Improvisages

Takapihan talvea

2012-01-29T13:48:00.002+02:00

Winter's day in my backyard. The weather is a bit cold - -25 Celcius degrees this morning.

And in the other news - Yesterday Dead Beat Society (a.k.a. InterGalactic Folk Orchestra and a.k.a. Cookie in the Jar) had a longish 5-6 hours rehearsal in Jyvaskyla. There are gigs coming later this year. Very nice! (Juha H.)

Dream Theater

2012-01-24T17:43:00.001+02:00

Back from Helsinki. Sini and I were there to meet some friends and to see and hear Dream Theater. What a fantastic band! (Juha H.)

Musiikillisia videoita

2012-01-17T21:21:00.000+02:00

Last sunday morning Sini and I walked into the forest to have some coffee. And here is a video that shows some other things we found - peace, quiet and beautiful morning sun.

Morbid Carnivore is something else. It's one of many J-V's bands. One video can be found here. Rough and impressive!

Juha H.

Aurinkoa

2012-01-16T21:50:00.001+02:00

While trekking - sun so bright. (Juha H.)

Maija P. 70 v.

2012-01-11T22:24:00.004+02:00

There was a big party yesterday in Suolahtisali - Maija P. celebrated her 70th birthday. There were alot of people and many performing artists - poetry and music. Sini and I were there, too. We performed two of my compositions and showed this video. All was so nice. (Juha H.)

Talvi

2012-01-08T16:24:00.001+02:00

Sun's appearences have been quite rare during this Winter. But today all was different - for a few hours... Luckily Sini and I went to walk along the icy cover of Lake Keitele and then some paths in the forest. I sent some photos here. Now clouds cover the sky again. (Juha H.)

Sini ja Silikkitie

2012-01-07T15:36:00.001+02:00

Sini on the "Silkroad". Path across frozen Lake Keitele is open. It shortens our walking to the center of our little town from 4 kilometers to mere 1 kilometer. Never in my life "the opening" has been so late... (Juha H.)

Talvinen video

2012-01-05T21:11:00.000+02:00

I compiled a wintry video. It took a couple of days worth of work to create the whole. Sini sang a few bars and I did the rest. The video itself can be found here. (Juha H.)

Kaisla tuulessa

2012-01-04T21:02:00.002+02:00

Reeds in the wind. - All day lots of making music and doing some filming, too. Maybe tomorrow I can add a video here... (Juha H.)

Majakka

2011-12-31T16:02:00.000+02:00

Little lighthouse on an islet. Lake Keitele is frosen over - once again this winter. (Juha H.)

Pensas rannalla

2011-12-30T14:39:00.001+02:00

Frozen bush on the bank of Lake Keitele. There was a mighty storm earlier this week in Finland. Actually it rampaged quite badly Norway and Sweden, too. There were hundreds of thousands of people for days without electricity - especially in Southern Finland . We had no blackouts though it was close... But after those storming days the banks of Lake Keitele looked like the pic above. I made a video, too. It can be seen here. (Juha H.)

Myrskyn tauottua

2011-12-28T21:07:00.000+02:00

After two days of storming the banks of Lake Keitele looked like this. (Juha H.)

Ihmeellinen porkkana

2011-12-24T12:32:00.000+02:00

Miraculous carrot. Snow is quite scarse. Merry Christmas. (Juha H.)

Oregon

2011-12-21T20:50:00.000+02:00

Lately while walking I've been listening a lot to music of a group called Oregon. Years and years ago it was a revelation to find such a band. Ever since the classical lineup - Ralph Towner, Paul McCandless, Glen Moore and Colin Walcott, the musicians and their instrumentation - has been a dream band for me. I still wish to have such a band some day - to play acoustic music concisting of tightly composed and totally improvised passages. Maybe someday...

And something totally different. Here's a link to J-V's latest band - their brand new demos.

Juha H.

