Vinyl Vault — Pekka Pohjola, “B the Magpie”

The Vinyl Vault travels to Finland this week when we listen to a 1975 album from Finish bassist Pekka Pohjola entitled “B the Magpie.” It was released internationally on the Virgin record label.

Pohjola, who died in 2008 at age 56, is widely regarded as the finest bass player to come out of Finland in the jazz/fusion/progressive rock arena. He began his musical studies on piano, playing classical music and then added violin. When the Beatles hit the scene, he dropped classical music and picked up the bass. He eventually joined the band Wigwam which had some international commercial success in the 1970s. While with that band, he recorded a solo album and in 1975, he recorded “B the Magpie,” his second solo release.

Also known for his compositional skills, Pohjola wrote all the music on the album and performed on both bass and piano. Although instrumental, it’s a concept album that follows little B the Magpie as he tries to understand life in the forest and how he can fit in when, much of the time, he dances to a different drum than the rest of society. Many of the tracks feature a trio of saxophones that Pohjola deploys in numerous creative ways, from the sound of a big band horn section to an introspective classical sound.

Check out the Vinyl Vault with Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, October 10 at 8:30 pm on KUVO JAZZ.

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