in Reviews

Sure worth the wait

"On the long-awaited Another Song, still backed by guitarists Saari and Marzi Nyman and percussionist Zarkus Poussa, Kähärä gives us a focused disc ripe with sublime melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics."

anna-mari-kähärä-orchestra-mother-song-coverANNA-MARI KÄHÄRÄ ORCHESTRA

Another Song
Texicalli TEXCD 144

Singer Anna-Mari Kähärä arrived on the Finnish jazz scene with popular vocal group How Many Sisters when she was still in high school. As regards her roots, the story goes that this offspring of a musical family actually taught herself to play music at the age of two at her grandmother’s organ. Be that as it may, music wove its spell over Kähärä at an early age and, following piano, violin and vocal lessons from the age of ten, a career as a singer, keyboardist and composer became something of an inevitability rather than a conscious decision or choice.

Through work with groups ranging from the UMO Jazz Orchestra’s big-band setting to guitarist Jarmo Saari’s agile ethno-jazz team ZetaBoo, Kähärä released her debut album as a leader in 2005 to critical acclaim. The album won a staunch audience among admirers of Cassandra Wilson and similar strong jazz voices.

On the long-awaited Another Song, still backed by guitarists Saari and Marzi Nyman and percussionist Zarkus Poussa, Kähärä gives us a focused disc ripe with sublime melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics. This strong sophomore offering is destined to become a connoisseur’s favourite, a watershed in the annals of Anna-Mari.

Petri Silas