Kerkko Koskinen’s musical visions have always been ambitious. When he put together what was to become the most popular rock/pop band in Finland in the 1990s, Ultra Bra, the instrumentation of a standard band was just not enough. In addition to four vocalists, the 13-member band included a horn section, two percussionists, and a large-scale string assembly, used in the band’s recordings. Striving to create a “big” sound has always been present in Koskinen’s production, and finally, with Agatha, he has found the orchestra to match his musical vision: a world-class big band, Umo Jazz Orchestra, and a world-class soloist, trumpetist Verneri Pohjola.
Koskinen and Pohjola’s musician personas complement each other in a way that inevitably brings to mind one of the most legendary composer-soloist partnerships in the history of jazz: that of Gil Evans and Miles Davis. Just like Davis created a humane, accessible instrumental contact surface to Evans’ architectural arrangements, Koskinen’s rich and full orchestration is balanced by Pohjola’s trumpetism, full of contrast and intimacy. To mention just a few, Pale Horse, And Then There Was One, and Cats And Pigeons are brilliant examples of Koskinen and Pohjola’s fruitful cooperation.
Crooked Room
Helsinki-Vantaa
Pale Horse
Passenger to Copenhagen
Sparkling Arsenic
Cats and Pigeons
Elephants Can
And Then There Was One
The Pointing Finger
Riemukaare
Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Flute, Flute [Alto], Piccolo Flute, Clarinet – Pentti Lahti, Pertti Päivinen
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Jouni Järvelä
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute, Clarinet – Teemu Salminen
Bass – Ville Huolman
Bass Trombone – Mikael Långbacka
Composed By, Arranged By – Kerkko Koskinen
Conductor – Kari Heinilä
Drums – Markus Ketola
Edited By, Supervised By – Tuomas Kallio
French Horn – Esa Tapani, Joonas Seppelin, Tuomo Eerikäinen
Liner Notes – Olli Virtaperko
Mastered By – Svante Forsbäck
Oboe, English Horn – Keijo Silventoinen
Percussion – Antti Lehtinen
Performer, Orchestra – UMO Jazz Orchestra
Photography By – Terhi Kokkonen
Piano – Tuomo Prättälä
Producer – Antti Lehtinen, Kerkko Koskinen
Recorded By, Mixed By – Miikka Huttunen
Sleeve – Antti Eerikäinen
Soloist, Trumpet – Verneri Pohjola
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Olli Ojajärvi
Timpani, Glockenspiel, Bass Drum [Gran Cassa], Cymbal, Percussion – Tuomo Lassila
Translated By – Nana Gudmundsson
Trombone [1st] – Antti Rissanen (tracks: 1,3,5,7,8), Jari Hongisto (tracks: 2,4,6,9,10)
Trombone [2nd] – Mikko Mustonen
Trombone [3rd], Tuba – Pekka Laukkanen
Trumpet [2nd] – Timo Paasonen
Trumpet [3rd] – Mikko Pettinen
Trumpet [4th] – Tero Saarti
Trumpet [Lead] – Teemu Mattsson
