Pekka Pohjola
| Pekka Pohjola | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1952 |
| Origin | Finland |
| Died | 27 November 2008 (aged 56) |
| Genres | Progressive rock, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass, keyboards, violin |
| Years active | 1970–2008 |
| Associated acts | Wigwam, Mike Oldfield, Made in Sweden |
| Website | rockadillo |
Jussi Pekka Pohjola (13 January 1952 – 27 November 2008) was a Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. Best known as a bass player, Pohjola was also a classically trained pianist and violinist.
Originally Pohjola rose to fame as the bass player of the Finnish progressive rock band Wigwam, but he soon departed on a solo career, initially releasing Frank Zappa-influenced progressive rock albums. As his career progressed Pohjola developed a more novel musical style that could best be described as fusion jazz. In addition to Wigwam and his solo albums, Pohjola also played with Made in Sweden, The Group and the bands of Jukka Tolonen and Mike Oldfield.
Pohjola belonged to one of the most prominent musical families in Finland. Conductor Sakari Oramo is Pohjola's cousin.
Pohjola studied classical piano and violin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. After a stint with The Boys (the seminal Finnish band led by brothers Eero and Jussi Raittinen), he joined Wigwam in 1970, contributing on two of their albums before leaving the group in 1972 to pursue a solo career (although Pohjola did again contribute on Wigwam's Being in 1974). Pohjola's first solo album Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva (Resin Eye Bark Ear), released 1972, bears notable resemblance to the works of Frank Zappa.
After leaving Wigwam, Pohjola also played with the Jukka Tolonen Band for a short time. In 1974 his second solo album, Harakka Bialoipokku (Bialoipokku the Magpie), was released in Finland. The album saw Pohjola's sound developing to a more distinctive direction, with heavy usage of trumpets, saxophones and piano. The somewhat jazz-influenced album piqued the interest of Virgin Records executive Richard Branson enough to release it in the United Kingdom the following year under the name B the Magpie. (In October 2010 the album was re-released by Cherry Red Records.)
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