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Track List

1 Dandelion 03:31
2 Tom's Favorite Treats 03:59
3 Bulan Mei 03:18
4 Ultimatum 05:21
5 The Center of the Universe 04:17
6 A Chant for the Procurator 00:49
7 Nature's Choice 04:12
8 Exchange Place 01:31
9 Season's Greetings 03:29
10 Desert Urbanism 06:34
11 Berceuse 1823 03:16
12 Präludium und Variationen 05:05
13 Designs and Shapes 05:45
14 Sound of Village 04:13
15 Things to Come 06:38
16 Byakuya 05:14
17 Dialogue 01:17
18 Postcard 02:28
19 Bounce 05:07
20 Message 04:17
21 Fate in our Hands 05:23
22 Melody 04:52
23 Suspect 04:48
24 Force 06:19
25 Amusement Park 04:46
26 A Chant for the Procurator (Complete Version) 04:53
27 Other Shapes 05:21
28 Space 07:58
29 Sound of Village (Complete Version) 12:21

Total Time: 137:02

About Sound of Village

"Pianist and composer Mika Pohjola continues to accelerate his stature within his New York City headquarters. Here, the artist follows up his excellent trio-based Live At The Blue Note recording with this endearing and rather charming set titled, Sound Of Village. However on this release, Pohjola shares the spotlight with percussionist Yusuke Yamamoto, for a series of inspiring duets. The musicians' first crossed paths while studying at the renowned Berklee College of Music yet as the story goes, never played together until several years later, thus taking their articulate and altogether captivating blend of improvisational speak, sweet-tempered melodies and world groove style interplay on the road. With this outing, Pohjola performs on the harpsichord, acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes while Yamamoto's percussion arsenal includes; drums, talking drum and other indigenous instruments. On the opener, Dandelion the pianist executes a simply stated and subtly beautiful childlike ballad in conjunction with Yamamoto's delicate tonal shadings and resonant pulse. The duo engages in call and response type dialogue atop quaint and memorably melodic themes as they also convey an overall organic tone. Meanwhile on pieces such as Bulan Mei and Nature's Choice we find Pohjola performing rhythmic motifs amid lush harmonies in concert with Yamamoto's shrewd utilization of woodblocks, cymbals and bells. Throughout, the percussionist renders musical counterpoint to Pohjola's intricate maneuvers, as he often resides within the same pitch. Yamamoto provides Pohjola with a samba beat on the delightful and somewhat poignant, Season's Greetings, whereas Pohjola spins a folksy melody that elicits notions of American Civil War era themes. Basically, Sound of Village offers a stepping stone for one's imagination and is certainly one of the year's finest offerings."
-All Music Guide

Credits

Mika Pohjola - piano
Yusuke Yamamoto - percussion

Articles about Sound of Village

REVIEW: Mika Pohjola & Yusuke Yamamoto: Sound of Village

It’s pretty rare to hear free improvisation by mainstream jazzers, but that’s what we have here. This is not the more familiar sort of avant-garde improvisation where the musicians transcend their technique by immersion in the moment of performance, but rather a light-hearted romp through the... Read

REVIEW: Sound of Village by AllMusic

Sound of Village consists of 15 duo improvisations by the Finnish pianist Mika Pohjola and the multi-percussionist Yusuke Yamamoto. In addition to acoustic piano, Pohjola occasionally plays harpsichord and Fender Rhodes; Yamamoto is heard on drums as well as berimbau, talking drum, clay flute, and... Read

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