatory path and toward amplified instruments, band work, and composition.

His first substantial rock work came with The Boys. Source material places him in Jussi Raittinen’s lineup by late 1969, when he was still in his teens. That group gave him a working band, regular stage experience, and a route out of formal study into the Helsinki rock circuit. During Easter 1970, The Boys shared a bill with Wigwam, which needed a new bassist as Mats Huldén prepared to leave. Wigwam asked Pohjola to step in, and he took the chair that spring.

Wigwam gave Pohjola a broader canvas at once. He appears on Tombstone Valentine and Fairyport, and the credits show that his role already stretched beyond bass into violin, piano, celeste, harpsichord, and other color parts. He remained tied to the group through 1974 and also appears on Being, the last Wigwam album connected to his first phase with the band.

That Wigwam run established the essentials of Pohjola’s early profile. The band put him inside large, multi-section writing with Jim Pembroke, Jukka Gustavson, and Ronnie Österberg, while his own parts pushed past straight bass support into counterlines, bowed figures, and keyboard detail. He also began his solo catalog during that period with Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva in 1972. By the time the Wigwam chapter closed in 1974, he had already shifted from gifted band bassist to autonomous composer-bandleader with a separate body of work underway.

Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva

Pekka Pohjola released his debut solo album, Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva, in December 1972 on Love Records.

Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva runs on fast bass figures, clipped turns, reed punctuation, and short keyboard bursts. Organist Jukka Gustavson widens the harmony with bright chords and piano accents. Soprano saxophonist-flutist Pekka Pöyry and clarinetist Risto Pensola answer Pohjola’s bass and violin lines with sharp reed phrases over drummer Reino Laine’s dry backbeat.

“Metsonpeliä” opens in long form with restless bass motion, recurring sectional turns, and a prominent solo stretch. “Virtojen kiharat” tightens the span and threads a violin lead through organ and flute figures. “Armoton idylli” snaps into a playful lilt with rattling spinet and nimble wind replies. “Valittaja” closes on a more open arrangement and grants Pohjola a long bass statement.

A1. “Metsonpeliä” [“Capercaillie Games”] (10:38) — Pohjola
A2. “Virtojen kiharat” [“Curls of Streams”] (5:31) — Pohjola
B1. “Armoton idylli” [“Merciless Idyll”] (3:50) — Pohjola
B2. “Nipistys” [“Pinch”] (3:31) — Pohjola
B3. “Valittaja” [“Complainer”] (9:29) — Pohjola

Pohjola recorded Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva at Finnvox in Helsinki with supervisor Måns Groundstroem and engineers Antti Joki, Erkki Hyvönen, and Kari Tamminen. Mats Huldén designed the sleeve.

Harakka Bialoipokku

Pekka Pohjola released his second solo album, Harakka Bialoipokku, in December 1974 on Love Records.

Piano and electric piano stand at the center of Harakka Bialoipokku, while Pohjola’s bass threads long lines beneath a broad reed choir and Tomi Parkkonen’s taut backbeat. Eero Koivistoinen leads the high sax passages. Pekka Pöyry fills the inner lines, and Baroni Paakkunainen shifts the ensemble toward flute and baritone weight. Bertil Löfgren joins the middle stretch on trumpet. Coste Apetrea enters near the close on guitar. Pohjola wrote all seven pieces.

“Alku” starts alone at the piano and passes from measured classical poise to harder percussive strikes. “Ensimmäinen aamu” enters without a break on a march pulse, drives the reeds through repeating figures, then opens toward a softer electric-piano coda. “Huono sää / Se tanssii…” begins in low bowed gloom, then flips into a brisk carnival turn with piccolo and timpani. Side two opens with “Hereilläkin uni jatkuu,” where a 7/8 bass figure drives the full band into a paired bass-and-soprano-sax surge. “Sekoilu seestyy” pares the texture down to electric piano and Apetrea’s guitar, and “Elämä jatkuu” carries Paakkunainen’s baritone sax across a long theme cycle.

A1. “Alku” [“The Beginning”] (2:10)
A2. “Ensimmäinen aamu” [“The First Morning”] (5:35)
A3. “Huono sää / Se tanssii…” [“Bad Weather / Bialoipokku Dances”] (6:55)
A4. “…ja näkee unta” [“Bialoipokku’s War Dream”] (4:35)
B1. “Hereilläkin uni jatkuu” [“Bialoipokku’s War”] (4:42)
B2. “Sekoilu seestyy” [“The Madness Subsides”] (4:18)
B3. “Elämä jatkuu” [“Life Goes On”] (6:42)

Pohjola recorded Harakka Bialoipokku in October 1974 at Marcus Music in Stockholm with producer Måns Groundstroem and engineer Leif Måses.

