in Reviews

Fun in a serious way

by Jan-Erik Holmberg

"Tango-stomping, disco bass lines on tuba, Brazilian carnival rhythms, twisted country and ditto dixie, are some of the ingredients. But you will also find continental romantics and dystopian free-tonal characteristics in the melodies."

Tongue-in-cheek is one way of looking at Gourmet. While the music certainly contains discreet humor, both in the song titles and in the sometimes quite amusing qualities of the eclectic music, there’s nothing laughable in the performance.

Gourmet is a persistent band – the sextet has made records for some twenty years, and the line-up is the same as in 2004, on their second album, Six Acres of Broken Hearts.

Tango-stomping, disco bass lines on tuba, Brazilian carnival rhythms, twisted country and ditto dixie, are some of the ingredients. But you will also find continental romantics and dystopian free-tonal characteristics in the melodies.

Gourmet is one of kind in Finnish jazz. Maybe the band hasn’t changed much thru the years, but why fix it, when it ain’t broken.

GOURMET: New Habitat
Mikko Innanen, saxophone
Esa Onttonen, guitar
Ilmari Pohjola, trombone
Veli Kujala, accordion
Petri Keskitalo, tuba
Mika Kallio, drums
with
Mari Palo vocals (1 & 5)
Sami Kontola, percussion (1-3 & 5-7)

Fiasko FRCD-101