Ben Monder on the Side

Northern Sunrise from pianist/composer Mika Pohjola is in a different mood and mode but these airy, arty and atmospheric renderings seem tailor-made for Monder's guitar and aesthetic sensibilities. The first tracks and some subsequent ones elicit some lovely guitar lines but it's all too brief. If you're a devoted or budding Monder-ite (or soon to become one) you might wish he'd get more solo action here. This recording was fashioned to put Pohjola's pianistic talents centerstage and what he does sparkles. But Monder, as well as the skillful saxophonist Steve Wilson, is consequently relegated more to the background than to the light. (When they get to step out a bit they sparkle.)

But this is Pohjola's show and that's not undeserved. His playing—displaying a classical bent, more than one might expect on a so-called 'jazz' recording—is beautiful and evocative. He's a conjurer of emotion as well as a possessor of technical expertise and he seems to get the effect for which he strives. There are occasionally some odd touches such as spacey sounds in "Late Global Hearing" and an atypical "Have You Met Miss Jones." The band, with Massimo Biolcati on bass, Mark Ferber on drums and Franco Pinna on bombo on one piece ("Blues Chacarera"), is fully supportive and able.

The musical selections, which include a charming version of Grieg's "Peasant Song" and Pohjola's "Passacaglia" reflect a penchant for the classical, as well as the introspective and formal. But a rendition of "Sweet and Lovely," with spirited contributions from Wilson and Monder, let in some welcome jazz feeling. As an ensemble piece, "Human Impact" soars with playful, ebullient spirit from everyone too. A calmer "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" is an enjoyable way to wrap up this eclectic package.

Source: All About Jazz