Stan Shingler illustrated the sleeve with a magpie breaking from its egg, and Liisa Kuritu supplied the back-cover text that follows the bird through the album sequence. Virgin later issued the album abroad in 1975 as B the Magpie.

Keesojen Lehto

Pekka Pohjola released his third album, Keesojen Lehto, in March 1977 on Love Records.

Grand piano and spinet give Keesojen lehto a bright, chamber-like surface over Pohjola’s bass lines and string-synth layers. Keyboardist Wlodek Gulgowski adds extra piano and synthesizer depth, while guitarist Mike Oldfield cuts through the long pieces with ringing lead figures. Guitarist Georg Wadenius widens selected passages.

Sally Oldfield enters on two tracks above the ensemble, while drummers Vesa Aaltonen and Pierre Moerlen divide the rhythmic load. Pohjola wrote and arranged all five pieces.

A1. “Oivallettu matkalyhty” [“The Perceived Journey Lantern”] (5:05)
A2. “Kädet suoristavat veden” [“Hands Straighten the Water”] (4:34)
A3. “Matemaatikon lentonäytös” [“The Mathematician’s Air Display”] (7:27)
B1. “Pääntaivuttelun seuraukset, osa 1: Sulamaan jätetty kipu” [“The Consequences of Head Bending, Part 1: The Pain Left Melting”] (4:30)
B2. “Pääntaivuttelun seuraukset, osa 2: Nykivä keskustelu tuntemattoman kanssa” [“The Consequences of Head Bending, Part 2: Jerky Conversation with a Stranger”] (11:21)
B3. “Varjojen varaslähtö” [“False Start of the Shadows”] (1:53)

Pohjola recorded Keesojen lehto between November 22 and December 5, 1976, at Througham Slad in Gloucestershire and at Marcus Music in Stockholm with co-producer Mike Oldfield and engineer Paul Lindsay. Mike Oldfield also took recording and mixing credits, and Christer Berg handled additional recording and mixing on parts of the album.

Risto Kurkinen drew the sleeve and pictured the keesos named in the title. Hector supplied the Finnish track titles.

Visitation

Pekka Pohjola released his fourth album, Visitation, in 1979 on Dig It.

Visitation places Pohjola’s grand piano and bass inside a broad ensemble with saxophone choir, brass color, and orchestral woodwinds. Guitarist Seppo Tyni cuts through the quicker pieces with bright electric lines, while keyboardist Olli Ahvenlahti adds electric piano and a second bass part on “Vapour Trails.”

A four-man saxophone line led by Eero Koivistoinen and Juhani Aaltonen carries much of the upper-register motion, while Pekka Pöyry and Teemu Salminen thicken the ensemble and step forward as solo voices over Vesa Aaltonen’s clipped backbeat. Markku Johansson, Tom Bildo, and Aale Lindgren widen selected passages with trumpet, low brass, and oboe. Pohjola wrote and arranged all six pieces.

“Strange Awakening” opens with piano and cymbal haze before the saxes land in full blocks, and Pohjola closes the piece with a bass statement locked to the composition. “Vapour Trails” runs on a quick pulse, where Tyni takes the first long guitar break and Pöyry answers on soprano sax. “Image of a Passing Smile” pairs acoustic sections with woodwinds, cello, and tuba, then turns denser after a short guitar passage.

“Dancing in the Dark” grants Tyni more room and pushes Pohjola’s bass to the front under Johansson’s trumpet. “The Sighting” begins as a lighter miniature, then swells into a fuller band passage with Lindgren’s oboe against the sax section. “Try to Remember” starts as a slow bass-led hymn for piano, winds, and strings, then rises toward an orchestral crest where brass and drums join the final ascent.

A1. “Strange Awakening” (5:11) — Pohjola
A2. “Vapour Trails” (4:44) — Pohjola
A3. “Image of a Passing Smile” (5:38) — Pohjola

B1. “Dancing in the Dark” (5:39) — Pohjola
B2. “The Sighting” (3:32) — Pohjola
B3. “Try to Remember” (7:10) — Pohjola

Pohjola recorded Visitation in January and February 1979 at Finnscandia Studio with co-producer and engineer Tom Vuori. Risto Kurkinen drew the cover, and RAZ handled the layout.

Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme

Pekka Pohjola released his fifth solo album, Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme, in 1980 on Dig It, which billed it to the Pekka Pohjola Group.

