Jukka Tolonen-The Hook (1974)

Jukka Tolonen is another of Europe's most acclaimed jazz guitarists. Born in Finland, his career is considered one of the most exciting in early European jazz-rock, thanks to his enormous compositional versatility and incredible talent on the six strings. Founder of the legendary band Tasavallan Presidenti, with whom he released four excellent albums between the late sixties and mid-seventies, he also participated in other iconic groups such as the progressive rock band Wigwam, with whom he collaborated on two of their albums. After disbanding his first group, he formed the Jukka Tolonen Band, with whom he released a series of works focused on jazz-funk-rock. "The Hook" is the title of his third album, on which he collaborates with some renowned musicians from the Finnish avant-garde, such as Esa Kotilainen, Pekka Pöyry, Jan Kling, and Seppo Paakkunainen. In this third release, Tolonen presents us with a solid and complex musical tapestry that oscillates between the elegant jazz of "Together" and "Starfish", the funk jazz-rock of "Aurora Borealis", and the relaxed balance of the finest jazz fusion, "The Sea". Without a doubt, this is one of the great achievements of European jazz-rock, practically on par with any masterpiece to emerge from the Americas.