IRO HAARLA & ULF KROKFORS:
HEART OF A BIRD (TUM CD 004)
Heart of a Bird 4:38/Springlike Grove 2:28/Spring Flower 4:24/Farewell
to Valomäki 3:52/Big, Big Problems 5:40/Lullaby for the Unborn 3:49/Gates
of Hades 2:38/Forest Song 3:29/Longing 3:26/Elephantine Memories
3:21/Solveig’s Song 4:20/Light in the Sadness 5:50
Total playing time 47:55
Iro Haarla, piano and harp, and
Ulf Krokfors, bass
with
Rasmus Korsström, soprano saxophone (Longing) and tenor saxophone
(Spring Flower, Lullaby for the Unborn and Light in the Sadness)
Heart of a Bird is an intimate collaboration between pianist/harpist
Iro Haarla and bassist Ulf Krokfors, a duo of two kindred spirits
sharing a beautiful musical conversation which intensely reflects
their own private feelings. On four tracks, the duo is joined by
saxophonist Rasmus Korsström adding another voice and tone to the
duo’s playing. The music on the recording represents free improvisation
within a compositional framework. It often deals with the feelings
of loss and regret but also hope and anticipation coming straight
from the musicians’ personal lives. The music on this recording
was composed equally by both Haarla and Krokfors. In addition to
their own compositions the duo has also recorded their version of
Antti Hytti’s Solveig’s song, a composition also recorded by the
SUHKAN UHKA ensemble on the “Suhka” recording (TUM CD 001).
Heart of a Bird was recorded in January and March, 2003 at the
Grand Theatre in Porvoo, Finland, with Paul Jyrälä and Antti Hytti
as the recording engineers. The recording was mixed by the same
at Mango Studios in Magnusborg, Porvoo, Finland and mastered by
Henrik Otto Donner at DER in Tammisaari, Finland.