Kätkävaaran lohikäärme runs on long quartet stretches and persistent bass figures. Guitarist Seppo Tyni drives the upper line with wiry leads and extended solo passages, while keyboardist Pekka Tyni fills the middle register with chord support and brief synthesizer color over Ippe Kätkä’s clipped backbeat. Pohjola wrote all four pieces except “Sampoliini,” which shares a credit with Seppo Tyni.

“Kätkävaaran lohikäärme” opens with a spare rhythmic cell, then locks into a stronger theme under Pohjola’s repeating bass pattern and Seppo Tyni’s long guitar ascent. “Tehdasmusiikkia” starts with a lighter gait and a playful guitar line, then hardens midway on a rougher riff and a broader lead break. “Sampoliini” leans on walking bass, open solo space, and a bass feature from Pohjola. “Inke ja mä” begins in a darker register, then opens toward livelier turns and a more hopeful pull as the bass swells through the closing stretch.

A1. “Kätkävaaran lohikäärme” [“The Dragon of Kätkävaara”] (14:33) — Pohjola
A2. “Tehdasmusiikkia” [“Factory Music”] (7:34) — Pohjola
B1. “Sampoliini” (12:08) — Pohjola, Tyni
B2. “Inke ja mä” [“Inke and Me”] (9:53) — Pohjola; “Mä” is colloquial Finnish, so “Inke and Me” reads more naturally in English than “Inke and I.”

Pohjola recorded Kätkävaaran lohikäärme at Takomo Studios in Helsinki between September 8 and September 19, 1980. He produced the album himself with engineer Tom Vuori. Source notes describe much of the record as live in the studio.

RAZ designed the cover, and original LP pressings used an embossed front sleeve.

Urban Tango

Pekka Pohjola released his second sixth album, Urban Tango, in 1982 on Pohjola Records.

Pohjola threads bass and keyboards through a harder electric setup built from synthesizer chords and guitar-synth lines over Leevi Leppänen’s clipped backbeat. Guitarist Peter Lerche drives the upper register with bright leads and mandolin color, while T. T. Oksala widens the surface with Roland synthesizer and the guitar solo on “Imppu’s Tango.” Keyboardist Jussi Liski thickens the harmony, and Kassu Halonen enters on “Urban Caravan” with the first clear lead-vocal line on a Pohjola album. Pohjola wrote and arranged the four LP pieces, and Edu Kettunen supplied the words to “Urban Caravan.”

“Imppu’s Tango” opens with a brief tango-styled motif, then breaks into brisk accents, hard bass pressure, and quick tempo shifts. “Heavy Jazz” locks onto a weightier rhythm, then clears space midway for a lighter guitar passage before the main thrust returns. “Urban Caravan” carries the album’s vocal turn across the closing side-long stretch.

A1. “Imppu’s Tango” (9:23) — Pohjola
A2. “New Impressionist” (15:21) — Pohjola
B1. “Heavy Jazz” (10:47) — Pohjola
B2. “Urban Caravan” (11:47) — Pohjola, Kettunen

Pohjola recorded Urban Tango in 1982 at Takomo Studios in Helsinki with co-producer and engineer Tom Vuori. Seppo Pietikäinen designed the sleeve.

Pohjola Records issued “Impun tango” (b/w “Silent Decade”) as a single in 1982. A later CD edition added “Silent Decade” to the album sequence as a bonus track.

Jokamies / Everyman

Pekka Pohjola released his seventh solo album, Jokamies / Everyman, in 1983 on Pohjola Records.

Synthesizer layers and piano figures drive Jokamies across short cue-like pieces and longer dramatic arcs. Peter Lerche cuts through the surface with bright guitar lines and mandolin color. Jussi Liski spreads piano and synthesizer across the middle register, while Timo Vesajoki thickens the electronic bed under Keimo Hirvonen’s dry backbeat. Suomen Laulun Kamarikuoro enters on the later tracks under Ensti Pohjola, and Kassu Halonen carries the closing vocal line on “Agnus Dei.”

A1. “Velka” [“Debt”] (0:45)
A2. “Velkavanki” [“Gaol”] (3:14)
A3. “Blues Vernerille” [“Blues for Verneri”] (3:47)
A4. “Kuolema?” [“Death?”] (5:17)
A5. “Toivo” [“Hope”] (2:31)
A6. “Koraali” [“Coral”] (3:17)
B1. “Kuristus” [“Strangling”] (5:00)
B2. “Umpikuja” [“No Way Out”] (7:23)
B3. “Rakkaus-vapautus” [“Relief”] (2:50)
B4. “Agnus Dei” (3:29)

Pohjola recorded Jokamies at Takomo Studios with engineer Dan Tigerstedt. T. T. Oksala handled synthesizer programming. Most of the material originated in Hannu Heikinheimo’s television film Jokamies.

