KOM Quartet ‎~ Finland

Jazz-Liisa 4 (1975 / 2016)

KOM Quartet's contribution to the Jazz Liisa series is an interesting one. The quartet itself is the musical core of a larger troupe known as KOM-Teatteri, who basically were a politically charged group who mixed theater, music, and commentary. In Sweden the band would have been categorized as progg (with the extra g). In retrospect it's humorous that all of these bands from the 70s seemingly were so radical, and yet 100% of them carried the same leftist political message. What would have been supremely nutzo would be to espouse the virtues of capitalism or imperialism. Then they would have been tagged truly radical.

So back to KOM Quartet. No, thankfully, none of this recording recalls politrock in the slightest. What I hear most is the avant wing of the Canterbury movement, most notably early Henry Cow. But at their most accessible. The female vocal and intonation, along with the composition style, all have a similar vibe. Combine that with Jukka Hauru's fiery jazz rock guitar solos, and you have quite an intriguing mix of styles. Quiet Sun's Mainstream is also entering my mind. This may be one of the better surprises from this series, up there with Taivaantemppeli and Taivaanvuohi. Well worth getting on its own or on LP, or even better combined with Jukka Tolonen on CD.

Ownership: 2016 Svart (CD). With Jukka Tolonen Ramblin' Jazz Band. Booklet with liner notes. Acquired in 2016.

9/8/16 (review); 6/21/26

2/24/17 (new entry)