REVIEWS:

Jukka Tolonen Band - JTB (9,5/10) - Finland - 1976/2005   Genre: Rock / Jazz / Instrumental Label: Lion Music Playing time: 49:41 Band homepage: Jukka Tolonen Band   Tracklist: Charterflight Space Cookie Grand Hotel Ping Pong Riven Cocos Dancing Bear Soita Saatana Arka Haiven Funky Nightmare Ide & Lardoms + Lilla Lule Alv God damn, Lion Music knows how to picks his bands. What we are treated here to is something that Metal can't give us and that's a fine ass piece of Jazz CD loaded with originality and up beat tempos. I had no idea that Jukka has been around for forty years. He is a very accomplished guitarist. This shit simply rocks! What makes this release so special is that this was originally on the shelves back in 1976 and I was only three at the time.   It's apparent that the owner Lars sees this release fit to be put out to the masses again except to a worldwide audience. Brave move. "Charterflight" is full of life and color. These boys waste no time in getting down. The guitars have a consistent riff that is pleasant to listen to while the funk gets inserted after a few bars by adding sax and a horn section that comes off like AVERAGE WHITE BAND. Let me tell you something right now, before you start blasting my review because this isn't the new DEICIDE record or what not, take a listen to DEATH ANGEL, MORDRED and the like. You will hear a lot of JAZZ and FUNK in there and this is the type of music it comes from.   Jukka is one bad mother fucker on his axe because he wails on that thing and it shows. Even after a while on this track, the Rock influence kicks into high gear and this sounds like a free form Jazz session that is absolutely awesome. Latin guitar rhythms are inserted in "Space Cookie" along with a lounge act type piano playing that you would hear while eating dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant on a Saturday night, it doesn't take long for the sax to come back into the swing of things and steal the show. These guys go in so many directions that it's hard to predict where they will end up next or what other instrument will come and join in the fun. Once again after a couple of songs mellowed out just a bit, "Riven Cocos" comes in a lifts you up like never before. It's so vibrant and filled with instrumentation such as flutes, violins amongst others. This one track alone could put a smile on my face for hours.   Shit! This band doesn't quit. One song after the next is full of life and dynamics. I have never been so impressed with a disc in all my life this and it's not even Metal. I have to say if you are a guitarist or an aspiring one for that matter or just appreciate talented musicians in any genre then you have to have this. Fantastic work that never sounds dated. (Online February 3, 2006) www.metal-observer.com

 

JUKKA TOLONEN BAND - JTB (A) Lion, 2005
10 tracks, RT: 49:41
[ http://www.jukkatolonen.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Man I love stuff like this. Originally released back in 1979, Jukka
Tolonen's JUST THOSE BOYS is an excellent snapshot of the jazz fusion
scene prevalent in the mid-to-late '70s. Jukka is apparently somewhat
of a well-known guitar hero in his native Finland, but I'm ashamed to
say I had never heard any of his music until I received JTB to review.
For fans of jazz fusion, it's all here: from the good time jazz-funk
of opener "Charterflight" to the hypnotic virtuosity of the live bonus
track "Ide & Lärdomshistorien/Lilla Lule Älv." Jukka has been around
for a long time and he and his band really know their way around a
composition, flawlessly incorporating elements recalling the glory
days of artists like Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Jaco Pastorius, Brand X
and Gamelon. The recording is excellent, with great instrument
separation and dynamics. The musicianship? Stunning. Check out the
super groove drummer Bill Carson lays down, along with the phenomenal
bass of Harri Merrilahti; soaring on top of this fantastic foundation
is the smooth sax of Christer Eklund, Joachim Kuhn's spacey keyboards
and of course the fiery guitar work of guitarists Jukka and Coste
Apetrea. I'm not sure why Lion decided to re-release this now but I'm
very glad they did. Jukka has been a hidden treasure for too long, and
I really miss hearing music like this. Do yourself a favor and put
this on when you want to hear something that entertains and amazes
simultaneously -- it's a treat for the ears!
Neal Woodall - Detritus e-zine
(MysticX10@msn.com)
 

 

 

JUKKA TOLONEN BAND - JTB Lion Music by: SCOTT JESLIS Email: scott@metalexpress.no