Seppo Pietikäinen designed the sleeve. The album reached the United States and Germany in early 1984 under the title Everyman

Space Waltz

Pekka Pohjola released his eighth solo album, Space Waltz, in 1985 on Pohjola Records.

Pohjola builds Space Waltz from synthesizer choirs and fast bass motion over Keimo Hirvonen’s clipped backbeat. Keyboardists Jussi Liski and Timo Vesajoki widen the harmony with piano and synthesizer layers, while guitarist Seppo Tyni cuts the long pieces with bright lead lines. Pohjola wrote all five pieces.

“American Carousel” opens with a bright, sparkling line. “Cat Boulevard” recasts the old Wigwam piece “P.K.’s Supermarket” at a slower tempo and gives it a darker cabaret cast. “Space Waltz” runs through odd meters, abrupt tempo shifts, circus-like breaks, and soaring guitar-synth lines. “Risto” starts with pastoral synth and guitar textures, then swells toward a harder central surge. “Changing Waters” closes the album in a gloomier register with piano at the front.

A1. “American Carousel” (6:19)
A2. “Cat Boulevard” (3:47)
A3. “Space Waltz” (8:12)
B1. “Risto” (13:44)
B2. “Changing Waters” (6:05)

Pohjola recorded Space Waltz at Takomo Studios in Helsinki between December 1984 and February 1985. He produced the album with engineer Dan Tigerstedt.

Osmo Klén handled the cover concept, lithography, and design. The album also marked Pohjola’s first CD release.

Flight of the Angel

Pekka Pohjola released his ninth solo album, Flight of the Angel, in 1986 on Pohjola Records.

Synthesizer layers and bass motion drive Flight of the Angel through a tighter electric setup than the earlier large-ensemble records. Keyboardists Jussi Liski and Timo Vesajoki spread the middle register with stacked synthesizer parts, while guitarist Seppo Tyni cuts the upper line with bright leads over Keimo Hirvonen’s dry backbeat. Trumpeter Simo Salminen and a small string section widen the longer pieces, and Liisa Pohjola takes the piano chair on “Il Carillon.” Pohjola wrote all five pieces.

“How About Today?” opens with a tight up-tempo charge and puts Tyni near the front of the arrangement. “Flight of the Angel” follows with a more delicate melodic line and a calmer pull. “Il Carillon” breaks the sequence with a solo piano piece. “Beauty and the Beast” closes the album in its broadest span after a dramatic opening.

A1. “How About Today?” (5:35)
A2. “Flight of the Angel” (6:25)
A3. “Il Carillon” (6:46)
B1. “Pressure” (10:36)
B2. “Beauty and the Beast” (10:54)

Pohjola recorded and mixed Flight of the Angel at Takomo Studios in Helsinki in March and April 1986. He produced the album with engineer Tom Vuori, and Tapio Korjus took executive-producer credit.

Antti Rahkiola handled the layout. Kaarina Virtavuori photographed the front cover, and Pekka Turunen shot the back cover.

Yesterday’s Games

Espoo Big Band released Yesterday’s Games in 1986 on EBB.

Conductor Martti Lappalainen drives Pohjola’s four-part suite through brass blocks and reed answers around Markku Tabell’s piano and Yamaha DX7. Pohjola stays inside the ensemble on electric bass, where his lines lock to Tomi Parkkonen and Keimo Hirvonen’s clipped backbeat under Ismo Piipponen’s percussion color. Pohjola wrote all four parts.

Part I opens with Tabell and Pohjola as the first solo voices. Part II narrows around Kari Tenkanen’s alto saxophone. Part III pushes Tapani Rinne, Antero Priha, and Kari Heinilä to the front over the suite’s densest solo passage. Part IV closes with Tenkanen on soprano saxophone above the full band.

A1. “Part I” (9:31)
A2. “Part II” (9:58)
B1. “Part III” (8:52)
B2. “Part IV” (7:03)

Espoo Big Band recorded Yesterday’s Games at MTV-studios in Helsinki in 1986. Pohjola supervised the sessions, and Harri Sutinen engineered the album. Martti Lappalainen, Pohjola, and Jukka Teittinen mixed it at Takomo Studios.

Tapio Rantanen handled the cover, design, and illustration.

Sinfonia no. 1

Pekka Pohjola released Sinfonia no. 1 in 1990 on Flamingo Music.

Pohjola leaves the small-group format behind on Sinfonia no. 1 and writes for full orchestra. AVANTI! Orchestra carries the piece with sustained tonal writing, long-form development, and shifting orchestral weight under conductor Olli Pohjola. Pohjola himself later said the work does not follow conventional symphonic form and works more as a musical journey.

