Black Motor

The highly dynamic trio from Tampere might well be Finland’s hardest working and free-est jazz unit. Their trademark is the habit to invite to stage friends and colleagues from Jukka Orma, Raoul Brjörkenheim and Jo’ Buddy to Teppo Hauta-aho, Jone Takamaäki, Jorma Tapio and many others. Another characterizing feature in Black Motor is the fact that while the mainline is in deep jazz, it’s informed by a vast love and knowledge about many other genres from blues, reggae and rock’n’roll to old Finnish dance songs and several ethnic styles.
Sami Sippola plays mostly tenor, but also other saxes, in the earthy and robust style of Gato Barbieri and Sonny Rollins, while not forgetting John Coltrane’s or Pharoah Sanders’ cosmic teachings. There are no more kick-ass or groovy bass players anywhere than Ville Rauhala and Simo Laihonen deals with drums (also flutes) like Edward Vesala or Rashied Ali: he oozes a sense of swing even when travelling behind Sirius. They have plenty of original tunes, but the latest album Hoojaa hit bullseye with idiosyncratic compositions by their old friend Kusti Vuorinen (Tampo, Suurin Onni). Vaarat vastukset and Rauhala’s solo work on double bass, Freedom – Eight Episodes, are also worth checking out.