Tuli takapihalla

2011-12-17T20:57:00.001+02:00

Bonfire from my backyard. - I made a video. Sini sang the melody and I did the rest. It can be seen here. It's sort of a Christmas movie. (Juha H.)

Lumilyhty

2011-12-13T21:26:00.000+02:00

Snow lantern Sini made. - All day I've just recorded keyboards and woodwind instruments with Pro Tools. It's been very, very nice. Now's the time to go to sauna. (Juha H.)

Joulukuusen hakeminen

2011-12-10T20:02:00.001+02:00

Sini and I trekked into deep forest to meet Toropainen and get us a Christmas tree. I had a camcorder with me and filmed the whole trip... Back home it took merely some three hours to compose a piece of music to go with the visual adventure, record it and edit the video. Now it's ready and can be seen here. (Juha H.)

Graffiti

2011-12-08T21:49:00.001+02:00

Ensemble Hoikkaset played a gig for local veterans of WW2. We performed mostly Christmas carols.
Later in the evening I recorded some recorder and Sini's beautiful singing. Music makes me so happy! (Juha H.)

Roskis Tallinnassa

2011-12-05T16:40:00.001+02:00

Above a trashcan from Tallinn. The text tells that anything that can't be used as a rhythm instrunment can be put here. - Concerts were great. Especially I liked the organ music - Bach and Liszt. Toomas Trass performed the music quite superbly! Moya Brennan was good, too. (Juha H.)

Vanhahko digitaalinen maalaus

2011-12-01T20:35:00.001+02:00

Digital painting I did twenty years ago. The original pic was created with Amiga Computer. Then it was photographed and the slide was reflected on boys thinking some deep thoughts... Last weekend I digitized the pic again.

Tomorrow Sini and I are goint to travel to Tallinn. Nice days ahead - some organ music and a concert of Moya Brennan. (Juha H.)

Vihdoin lunta takapihalla

2011-11-28T21:45:00.001+02:00

Finally some snow in my backyard. - And in the other news: lots of recording different instruments with ProTools - keyboards, recorders, percussion etc. Happy working! (Juha H.)

Tarinoita ja Laihoja Soittajapoikia

2011-11-27T20:59:00.001+02:00

Above a band - Tarinoita ja Laihoja soittajapoikia - I used to play in some fifteen years ago. It performed compositions of Jori Rintamäki (drums). The singer was Pirjo Laiho, masterful Mihai Petrescu played the bass and his brother (stunningly fast, so fast) Marian Petrescu had keys under his hands. I blew woodwinds (flute, recorder and sax). - Now Sini and I have photographed and turned to digital all thousands and thousands of our slide-photos. Above one pic we found. (Juha H. ; photo by Sini)

Improvisages ennen

2011-11-25T21:56:00.001+02:00

Improvisages rehearsing some twenty years ago. And the computer was called Atari. At that time Sini took the above photo. Today Sini and I've photographed more than 400 photo slides and thus turned them digital. We're in the middle of a quite massive project... (Juha H.)

Syksyinen korpimaisema

2011-11-23T20:16:00.001+02:00

Forest in Autumn. - All evening I just recorded my music. Great fun - though a bit lonely to do it all alone. Many tracks of drums and percussion done and some slide whistles plus recorder... (Juha H.)

Toropaisen suolla

2011-11-20T20:52:00.001+02:00

While trekkin' today. Hentuvansuo - that's near where Toropainen's datsa resides. Frosty day. (Juha H.)

Talvea ja pakkasta odotellessa

2011-11-18T19:15:00.001+02:00

No cold, no frost yet. This is very surprising. I've never seen Autumn like this. (Juha H.)

Takapiha talvea odottaa

2011-11-15T21:09:00.001+02:00

Backyard waiting for the Winter. No snow, just a little bit of frost at night... (Juha H.)

