Esa Pietila´s solo concerts deals with multitude colours of saxophone expression in many different textures & atmospheres - from variety of minimalism whisper to full and fiery free blowing and glowing improvisations - resulting a palette of colourful shapes of multiphonics, chordal tones, rhythmic surprises, and even fuga-like approach with freedom of saxophone voice bent to it´s limits.
His solo saxophone expression is many times influenced by visual arts and poetry, which gives Esa the platforms to shape up the long structures and forms of his improvisations. With his "inner dialogues" of improvisation, he combines his "fantasy world" together with the "real world" - of how he sees it around him.. Really "visual music", if You want to put it that way.
Quotes from reviews about CD “Karhea”…
- “Congrats on the new CD – it´s FANTASTIC! “
(Laurence Donohue-Greene – All About Jazz, New York)
- Esa Pietilä, known as a prowess visionary and improviser”…
( FIMIC 2009)
other quotes from previous albums & about Esa:
- “An always explorative saxophonist, accessible though with a personal perspective toward the music he plays”. (Don Williamson, Jazzreview.com)
- “Never resorting to the tired bag of tricks that so few have been able to resist before him.” (Robert Spencer, Cadence, USA)
Esa´s original style and various projects - trio - new quartet (formed 2008) with ECM artist Iro Haarla - solo saxophone concerts etc., have stabilized his position performing on the national / international jazz circuit, and have led him to play inItaly, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, Finland, The Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, England, USA, Australia, New Zeeland, Brazil, Cuba… He has performed with the names like Ron McClure, Mathias Eick, Michael Jefry Stevens, Mike Nock, Stan Szukalski, Claudio Fasoli, Heiri Kaenzig, Anders Begcrantz, Odean Pope, Jaak Sooär, Uffe Krokfors, Markku Ounaskari, Raoul Björkenheim, Brian Melvin, Iro Haarla, Filip Augustson, Hilmar Jensson, Johannes Mössinger, Kjartan Valdemarsson, Fabian Kuratli, Mikko Innanen, Mika Kallio, Seppo kantonen, Arthur Kell, Antti Hytti, Jarmo Savolainen, Sanni Orasmaa, Juho Laitinen, Jimmy Knepper, Kjartan Valdimarsson, Eric Qvik, UMO Jazz Orchestra, Onfonia Saxophone Quartet, Roland Vasquez and Erling Kroner. Esa has also stood on stage with many global jazz luminaries, e.g. Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Carla Bley, David Liebman, Vince Mendoza, Maria Schneider, Ray Anderson, Steve Slagle, Rick Margitza...
"Pietilä´s uncompromising approach to music, search for new angles and refusal to walk the trodden path betray his lofty ambitions - a free improviser & a storyteller who expresses interesting fictionary sagas of imagination”.
He injects immediacy and surprise into his playing by going for unplanned gems that like-minded interaction can discover through spontaneous playing. His interests are as much about implication - the spaces between the dots he punches out - as about literal adherence to pre-written composition".
Pietila´s Trio with Ulf Krokfors and Markku Ounaskari, which explores new improvisational fields of freejazz expression, has been performing with success in many Scandinavian and European festivals & clubs on the recent years. The Trio´s openness for free improvisation and the elaboration upon the conventional roles of their instruments, highlights a larger goal: creating a unified group identity"
Already at young age Esa Pietilä´s playlist included a lot of avantgarde and freejazz artists like Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler, Orrnette Coleman and of course John Coltrane. He studied at Sibelius Academy Jazz Departement, Helsinki (years 1987-1996), and to took part on numerous masterclasses and private lessons of e.g. David Liebman and others in USA.
More details, music, videos, blog, gigs, stories etc.at:
www.esapietila.com
Read more...