Guitarist Jukka Tolonen is probably not a common household name for most. Learn to know him as Finland’s national guitar hero, who is equally proficient in Blues, Rock, and Jazz-Fusion. For the past four decades, he has played to captivated audiences throughout Scandinavia and Europe. This JTB release appears to be a Jazz-Fusion gem that is finally seeing the light of day on CD. For some Metal Express readers, this might not be their "cup of tea." If you’re a fan of Jazz-Rock-Fusion/Funk/instrumental guitarists like Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, and Mike Sterns, who make full use of horns, synthesizers, etc., then read on, as you’re in for a treat. There’s also no doubting that this release puts the emphasis on the word "band" versus just "JT" in the acronym JTB. The opening track, "Charterflight," kicks things into high gear with some nice strumming, funky bass, and jazzy saxophone. The solos on this track start with a stirring saxophone solo before evolving into a "trading of licks" between Jukka and fellow guitarist, Coste Apetrea. Jukka’s playing here will remind the well-versed of Jeff Beck in his "Wired" days. Apetrea’s guitar tone, on the other hand, sounds slightly similar to Jan Hammer’s sound and feel. This is intense Jazz Fusion at it’s best! The next track, "Space Cookie," starts out with a nice acoustic, almost slightly flamenco, guitar solo and heads into another melodic saxophone solo. All of this is backed by a confident Jazz rhythm laid down on bass and drums. Midway through this track, Jukka unleashes what sounds like a phased guitar solo that will have Di Meola fans sitting straight up in their chairs with an ear to their speakers. The third track, "Grand Hotel," is probably the most funky track as it starts off with a nice funky beat, capped off by electrified guitar and saxophone solos. One could go on and on about the finer moments of the remaining tracks, but now that you’ve read this far, then you’ve hopefully already considered purchasing this release. The remaining tracks all have their own masterful musical moments, and when assembled all together they make for a very strong Jazz-Rock album. The only complaint is the same tempo continues until reaching the closing bonus track, "Ide & Lärdoms+Lilla Lule Älv." This is an early recording from 1977 that clocks in at 9+ minutes. This track starts out slow and sounds more experimental with some Eastern overtones and a "shouting-sax solo." The track is in no way awful, it’s just somewhat out of place with the rest of the CD. But hey, a "bonus track" is always a welcome addition. Overall this is one heck of a Jazz-Rock-Fusion/Funk release. Jukka Tolonen is indeed an accomplished Jazz guitarist, who also must be very humble and very secure based on his use of a second accomplished guitarist in Apetrea. No matter when this release was originally recorded, it still sounds just as fresh today as it must have when originally recorded. Bravo to Lion Music on getting this release to CD. As the music genre is slightly different from most of Lion’s catalog, all should hope Lion does some heavy marketing to get this album exposed to the fans that will appreciate it the most! Line-Up: There is a detailed extensive line-up posted on Lion Music’s official JTB page at www.LionMusic.com/jtb.htm Report Card: Recording Quality: B- Originality: B Overall Rating: B+ Release Date: July 22, 2005 To find out more about the Jukka Tolonen Band visit the label’s site at www.LionMusic.com or visit Jukka Tolonen’s official site at http://www.JukkaTolonen.com.

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Jukka Tolonen Band – JTB Lion Music www.lionmusic.com By Ryan Sparks www.classicrockrevisited.com  Rating: B+ Charteflight | Space Cookie | Grand Hotel | Ping Pong | Riven Cocos | Dancing Bear | Soita Saatana | Arka Haiven | Funky Nightmare | Bonus Track: Ide Lardomshistorien / Lilla Lule Alv Lion Music has long been known for their metal releases, so it came as a bit of a surprise to hear of this release by Finnish guitarist Jukka Tolonen, who probably has more in common musically with some of the better jazz guitar players than he does with power metal. This is a re-release of an album that was originally released in 1979 and I gotta tell you trying to find out any background information on it was not easy to do so I’ll tell you what I do know. Tolonen has effectively been around since the late 60’s, has recorded in many different configurations over the past 4 decades, played the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival and is a guitar hero in his native land. The music on this disc is really best described as being of a jazz fusion nature and there was a real Jeff Beck era Blow by Blow feeling on some of the songs. Tolonen is a great player, he fires off lighting runs with ease and along with co-guitarist Coste Apetrea they play these runs perfectly along in unison with sax player Christer Eklund. There is some great dueling back and forth on the opening cut “Charteflight” between Apetrea and Tolonen and you can feel the fireworks instantly from this opening cut and it continues all through the disc. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard a full disc of fusion type material that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end, so it is kind of ironic that what I was listening to was originally recorded over twenty five years ago. The sound on this disc gets high marks and sounds incredibly fresh today. If you like jazz fusion guitar driven records you’ll want to look around for this one.

 

Jukka Tolonen Band - JTB One of the biggest lost classics from the jazz/rock fusion genre finally sees the light of day on CD. From what guitarist Tolonen and Co. have created is a record that is in the vein of Dixie Dreggs, MVP, Frank Gambale, Happy the Man, and even Chick Corea’s “Electric Band”, fusing metallic guitar shedding with saxes, pianos (both acoustic and electric), fretless basses and an overall progressive substance that helped blueprint many jazz/rock and jazz/metal fusion aficionados. JTB is an album that goes all over the place while coming into full circle with the jam sessions. Whether referring to the driving rock of “Riven Cocos,” “Space Cookie” where the screaming sax takes prominence, the funk influenced “Arka Haiven,” or the groove laden “Dancing Bear” the album showcases a wide range of styles. Soloing, from all instruments takes the place of where a singer would often sing, but yet there is this high level of improvisation that comes into play, but not to far in experimental or “Zappa” territories; it’s much more easier on the ears, even the time signature transitions and key changes go along smoother than most jazz-fusion records, but yet there is a lot of energy harness and unleashed on this record. Rounding out there is a lot of dry production on the album, where all the instrumentation is brought up front in the mix rather than being lost in reverb and the guitar tone of Tolonen rages from crunch to clean, depending on the song. Very much filled with excellent compositions and catchy riffs and melodies JTB undoubtedly aligns itself along with some of the big albums in jazz-fusion. Better late than never. Rating: 7.5/10 Hashman - 10/10/2005  www.revelationz.net

Review by Hashman Released by Lion Music - 2005   Tracklisting 1- Charterflight 2- Space Cookie 3- Grand Hotel 4- Ping Pong 5- Riven Cocos 6- Dancing Bear 7- Solta Saatana 8- Arka Haiven 9- Funky Nightmare 10- Ide & Lardomshistorien/Lilla Lile Av   Style Jazz/Rock Fusion