Improvisages keikalla

2011-11-13T20:21:00.001+02:00

Improvisages rehearsing before the concert today. We accompanied many different singers - Sini and all. And I mixed the whole show, too. (Juha H. ; photo by Sini)

Bagatitsa

2011-11-10T22:40:00.001+02:00

Bagatitsa performing in Suolahtisali. Sini and I were there, too. Quite traditional Russian Cossack dances, singing and music. Very well executed. And there was so much humour! - Much of the sound was done with my equipment. And I was the helping hand, well roadie for the mixer of Bagatista. (Juha H.)

Takapihan marraskuu

2011-11-09T22:07:00.002+02:00

Backyard in November. (Juha H.)

Renaamista

2011-11-07T21:12:00.000+02:00

Rehearsing with Ropsi. There is a concert coming and Improvisages - Jori and me - are going to accompany and perform with many singers and musicians. (Juha H. ; photo by Sini)

Kukka ja Improvisages

2011-11-03T21:40:00.000+02:00

Daisy. Hey it's November. I've never seen these flowers blossoming in my backyard at this time of the year. Sign of Global Warming? - Improvisages performed a concert, we accompanied two singers - Marie Finne-Bray and Piers Bray. Very, very nice. (Juha H.)

Ruusu ja musiikkia

2011-11-01T20:50:00.000+02:00

Roses still blossom in my backyard. It's already November and to have flowers at this time of the year is very, very rare.

Improvisages rehearsed with two singers in Suolahtisali. And after that Jori and I came back to my place and we rehearsed with Sini, too. All was very, very nice. There are gigs and concerts coming. Music is so gloriously uplifting.

Juha H.

Ikkuna

2011-10-31T20:33:00.001+02:00

Window. (Juha H.)

Valokuvia

2011-10-29T20:23:00.000+03:00

I finally finished the massive project of fixin' the photos of our visit to Rome. More than 1200 pics. Some of them I sent here.

Improvisages rehearsed with two singers - music from late Baroque to almost modern times. And of course there was some jazz involved. There is a concert coming soon.

Juha H.

Rooman kukkia

2011-10-28T21:38:00.001+03:00

Flowers from Rome, Italy. (Juha H.)

Keikalta kotiin

2011-10-26T21:03:00.001+03:00

Sini, J-V and I performed a gig in Suolahtisali. There were a lots of speeches and only some music. These kind of gigs are quite hard to play - one piece of music here and one there. You always have to begin the performance from the beginning and then it's over - and you begin again. Well, I knew it in advance - Sini and J-V didn't. Now they know it, too. But all in all everything succeeded fine.

Juha H.

Rooma

2011-10-24T21:45:00.003+03:00

View from Rome, Italy. - All evening I've just been fixin' photos... (Juha H.)

Takaisin Roomasta

2011-10-22T21:59:00.001+03:00

Back from Rome, Italy. What a fantastic city!! (Juha H.)

Konsertti ja matkaan

2011-10-13T21:25:00.002+03:00

Sini and I were in a concert in Suolahtisali. There performed Jyväskylä Sinfonia some very nice music - Prokofiev, Beethoven and especially wonderful was the violin concerto composed by Atso Almila. Modern concert music and the soloist was quite a fantastic improviser Mikko-Ville Luolajan-Mikkola. Music makes me so very happy, happy.

Tomorrow Sini and I are going to travel to Rome, Italy for a vacation. We're going to stay there for a week.

Juha H.

Tuhkaa

2011-10-11T21:13:00.000+03:00

Leaves on top of a pile of ash. (Juha H.)

Syksyn lehdet ja Improvisages

2011-10-09T20:46:00.000+03:00

Frozen leaves. - I added here a video excerpt from our concert a week ago. It's some 6-7 minutes from the beginning of the happening. Three pieces of music - instrumental fragment, a song sung by Sini and a poem recited by Maija P. on top of free tonal improvisation by Improvisages. (Juha H.)

Punarinta

2011-10-08T20:11:00.000+03:00

Red robin - a bird from my backyard. (Juha H.)

Syksy takapihalla

2011-10-07T21:15:00.000+03:00

Autumn, view from my backyard. - For some days I've notated my music with Sibelius Software. And it's been so nice. (Juha H.)

