|
Arttu Takalo
(Finland)
News | In General | Concerts | Concert-Booking and Tech-Rider
In General
Arttu Takalo
September 18, 1971
vibes, composer
In a world where imitators are so much more common than inventors, people who actually shake up the status quo are worth their weight in gold and diamonds. The courageous man of music represented in this article is a rare commodity indeed, a real champion in the original sense of the word.
The restless renaissance man of 21st century Finnish vibraphone, Arttu Takalo comes from a bloodline of music makers: His father sang and played the harmonica in a dance band and his grand-grandmother Marina Takalo was a renowned singer of laments.
In some way, this ancestry may provide the key in understanding Arttu's often melancholy style of writing and scoring. Current assignments like the 2002 hymnal arrangements for Jukka Perko's Blue Note Finland/EMI Classics album 'Kaanaanmaa' and his 2002 big band composition 'Confutatis Maledictis' mirror this background quite clearly.
From vibraphone to MIDI-vibes
In his childhood, Takalo's very first instruments of choice were the drums and the piano. But after getting his hands on the vibraphone at the age of fifteen he has not looked back. Originally inspired by Mozart and Mahler, the young man commenced studying at the North Kymi Music Institute and strove to become a classical musician.
In the late 1980's he enrolled at the Sibelius Academy, moved to Helsinki, and continued onwards on his chosen path. Nevertheless, these plans were updated as Takalo met guitarist Jarmo Saari and founded the exciting jazzrock team XL in 1992.
At this point in time Takalo was busily investigating his recent purchase: An intricate MIDI system which allowed him to trigger keyboard sounds and effects from the vibraphone. Inspired by the likes of Mike Mainieri and Ed Mann, the instrumentalist had decided to widen his palette by making the technological update which would allow him to produce some truly outlandish sounds. First featured on the XL debut offering 'Xlent' in 1995, Takalo's MIDI-vibes would soon be heard on a number of albums.
Come the latter half of the 1990's, Takalo was well on his way to becoming the all-around vibes wizard he nowadays is. Aside from the more jazz-oriented projects, he often collaborated with such local pop stars as Mikko Kuustonen and Samuli Edelmann. In 1996, the man took part in a special project called 'Otto e Mezzo', a jubilation of Nino Rota's music.
1997 saw the Tampere premiere of Takalo's very first orchestral piece 'Pimeä puoli'. Other key compositions of the era were the chamber works 'Prinsessa ja jäätynyt puutarha' and 'Don't Go Away' and the big band piece 'NM'.
XL
At the same time XL was busy recording, touring and staging special performances with various soloists, sinfoniettas and big bands. Throughout the years, the team of Takalo, Jarmo Saari, bassist Tuure Koski, and drummer Tomi Salesvuo has provided a perfect perennial experimentation laboratory for Takalo and Saari, the composers of XL.
Highlights in the discography include the 2001 concert recording 'Live Ballet' and the 10th anniversary album 'Surreal'. During the years people like Pekka Pohjola have performed with XL, and in 2002 frequent special guest DJ Bunuel (Måns Strömberg) joined the group as a full-time member. In 2004, XL was discontinued by the mutual decision of its leaders, Takalo and Saari.
Hand in hand with his progressive endeavours in the ranks of XL, the mallet master was cultivating his career as an arranger and a composer. First requested by Mikko Kuustonen in 1998, he began writing string and other orchestral arrangements for many artists.
A culmination of sorts in this field was to come in 2002, as Arttu was commissioned to score music for one of his personal heroes, the inimitable rock singer Ismo Alanko. Inspired in this category by composers like Magnus Lindberg and Danny Elfman, Takalo managed to find his own voice quite rapidly through writing for many line-ups of differing sizes and styles.
First solo album
During sessions and other projects, Takalo often found himself in the studio or on the stage with drummer Anssi Nykänen, bassist Harri Rantanen, and guitarist Marzi Nyman. Once upon a time, the foursome even performed a fierce set of jazz evergreens under the monicker Standards Live.
Therefore it was natural for Takalo to use this talented team as the bedrock for his first solo album as a leader. Recorded during 2001, 'When I Fall' is an ambitious whirlwind into the heart of sound as seen through the eyes of Arttu Takalo. An original combination of jazz, rock and classical, the bold disc was immediately compared to some of Pekka Pohjola's and Anssi Tikanmäki's soaring works. The follow-up came in 2005, as Takalo released his sophomore solo album 'Neverstopdreaming'.
As his career choices show, the arduous Arttu Takalo epitomizes the age-old adage of how hard it is to hit a moving target. With his impeccable taste, feared prima vista skills, and deadpan humour this 2000 Pori Jazz Artist of the Year has accomplished something all musicians wish for: His very own style and niche. When Takalo is called to partake in a session, people get much more than just a vibraphone player, a producer or an arranger. When Takalo is let loose as a composer, one can expect class, originality and precise execution.
© Petri Silas 2005 - Finnish Music Information Centre (FIMIC)
Major compositions
Kaipaus, for big band, 1994
Prinsessa ja Jäätynyt Puutarha, for 7 fagots, 1995
Pimeä puoli, for symphony orchestra, 1996-97
Libera Me, for big band, 1997
NM, for big band, 1998
Nocturne II, for big band, 1998
Don’t Go Away, for 3 fagots, 1998
Who Will Take Your Dreams Away, for chamber orchestra, 2000
The Wastelands, for brass orchestra, 2000 (publisher: SPOL Finnish Wind Band Association)
Kaipaus II, for tuba and small orchestra, 2001
Ice Dance, for mixed choir and tape, 2001
Deepspace Pilots, for big band, 2001 (commissioned by Finnish Music Information Centre)
Veden Hengitys, for soprano and piano, 2001
Kaipaus, for tuba and piano, 2002
Confutatis Maledictis, for big band, 2002
Kaikki ne päivät ja yöt, for mixed choir and chamber orchestra, 2003 (commissioned by the Academic Choral Society)
Hitta någon att tycka om, version for big band, 2001/2003
Selected discography
When I Fall (2002). Music of Arttu Takalo. EMI 7243 539431 2 7.
Neverstopdreaming (2005). Music of Arttu Takalo. Rockadillo ZENCD 2098.
With XL:
Xlent (1995). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums. Ondine OCTO 404-2.
Jukola (1998). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums. Pohjola Records PELPCD 10.
Jeti (1999). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums. Pohjola Records PELPCD 11.
Live Ballet (2001). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums. Pohjola Records PELPCD 13.
Surreal (2002). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums; DJ Bunuel. Pohjola Records PELPCD 14.
Visual (2003). XL. Arttu Takalo, vibes; Jarmo Saari, guitar; Tuure Koski, bass; Tomi Salesvuo, drums; DJ Bunuel. Pohjola Records PELPCD 15.
As a sideman, arranger or vibraphonist:
Seppo Tyni: Niin aina (Rockadillo/Pohjola Records, PELPCD 9), 1997
Peter Engberg: Tori (Impossible Music, IMCD-2), 2000
Kuutamolla-soundtrack (BMG 74321 914332), 2002
Kaanaanmaa (2002). Hymn arrangements by Jukka Linkola, Esa Onttonen, Pekka Pohjola, Severi Pyysalo and Arttu Takalo. Jukka Perko, saxophone; Virtuosi di Kuhmo Chamber Orchestra. Blue Note 724355742223.
Ismo Alanko: Hallanvaara (Poko Rekords, POKOCD 260), 2002
|
CDs:
Dark.Dark.Dark. - 2006
More information ...
|
