Seppo Tyni, A Musical Night and Niin Aina (53:21, 68:35); PELPCD 6, PELPCD 9, 1995, 1997 Rockadillo Records Keskustori 7 A 11, 33100 Tampere, Finland Phone: 358-31-213-1260 E-mail: zenmaster@rock.pp.fi Finnish guitarist and composer Seppo Tyni can't seem to decide what he wants to be. Of these two albums, Tyni's solo debut A Musical Night gives us a far better idea of his strengths as a guitarist. But the disc suffers from a surfeit of styles. It segues confusingly from Steve Vai-esque wailing to Donald Fagen-esque jazz pop, then to blues shuffle, then cajun/zydeco groove, back to headbanging, on to a ballad, and so on. The high point is "Law and Order," a progressive rock shuffle with cool background horn lines and a weird baritone sax solo. But once that's over, we're back to more cajun boogaloo, more heavy metal - more of the same grab bag of genres. Tyni seems to have put the cart before the horse, striking stylistic poses instead of crafting strong melodies. However, his versatility on guitar is impressive: he can grind out wall-of-sound distortion, crisp and smart lines reminiscent of Steve Khan and Larry Carlton, dirty Telecaster-style blues, and more. Tyni's follow-up effort, Niin Aina, is more focused. At times it's atmospheric, with distant-sounding twang guitar suggesting a David Lynch soundtrack. "Crewe Station" and "Five Days" share moments that recall Allan Holdsworth's work with Bruford. "Stagnation" and "Farewell" are strong reminders of Blow by Blow-era Jeff Beck. Despite their stylistic borrowings, these tracks reveal a clarity of purpose absent from Tyni's earlier disc. Best of all are the two vocal numbers sung by Pauliina Kiuru, "Morning Twilight" and "Rewind." The first sounds a bit like Kate Bush, the second like early 80s Joni Mitchell. Both melodies are unforgettable. Tyni would have done well to summon this kind of inspiration for his instrumental music. ~David R. Adler, 2/8/00 A Musical Night Tracks: 1. Wound 2. Oops Department 3. Tom-Cat 4. Carelian Pie 5. The Schooner Vanishes 6. Oasis for Two 7. Law and Order 8. Change of Heart 9. A Greek Wedding 10. The Longer Route Personnel: Seppo Tyni, guitars, mandolin (4), fretless bass melodies (2, 4); Heikki Elo, keyboards, Hammond B3 (1, 4, 5, 7); Anssi "Haava" Nyk�nen, drums; Harri Rantanen, bass; Jari-Pekka Leino, accordion (3, 4, 8); Pentti Per�m�ki, harmonica (2, 3); Reijo "Takku" Ylinen, tenor sax (2), bassoon (3), French horn (6), soprano sax melodies (10); Tapani Rinne, baritone sax (7), soprano sax solos (10); Ilkka Poij�rvi, Hammond B3 (2, 3, 6, 8, 10); Jyrki "Speedy" Saarinen, rhythm guitar (9); Pepe Willberg, vocal (6); Jari Kokkonen, samples (1). Niin Aina Tracks: 1. Crewe Station 2. Blissful 3. Stagnation 4. You Rascals You 5. The Bridge 6. Morning Twilight 7. Backyard Lantern 8. Farewell 9. Pictures 10. Rewind 11. Five Days 12. Tonight On Stage 13. Whang 14. Always Personnel: Seppo Tyni, guitars, mandolin (4), fretless bass melodies (1, 11); Anssi Nyk�nen, drums; Timo Pratskin, keyboards, Hammond B-3, melodica; Harri Rantanen, bass, fretless bass (3); Speedy Saarinen, background vocals (6), high-pitch guitar (2); Mongo Aaltonen, percussion; Seppo Kantonen, accordion (13); Pauliina Kiuru, vocals (6, 10); Jari-Pekka Leino, accordion (4); Kim L�nnholm, vocals (2); Mika Myll�ri, trumpet (4, 7); Pentti Per�m�ki, harmonica (6, 12); Pekka Pohjola, bass solo (14); Tapani Rinne, bass clarinet (5), soprano sax (10); Timo Siren, viola (8); Arttu Takalo, vibes (5, 7, 9, 13, 14) E.E.R. EDITOR's NOTE: Seppo Tyni is noted for his fine guitarwork on Pekka Pohjola releases. Especially recommended is Pohjola's Space Waltz. Hear Tyni's amazing riffage on the "Risto" track.
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