Sorsa

2011-10-05T20:59:00.001+03:00

Wild duck. - And in the other news I just began reading Manhattan in Reverse written by Peter F. Hamilton. Nice times ahead. (Juha H.)

Kaakkovuorella

2011-10-03T21:43:00.001+03:00

While trekking. (Juha H.)

Syksy

2011-10-01T21:57:00.003+03:00

Autumn is very much here. ( Juha H.)

Sini, Maija, Veikko-Kalevi ja Improvisages

2011-09-30T22:09:00.000+03:00

Improvisages just before the gig. Sini took the pic. You can see her in the background. - And the concert-Happening was pretty much fine or even better!! (Juha H. photo by Sini)

Syksyn kirjavaa

2011-09-29T19:45:00.001+03:00

Autumn is so colourful. - All evening Sini and I have rehearsed for the gig tomorrow. (Juha H.)

Syksy virran rannalla

2011-09-26T20:40:00.000+03:00

Autumn by a stream. (Juha H.)

Pihlaja

2011-09-24T19:47:00.000+03:00

Sorbus - view from my backyard. Autumn is coming fast. (Juha H.)

Perhonen

2011-09-22T20:52:00.001+03:00

Butterfly. (Juha H.)

Sini, Maija P, Veikko-Kalevi ja Improvisages

2011-09-20T21:08:00.000+03:00

Above poster for a forthcoming gig - songs, poems, music and photos. Improvisages with some added features. (Juha H.)

Auringonkukka

2011-09-19T18:37:00.000+03:00

Sunflower from my backyard. (Juha H.)

Lehti laineilla

2011-09-17T20:57:00.001+03:00

Floating leaf. (Juha H.)

Valo ja Improvisages

2011-09-16T22:49:00.000+03:00

Improvisages - Jori and me - rehearsed with Maija P. , Sini and Veikko-Kalevi. There is a Multi-Art Concert-Happening coming. All is built around Veikko-Kalevi Riihinen's poetry. I've composed songs and Sini sings them. There are some 11 poems that Maija Piitulainen recites - and Improvisages improvise with her. Improvisages perform some of their own compositions and this time we're going to perform them as they were written - with no improvisations, well mostly at least! And my photos are shown to go with the music. Veikko-Kalevi Riihinen - the poet - does it with a laptop and data projector.

Today we had great fun!!

Now Sini is already watching the video how Dream Theater found their new drummer - Mike Mangini. Now I'll join her!

Juha H.

Lehdet putoaa

2011-09-15T22:22:00.001+03:00

Fallen leaves. - Dream Theater has released a new album, A Dramatic Turn of Events. Today I heard it the first time. Very nice, interesting and complicated enough music. (Juha H.)

Syksy saapuu vieraaksemme

2011-09-14T21:20:00.001+03:00

Some aspen leaves have already fallen. (Juha H.)

Tyrni

2011-09-12T19:59:00.002+03:00

Sea-buckthorns from my backyard. (Juha H.)

Valo

2011-09-10T20:45:00.003+03:00

Project Valo (=light) together first time. There is a concert happening coming later this month. The whole is based on the poetry of Veikko-Kalevi Riihinen (back left). I wrote almost all of the composed music. There's one instrumental written by Jori Mäenpää (back right). Sini sings the songs and Maija Piitulainen (front right) recites 11 poems. And Jori and me - Improvisages - improvise the music while she recites. Improvisages perform some totally written instrumentals, too. And in the background my photos are shown... This is the concept. (Juha H. ; photo by Hanna-Maaria)

Kannu keittyy

2011-09-09T22:52:00.000+03:00

Something burning, well almost. - Maija P. was here. Sini and I rehearsed with her our next joint project, performance. All is so well!!
Now Sini and I watch and listen to Steve Vai's DVD Visual Sound Theories. Fantastic!! Well, maybe even more so!! (Juha H.)

