Vesa-Matti Loiri - 4 + 20

4 + 20, recorded in March 1971, was the debut album by Finnish flautist/singer/actor Vesa-Matti Loiri. Loiri was already a "familiar face" on the modern Finnish jazz scene at the time. 40 years later he would be considered one of the central pillars of Finnish culture. For the recording he invited a group of friends, which in retrospect reads like the who's who of Finnish Jazz at the time: saxophonist / flautist Esa Pethman, saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen, organist Tuomo Tanska, guitarist Hasse Walli, bassist Pekka Sarmanto and drummer Esko Rosnell. The music is very versatile and ranges from jazz via folklore to rock and even classical, all arranged in a jazzy fashion and performed joyously yet somewhat informally. The overall level of performance is outstanding and one of a kind.