Sounds. Spaces. Shades. Scents. Music is not in the notes, but between them. That is where JUSSI REIJONEN, a Boston-based Finnish fretless/fretless guitarist and oudist, thrives and blossoms. His eagerly awaited debut album, un is out now on unmusic. It has been a long musical journey, one that has taken him from Northern Finland to the Middle East, East Africa, and then the United States. From the opening notes of Serpentine to the last echoes from Kaiku, the album’s closer, never lets go. What lies between the bookends? A breathtaking musical journey that gracefully moves between the traditions and folk musics of Africa and America, and seamlessly dances between tension and resolution. Un is world music, even though it is often misused in this age. It is music that is authentic and true to its true meaning. Reijonen was born in Rovaniemi in northern Finland. His family traveled around the globe to follow his father’s footsteps. Since relocating to the US in 2008, he has had the honor of performing with the likes of renowned jazz drummer Jack deJohnette, flamenco cantaor legend Pepe de Lucia, Spanish multi-Grammy-award-winning producer and flamenco guitarist Javier Limon, Palestinian oud/violin master Simon Shaheen, fretless guitar pioneer David Fiuczynski, Turkey’s gypsy clarinet legend Husnu Senlendirici, and Lebanese nay virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Bassam Saba, to name a few. In his original compositions as well as his playing, the open spaces of Scandinavia seamlessly blend with the rhythmic richness and simplicity of India and West Africa. It creates a truly magical musical mosaic. He says, “This music came to me over a number of years… almost a lifetime.” Un is the product of a childhood that was spent in five different countries, on three continents. A life spent searching for my roots and wondering where they are. Since childhood, I’ve been searching for answers about why these seemingly different sounds pull me toward them so strongly. And how to make what they have given to me into a musical handwriting which makes sense and is in harmony with itself. For me, un is a journey Home… wherever that might be.” from http://jussireijonen.com
