Eero Koivistoinen

Black Vinyl. Eero Koivistoinen is one of the foundational figures of Finnish jazz - a saxophonist, composer and arranger whose career spans six decades and whose influence on the Nordic scene is impossible to overstate. Valtakunta, originally released in 1967 on Otavan Kirjalliset Äänilevyt (a book publisher, of all places), was his very first album, and it has remained one of the most elusive and sought-after records in the Finnish discography ever since - available only through a scarce CD reissue in the 1990s and increasingly impossible to find on vinyl.

Svart Records now reissues Valtakunta for the first time on LP in decades, compiled with the full cooperation of Koivistoinen himself. The album is a concept record of sorts, built around songs set to texts by four of Finland's most celebrated contemporary poets - Pentti Saarikoski, Tuomas Anhava, Hannu Mäkelä and Jarkko Laine - and performed by a cast that includes vocalists Vesa-Matti Loiri, Seija Simola and Eero Raittinen. The result is something genuinely singular: a record that sits at the intersection of jazz, art song, and the Finnish literary tradition, with an intimacy and an atmosphere that feels unlike anything else from the period.

The reissue retains the original gatefold layout and comes with an 8-page, 30x30 cm booklet featuring photographs, Finnish and English biography, and liner notes by Juha Henriksson. Essential.