Heikki Sarmanto, born 22 June 1939, Helsinki, Finland. Sarmanto studied languages and music at Helsinki University and Sibelius Academy before going on to the Berklee College Of Music (1968-71). He was named the best pianist at Montreux in 1971. He led his own bands from 1962 and in 1976 a workshop group he ran became the big band UMO. He has written New Hope Jazz Mass, a jazz ballet and a jazz opera, and was chosen by saxophonist Sonny Rollins to arrange and orchestrate his Saxophone Concerto (1986). He continues to write vocal, orchestral and theatre works in a most assured style. Heikki Sarmanto is something of a legend in Scandinavia but not (yet) well known in the USA. The belated American release of COUNTERBALANCE may change that, as it features a warm, harmonious fusion of jazz, rock, and elements of Finnish folk music, using both electric and acoustic instrumentation. Before ECM Records, before the concept of world music, before fusion became a popular concept, Sarmanto was there, with an approach both user-friendly and forward-looking. ---Rovi Recorded June 1971 in Helsinki. Tracklist : Skies 00:00 Guru Dev 07:18 14:32 23:52 32:02 38:22 Bass – Pekka Sarmanto Drums – Craig Herndon Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Heikki Sarmanto Flute – Juhani Aaltonen Guitar – Lance Gunderson
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