A1. “Part I and II” (10:40)
B1. “Part III” (17:00)
The original LP divides the work across two sides in that form.

Pohjola recorded Sinfonia no. 1 with AVANTI! Orchestra at Laurentius Hall in Lohja in November 1989. Olli Pohjola conducted, and Harri Sutinen and Jorma Hämäläinen handled the recording and mix work.

Paula Jääskeläinen supplied the cover art on the original release.

Changing Waters

Pekka Pohjola released Changing Waters in 1992 on Pohjola Records.

Changing Waters sets Pohjola’s bass against a chamber-sized lineup of keyboards, guitar, reeds, and strings. Keyboardist Seppo Kantonen spreads piano and synthesizer across the middle register, while guitarist Markku Kanerva cuts the upper line with electric figures. Clarinetist-flutist Teemu Salminen adds the main wind color, and the string chairs widen the texture through first violinist Jukka Pohjola, second violinist Susanne Helasvuo, violist Teemu Kupiainen, and cellist Matti Pohjola over the divided backbeat of Markku Ounaskari and Anssi Nykänen. Pohjola wrote and arranged all seven pieces.

1. “Benjamin (Introduction)” (7:48)

2. “Waltz for Iikka” [Iikan valssi] (4:38)

3. “Innocent Questions” (6:06)

4. “Fanatic Answers” (10:02)

5. “Changing Waters” (6:29)

6. “Waltz for Outi” [Outin valssi] (7:11)

7. “Benjamin” (9:16)

Pohjola recorded Changing Waters at MTV Studios in Helsinki in June and September 1992 with engineer Jorma Hämäläinen, who also mixed and mastered the album.

Kai Nilsson handled the cover. The release also carried financial support from ESEK and LUSES.

Pewit

Pekka Pohjola released Pewit in 1997 on Pohjola Records.

Pewit places Pohjola’s bass inside a compact electric group that opens toward reeds, strings, and percussion on selected pieces. Keyboardist Seppo Kantonen spreads piano and synthesizer across the middle register, while guitarist Markku Kanerva cuts the upper line with bright electric figures over Anssi Nykänen’s dry backbeat. Mongo Aaltonen widens two pieces with percussion, a three-man saxophone section drives “Toy Rock,” and a small string group broadens “Ordinary Music” with violin, viola, and cello weight. Pohjola wrote and arranged all eight pieces.

1. “Rita” (11:23)

2. “Melkein” [“Almost”] (13:47)

3. “Pewit” (6:17)

4. “Suuri Kallion Ritari Intro” [“The Great Knight of the Rock Intro”] (3:41)

5. “Suuri Kallion Ritari” [“The Great Knight of the Rock”] (2:37)

6. “Toy Rock Intro” (0:40)

7. “Toy Rock” (4:17)

8. “Ordinary Music” (19:20)

Pohjola recorded and mixed Pewit at Finnvox in Helsinki in 1997 with engineer Speedy Saarinen.

Rita Hartwig supplied the painting. Risto Vainio handled the layout, and Kousuke Ohtake and Nobu Matsubara added artwork detail.

Views

Pekka Pohjola released Views in 2001 on Pohjola Records.

Views places Pohjola’s bass and keyboards inside a broad ensemble of reeds, brass, strings, harp, and percussion. Keyboardist Seppo Kantonen spreads piano and keyboards across the middle register, while flutist Teemu Salminen, saxophonists Jukka Perko and Manuel Dunkel, and a two-trumpet, two-trombone brass line widen the upper and middle bands of the arrangement. Markku Kanerva enters on one piece with guitar, Laura Hynninen adds harp to the opening stretch, and the string chairs deepen the slower passages through violinists Jari Valo and Jukka Pohjola, violist Teemu Kupiainen, and cellists Tomas Djupsjöbacka and Timo Alanen over the divided backbeat of Anssi Nykänen, Mika Kallio, and Reino Laine. Pohjola wrote all five pieces.

1. “Waves” (6:56)

2. “The Red Porsche” (5:00)

3. “Metropolitan” (14:05)

4. “Views” (7:34)

5. “Us” (11:32)

Pohjola recorded Views in 2000 and 2001 at Hästholmen and Ogeli Studio in Helsinki and at Headline Studio in Tampere with engineer Tage Ylitalo. He mixed the album at Headline Studio with Jani Viitanen and Ylitalo, and Mika Jussila mastered it at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Rita Hartwig supplied the painting, Taina Värri handled the photography, and Jari Mattila designed the layout. The release came in a standard jewel case with a clear tray and six-panel booklet.

Discography: