Rent Romus and Heikki Koskinen join the Otherworld Ensemble to create aural versions of Finnish bird stories. As kinda out there as that might sound, the most extreme thing I noted about this album is how closely it hews to Finnish sounds and ideas.

Otherworld Ensemble Soul Bird (Edgetone)

Romus (and Edgetone, his label) are renowned for some of the most forward-thinking music (some jazz, some not) available for public consumption. This set, however, largely sticks to established jazz forms while incorporating the Finnish folk ideas. That's a good idea, because it makes it easier for the listener to follow the stories (and, truthfully, to identify these works as song-stories).

There are also a few Finnish instruments and some bird calls thrown in, but those are all window dressing elements that add flavor. The core of these songs are the stories they're telling, and no one loses sight of that.

To be honest, I like some of the spectacularly crazy stuff that Romus and his Edgetone pals have foisted upon the world for more than 30 years. I'm a sucker for surfing the chaos and looking for a safe landing spot. This straightforward set is just another example of how talented people can reinvent themselves in service of art. And also how art can inspire far beyond its initial propagation. Lovely and astonishing.

Jon Worley