Date = 8 July 2014    

Artist Name = Henrik Otto Donner and TUMO       

Genre = Jazz

Title = And It Happened

Record Company = TUM Records

Review =

            Recorded in Helsinki in 2012, this CD features the compositions of Henrik Otto Donner (1939-2013), a Finn who wrote prolifically in various genres and was a respected trumpeter. Performed by the orchestra TUMO (Donner conducts the strings; Mikko Hassinen leads the other musicians), the pieces on this release primarily create mood, which is frequently tranquil. Occasionally, though, there are emotional outbursts that, when played by the brass, remind me of the shrieking trumpets and trombones of Stan Kenton’s extroverted band. This is especially evident on the title track. The difference between Donner’s and Kenton’s use of blaring sound is that Donner incorporated it for contrast (the wildness near the end of “And It Happened” subsides and the performance concludes with a musical whisper), while Kenton employed it so commonly that its excessiveness came to characterize his group’s sound. Additionally, Donner’s music is modest in the sense that it often serves less as an end unto itself (drawing attention to itself) than as a setting and inspiration for the major soloists, in this case tenor saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen (a collaborator of Donner since the 1960s) and vocalist Johanna Iivanainen.

            A fixture on the Finnish jazz scene since the 1950s, Aaltonen is a marvel. Not only does he play masterfully—both sensitively and passionately, as appropriate–but his solos belie his age: at the time of this recording, he was past his mid seventies. I have not heard many soon-to-be octogenarian instrumentalists express such emotional breadth and depth, though this quality of playing would impress if played by someone far younger than Aaltonen. He does justice to Donner’s compositions. For an example of his current work as leader, I recommend To Future Memories (2010), a sextet session issued recently by Finnish TUM.

            Though English is not Iivanainen’s first language, the Finn could possibly be mistaken for a native speaker because she shows only the slightest hint of accent. In fact, many singers could learn something valuable from her: the importance of enunciation. When she performs, every syllable is easily understood. Why sing lyrics, which exist to tell a story, if they cannot be fully comprehended, as is too often the case? She communicates a story.

            Of the eight selections on this CD, two in particular surprised me: “These Are the Days” and “For Friends and Relatives.” The first is a musical rendering of a poem by Emily Dickinson (my favorite from among her creations), with the words sung by Iivanainen and featuring Aaltonen on alto flute and Kasperi Sarikoski on trombone. As straightforward and attractive as this performance is, I cannot determine if it suggests what I think is the meaning of the poem: the skeptical speaker’s desire to possess an innocence that would permit her to gain salvation by uniting with Christ through Holy Communion. If Donner and the musicians intended not to interpret the poem but merely to make lovely music behind the vocalist, they succeeded. Donner’s first recorded composition (1963) and the jazziest performance on the CD, the second tune surprises because the beginning of its melody (after the few bars of fanfare) seems inspired, to a degree, by the music of Charles Mingus, including a fragment from “Ecclusiastics,” recorded the year before the initial recording of “For Friends and Relatives.” Perhaps Mingus is one of the friends alluded to in the title.

            In sum, And It Happened serves as a good introduction to Donner’s writing, Aaltonen’s playing, Iivanainen’s singing, and an aspect of the recent Finnish jazz scene.

            Note: Donner wrote the “Close Your Eyes” that is performed on this CD; it is not Bernice Petkere’s popular tune of this title written in the 1930s.

Author = Benjamin Franklin V

A lot of people know Lucy Hale from her role as Aria Montgomery in the television series Pretty Little Liars. The actress recently released her first album, “The Road Between”.

The album was produced by Mark Bright and Mike Dailey. There is a song Kacey Musgraves had a hand in writing; a song that Joe Nichols sings on, and even one that Lucy co-wrote. On this album, you will find love songs, break-up songs, songs about life, songs that tell stories, and songs that you can relate to.

Here are the songs, along with the writers, that you will hear on this new album. “You Sound Good To Me,” Ashley Gorley, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey; “From The Backseat,” Mike Daly, Jimmy Robbins, Nicolle Clawson; “Nervous Girls,” Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas, James Slater;  “Red Dress,” Todd Sherman Clark, Jessica Lee Mitchell; “Goodbye Gone,” J.T. Harding, Melissa Peirce, Andy Dodd; “Kiss Me,” Mike Daly, Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Lindy Robbins; “Road Between,” Melissa Peirce, Mike Daly;  “Lie A Little Better,” Melissa Peirce, Mike Daly, Chris DeStefano;  “That’s What I Call Crazy,” Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano, Kacey Musgraves;  “Love Tonight,” Lucie Silvas, Jeremy Spillman, Jonathan Ian Green; and, “Just Another Song,” Mike Daly, Lucy Hale, Catt Gravitt.

I’m not going to give you a ‘track-by-track’ review of all 11 songs. But there are a few I want to talk about. “From the Backseat” is one of my favorites. Not the melody, or the tempo, but the story. It tells you that you can really learn a lot watching how people treat each other. The song talks about how the people in the front seat could see the road ahead better than the ones in the backseat could; the front seat passengers could touch dials and controls. But, from her spot in the backseat, she learned about how much they loved each other. And, how they showed each other that love.

Joe Nichols joins Lucy on the song, “Red Dress”. This is a love song, but seems to be more about looking back at the things a couple is remembering in their relationship. Even though it’s obvious they are still a couple, and this isn’t about one of them walking out on the other one, it’s still more about remembering than about what is going on right now. It’s up-tempo, it’s catchy, it’s a fun song.

“Just Another Song” is the last one on the CD. It is one that Lucy co-wrote. I don’t know how much input she had, but it made me wonder why that was the only one she co-wrote. It’s a good song, much different than the others on the album. It’s a slow, sad, song about ending a relationship. It isn’t a sassy, fun, break-up song, like you will hear with “Goodbye Gone”. In that one, you hear not only about breaking up, but about the freedom you have after the breakup happens.

The title track, “Road Between” Is my very favorite on the entire album. It’s about life. It’s about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and what’s in between. The bad parts, the good parts, the breaking down, the writing my story, winning, losing, from the start to the end, still learning what’s in between. I love this one. Melissa Peirce and Mike Daily seem to have taken everything that everyone of us goes through in life and put it in one song.

One song that seems to be about every woman out there is “Nervous Girls”. All women have different problems, different thoughts, different dreams, different ideas – but by the time you get to the end of the song, you realize that we really aren’t that different at all.  The lyrics are thought provoking. While this isn’t a song I expect to hear on the radio, it is a good addition to the album.

You can keep up with Lucy by visiting her web site, www.lucyhale.com, and follow her on Twitter @lucyhale. For all your country music news, visit www.countryschatter.com. You will find us on Twitter @countryschatter.​