Surprise! When I pulled this disc out of the pile of records waiting to be reviewed, I expected anything, but not this. And what's most important - I didn't expect to enjoy these sounds that much that I'd start to listen to them day by day and night by night. Why is it like that? The first thing - it was unexpected to get such record from Nekorekords (in fact there are two other labels involved in releasing this album) and Mr. Umpio once more proved his very wide musical worldview and I'll try to be more mature next time I'll get some sounds from the label and I'll try not to act so surprised. The second thing - I could never believe I'll review a jazz album any time. So please don't be too strict if you catch me talking nonsenses because my knowledge in this area is limited to "blues = sad jazz" and "jazz = lots of improvisation and there are trumpets and other brass instruments". Well, there are no brass instruments in this album and six colors are rich and melancholic so I call this music a mix of blues and free jazz. Riko Goto is a piano-player who lived in Finland for some time and during that time released a couple albums with other two musicians. Trio was made of three instruments - piano, contrabass and drums. I don't know if such composition is usual or a little deviation from the norm, but I couldn't feel emptiness in their material and the musical fabric is perfectly weaved. Piano is dominating and driving songs further, coloring the evening in slightly gloomy colors. Contrabass brings in some slightly dazed drunkenness and drums draws barely audible boundaries of the tracks so that they wouldn't become formless drunk cloud of sounds. Why do I mention drunkenness in this context? Because one compilation is stuck in my mind that appeared and disappeared from my collection some 15 years ago. The cover was a photo of a beautiful girl with her head laid down on the bar and eyes glaring at the whiskey glass and the pack of Luck Strike. It was either cigarettes or the whiskey; I don't know which because they were side by side on the bar. So this is why drunkenness, sadness and blues are somehow interrelated in my unconsciousness. The same thing is with this disc - melancholy and sound goes hand in hand. I'm most fascinated by the ability of musicians to play and improvise without leaving the logical boundaries of song. It is not that kind of improvisation where three musicians meet, plays around with random sounds and overall enjoy their status of artist and musician. Charming blend and separation of harmony and dissonance, sporadic disharmony and constant conversation between instruments and musicians, not losing expressiveness and keeping attention – this is what I find in this album. Here comes the moment when I understand that musicians had a great pleasure to play and listener had a great pleasure to listen to it and both sides were satisfied. It's been an interesting deviation from traditional styles in my own musical library and in reviewed works. But it's very good. I think I won't become the permanent jazz listener and fan, but this disc will remain for these empty autumn evenings and nights when birches are bowing outside my window and there is a cup of warm tea in my hands and a pond of whiskey is warming my stomach. Then it's good to put on this six-colored disc and sink in the hollow of inexhaustible melancholy.

Format: CD
Released: 2013
Label: Nekorekords, Karkia Mistika, Kauriala Society