By Glenn Astarita 

Helsinki, Finland born pianist/composer, Mika Pohjola continues to accelerate his stature within his adopted New York City headquarters. Here, the artist follows up his excellent trio-based 'Live At The Blue Note' recording with this endearing and rather charming set titled, Sound Of Village. However on this release, Pohjola shares the spotlight with percussionist Yusuke Yamamoto, for a series of inspiring duets. 

The musicians' first crossed paths while studying at the renowned 'Berklee College of Music' yet as the story goes, never played together until several years later, thus taking their articulate and altogether captivating blend of improvisational speak, sweet-tempered melodies and world groove style interplay on the road. With this outing, Pohjola performs on the harpsichord, acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes while Yamamoto’s percussion arsenal includes; drums, talking drum and other indigenous instruments. On the opener, 'Dandelion' the pianist executes a simply stated and subtly beautiful childlike ballad in conjunction with Yamamoto’s delicate tonal shadings and resonant pulse. - The duo engages in call and response type dialogue atop quaint and memorably melodic themes as they also convey an overall organic tone. 

Meanwhile on pieces such as “Bulan Mei” and 'Nature’s Choice' we find Pohjola performing rhythmic motifs amid lush harmonies in concert with Yamamoto's shrewd utilization of woodblocks, cymbals and bells. Throughout, the percussionist renders musical counterpoint to Pohjola's intricate maneuvers, as he often resides within the same pitch. 

Yamamoto provides Pohjola with a samba beat on the delightful and somewhat poignant, 'Season's Greetings', whereas Pohjola spins a folksy melody that elicits notions of American Civil War era themes. Basically, Sound of Village offers a stepping stone for one's imagination and is certainly one of the year’s finest offerings! Highly recommended
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AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Sound of Village consists of 15 duo improvisations by the Finnish pianist Mika Pohjola and the multi-percussionist Yusuke Yamamoto. In addition to acoustic piano, Pohjola occasionally plays harpsichord and Fender Rhodes; Yamamoto is heard on drums as well as berimbau, talking drum, clay flute, and voice. The intuitive communication between the two is extraordinary, whether on dense and brooding pieces like "Ultimatum"; pastoral sketches like "Dandelion," "Season's Greetings," and "Designs and Shapes"; or hip, rhythmically driving episodes like "Tom's Favorite Treats." The shimmering sound of the Rhodes on "The Center of the Universe" and "Berceuse 1823" at times seems to reference both minimalism and electronica. "Desert Urbanism" and "Präludium und Variationen" feature harpsichord with berimbau and clay flute, respectively, resulting in a bold yet entirely uncontrived meeting of East and West. Sadly, the events of September 11, 2001, would transform the meaning of the title track in a way that these two skilled and imaginative musicians could never have foreseen. Pohjola, in his liner notes, tells listeners that he lives near a fire station and three hospitals. He and Yamamoto decided to record the traffic sounds and incorporate them on this particular track. Oddly, one of the liner photos is a black-and-white view of Manhattan, looking toward the south, with the World Trade Center towers lit by a late afternoon sun.
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Mostly smooth jazzy instrumental music, Sound Of Village isn't content just to be pleasantly listenable. "Bulan Mei," for example, builds into a harsh frenzy. The short "A Chant For the Procurator" is a real attention-getter. (Flute?) Also, I had fun listening for the street noise in "Sound Of Village." And, of course, I'm a sucker for a piano-dominated piece such as "Season's Greetings," though Mika clearly has a way with the harpsichord on other cuts. This disc is an almost experimental recording from a couple of truly talented musicians -- a "jam" that's as much fun for the listeners as it surely was for the performers.
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This music is very entrancing...the kind of sounds that i can have backing up my thoughts as i get high and stare out the window. Soothing on the head and fodder for the soul... 

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