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Track List

1 Humid Around a Hundred 04:52
    by Mika Pohjola
2 Maine Birds 02:09
    by Mika Pohjola
3 Complete Sentences from Cambridge 02:38
    by Mika Pohjola
4 Burlington Blues 04:34
    by Mika Pohjola
5 Fitchburg Finns 04:19
    by Mika Pohjola
6 Senator from Connecticut 02:25
    by Mika Pohjola
7 One to Harvard 03:52
    by Mika Pohjola
8 Pahk Street 03:46
    by Mika Pohjola
9 Evening in Foxboro 05:04
    by Mika Pohjola
10 Nonsense Invention 01:20
    by Mika Pohjola
11 New Hampshire Primaries 02:02
    by Mika Pohjola
12 Top of the Hub 05:40
    by Mika Pohjola
13 In a Cab in Sumner Tunnel 02:55
    by Mika Pohjola
14 No Smoking, Please! 01:17
    by Mika Pohjola
15 One Twenty Eight 03:29
    by Mika Pohjola
16 September Minuet 03:04
    by Mika Pohjola

Total Time: 53:26

About The Sound of New England, Vol 1

The Sound of New England, Vol. 1 is a solo piano album by pianist and composer Mika Pohjola, recorded during a two-day studio session in July 2022. The sixteen original piano improvisations are inspired by places, people, and experiences connected with the New England region, with a particular focus on Boston and Eastern Massachusetts.

The music combines elements of jazz and contemporary classical music, reflecting influences from Pohjola's studies at Berklee College of Music in the 1990s and his later experiences living and working in the United States. The opening track recalls his first visit to Boston in May 1992, while the remaining pieces draw inspiration from locations and everyday life throughout the region.

The album includes improvisations such as Maine Birds, One Twenty Eight, Burlington Blues, Pahk Street, No Smoking, Please!, Senator from Connecticut, and New Hampshire Primaries, each reflecting different aspects of New England's geography, culture, transportation, or political landscape. The closing track, September Minuet, concludes the album with a reflective solo piano performance.

The Sound of New England, Vol. 1 presents an instrumental portrait of New England through original piano improvisations, combining jazz, contemporary classical music, and programmatic influences inspired by the region's landscapes, cities, and everyday experiences.

Credits

Mika Pohjola - piano

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