Polku

2011-09-07T21:22:00.000+03:00

Path in the forest. - Today I finally had the time and mastered our next musical project. Maaliskuu (=March) is done and burned on CD. I wrote the music and played almost all instruments. J-V did some guitar solos. Sini sang all the songs and Maija P recited the poetry. All the words were written by Veikko-Kalevi Riihinen. Sini and I haven't listened to the whole yet. (Juha H.)

Kukkii

2011-09-05T21:49:00.000+03:00

Margarite. - Warm day. And in the evening I recorded Sini's singing. One more song mixed and bounced to HardDisk. (Juha H.)

Sini ja Improvisages

2011-09-03T21:13:00.004+03:00

Flowers from my backyard. - Sini and Improvisages rehearsed today - songs to be performed later this month. Very nice!! (Juha H.)

Syksyn sieni

2011-09-02T20:45:00.003+03:00

Autumn and mushrooms keep on poppin' up. (Juha H.)

Karpalot pienen sienen kera

2011-08-31T21:25:00.001+03:00

Cranberries with a little mushroom. (Juha H.)

Puolukat puussa

2011-08-29T21:51:00.002+03:00

Mountain cranberries growing on a stump of a pine tree. (Juha H.)

Ranta-alpi

2011-08-28T21:46:00.003+03:00

Flower - Lycimachia Vulgaris . (Juha H.)

Aurinko laski eilenkin

2011-08-27T16:29:00.002+03:00

Yesterday's sunset. And the evening was so warm. (Juha H.)

Tehdas auringon laskiessa

2011-08-24T21:17:00.002+03:00

Factory at sunset. (Juha H.)

Sienet

2011-08-23T20:08:00.005+03:00

Some mushrooms. - Lately I've notated quite a lot of music with Sibelius 6. (Juha H.)

Kyy

2011-08-21T22:08:00.002+03:00

While trekking today Sini and I met the above nasty looking viper ready to strike. (Juha H.)

Auringon jo laskettua

2011-08-20T19:25:00.002+03:00

After sunset. (Juha H.)

Runoutta ja musiikkia

2011-08-18T21:20:00.003+03:00

I made a video - Maija P reciting a poem of Eino Leino. I filmed the whole with Nikon D5100. The quality of sound is not that good but luckily the visual quality is quite ok. This morning I wrote the little piece of music to go with the video and later recorded it with Pro Tools. And it can be found here.

Juha H.

Maisema

2011-08-17T21:06:00.001+03:00

Scenery. (Juha H.)

Kukka

2011-08-15T21:35:00.004+03:00

A flower on the beach. - Sini and I had a nice rehearsal. She sang and I played Stratocaster. (Juha H.)

Puolukat

2011-08-14T21:38:00.002+03:00

Mountain cranberries. (Juha H.)

Dead Cult Diaries keikalla

2011-08-13T14:05:00.003+03:00

Dead Cult Diaries performing very early today. Mighty and fine band. (Juha H.)

Mustarastas

2011-08-12T19:55:00.004+03:00

Common blackbird. For some Springs I've seen just one blackbird in my backyard searching for food. This year it didn't happen. I thought that it was dead and gone. But early this morning I realized a blackbird hopping under a rosebush. And I was so delighted. Is it the same bird? - Later this evening Sini and I are going to listen to Dead Cult Diaries. (Juha H.)

Vanha ikkuna

2011-08-11T21:49:00.003+03:00

An old window. - Yesterday rehearsed Dead Beat Society and at the same time recorded some demo material. (Juha H.)

Uusi kamera

2011-08-09T20:25:00.003+03:00

New camera - Nikon D5100. And a new book. (Photo with Nikon D70; Juha H.)

Takaisin Tallinnasta

2011-08-08T19:00:00.003+03:00

Back from Tallinn, Estonia. What a wonderful city!! (Juha H.)

Runoutta ja musiikkia

2011-08-04T20:54:00.004+03:00

Maija P was here. I once again recorded her reciting poetry of Veikko-Kalevi Riihinen. Six poems. And after she left I wrote, recorded and mixed some music to go with the poems. Now all six are done and bounced to Disk.

