The New Sound of 1974

Right now there is a lot of great new funky and experimental jazz music coming out of Finland and Ricky-Tick Records is one of the big reasons for this recent regional jazz explosion. Over the last half-decade, the label has been highlighting the countries growing jazz scene by releasing a number of great records by Finnish artists like Astro Can Caravan, Timo Lassy, The Five Corners Quintet, Auteur Jazz, Dalindèo, and many others. One of my favorite musicians on Ricky-Tick is trumpet and flugelhorn player Jukka Eskola. Along with playing in The Five Corners Quintet, Jukka has released a couple of solo albums and a few singles including the amazing 2009 LP Walkover. One of my favorite tracks by the Finnish musician has to be the funky jazz gem "1974" which was released as a single back in 2004, as well as included on his self-titled debut the following year. If your one of those individuals that are desperately seeking out to find great new modern jazz music that tend to stretch the boundaries outside of your typical "jazz standard", I highly recommend first seeking out many of the artists on the Ricky-Tick label like Jukka Eskola, as they continue to help shape the future of jazz music. Enjoy!

Jukka Eskola - 1974