Even later Veikko-Kalevi visited. We had a nice chat about forthcoming projects.

Tomorrow Sini and I are going to travel to Tallinn, Estonia - once again. There's some folk music and an organ concert waiting for us.

Juha H.

Veistos

2011-08-02T22:27:00.004+03:00

Reclining nude - a sculpture by Olavi Lanu. (Juha H.)

Kukkia

2011-08-01T22:28:00.004+03:00

Flowers. - I've been burning Blu-Ray Discs. Later in the evening I recorded some Sini's singing. Nice, nice! (Juha H.)

Ja takaisin

2011-07-31T23:00:00.003+03:00

Back from Helsinki. Nice visit. There Sini and I met friends, saw art and dinosaurs... (Juha H.)

Keuruulla

2011-07-28T20:41:00.004+03:00

Today Sini and I travelled to Keuruu and back. Nice little town. Very early tomorrow it's time to go to Helsinki - once again. (Juha H.)

Takaisin Lapinlahdelta

2011-07-27T21:35:00.003+03:00

View from Lapinlahti. Sini and I visited Bishop Arseni. Veery nice! (Juha H.)

Kanto

2011-07-25T21:48:00.002+03:00

Old stump of a tree. (Juha H.)

Fairport Convention

2011-07-24T21:51:00.004+03:00

Fairport Convention performing at the Keitele Jazz Festival 2011. Fine and happy band. Their latest CD Festival Bell is actually very good and luckily they played quite many songs from that album. (Juha H.)

Improvisages keikalla

2011-07-23T01:39:00.003+03:00

Improvisages performing with singers Marie Finne-Bray and Piers Bray. - Keitele Jazz Festival 2011 is happening right now. There have performed some very jazzy bands like Wilko Johnson , Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and Improvisages... (Juha H. ; photo by Sini)

Improvisages ja Dead Cult Diaries

2011-07-20T18:52:00.003+03:00

Improvisages rehearsed with two opera singers - some old jazz, some rock and then something...

Later this evening Sini and I are going to listen to Antony Parviainen Trio. Nice things ahead.

Now I'm going to play some more flute.

Juha H.

Sateessa mustikassa

2011-07-19T20:58:00.003+03:00

While picking blueberries in the rain. Well, blueberries were behind my back and the rain was not that hard. - Almost every day during this summer Sini and I've been rehearsing our own music. It's been so great fun!! (Juha H.)

Pieni koivu ja IFO

2011-07-18T21:17:00.005+03:00

Tiny little birch. - I added a video of InterGalactic Folk Orchestra performing here. (Juha H.)

Takapihan ruusu

2011-07-17T19:34:00.003+03:00

Backyard rose. - Yesterday InterGalactic Folk Orchestra/Cookie in the Jar/ Dead beat Society performed a mighty fine gig in Hameenkyro. Today I've worked with the yesterday's video material. Right now my Stuudio's computer is rendering a HD-version of the whole performance. (Juha H.)

Mustikoiden aika

2011-07-15T20:28:00.002+03:00

It's the blueberry time of the year. (Juha H.)

Improvisages

2011-07-14T18:09:00.003+03:00

Improvisages - while rehearsing today Sini took a photo. (Juha H.)

IFO, Cookie ja DBS

2011-07-13T19:21:00.004+03:00

InterGalactic Folk Orchestra, Cookie in the Jar and Dead Beat Society had a longish rehearsal yesterday. Very nice! Three different bands but the musicians are the same. (Juha H. ; photo by Mirkka)

Improvisages renaa

2011-07-11T23:00:00.004+03:00

My rig today - before Improvisages had a longish and hot rehearsal. (Juha H.)

Dead Cult Diaries

2011-07-10T21:38:00.004+03:00

Yesterday Dead Cult Diaries performed in Sumiainen - Suolirock 2011. Mighty fine band!! (Juha H.; photo by Sini)