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Reviews

Jussi Reijonen — Sayr: Salt / Thirst
(Bandcamp Unmusic UN12025, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

Jussi Reijonen — Sayr: Kaiho
(Bandcamp Unmusic UN22025, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-12-24

Sayr: Salt / Thirst Cover artSayr: Kaiho Cover art

Jussi Reijonen is an acclaimed Finnish guitarist and oud player who has worked in a variety of genres and has many recordings to his credit, most involving other musicians and larger ensembles, some of which have been reviewed in these pages, often employing Middle Eastern styles blended with jazz and world musics. For the two releases at hand, Reijonen is launching a new solo improvised endeavor called Sayr, very much unlike the work he has done previously. One of these, Sayr: Salt / Thirst is very much a studio creation, whereas the other work, Sayr: Kaiho – Live in Helsinki was recorded in a live setting on September 19, 2025. Both are cut from a very similar cloth, what might be called stream of consciousness free improvisation, something that follows no specific genre, but seems to reference musical styles of western Asia and Africa, perhaps southern Europe too, and Reijonen brings these all together in his improv solos. Salt / Thirst is, as you may have guessed, two very long cuts (“Salt” and “Thirst”) that fit nicely on the two sides of a long player, seventeen and twenty-three minutes respectively, each featuring multiple movements of both oud and acoustic guitar; but it seems to have been recorded live, without any overdubs or gimmickry, although the instruments seem to change at certain points, perhaps recorded in parts and pieced together, who knows? The live album Kaiho follows a similar stylistic blueprint, the main course is the near-30-minute “Halla,” followed by the eleven minute “Fes,” and “Viela” which clocks in at just under three minutes. The difference is that it’s recorded live with audible applause from a very polite audience that waits until the end before sounding off. Other than that, the approach is similar, and Reijonen plays with breathtaking skill, although for some this kind of long-form improvisation (or noodling, if you prefer) may not energize the emotions sufficiently, instead coming off as aimless, dreamy, or sleepy. Admittedly I had to give these several listens before they started to reveal their magic. For comparison, at least on a basic level, one might be reminded of some of the acoustic John Fahey recordings of the 60s, although Fahey’s mix of blues and folk are not to be found on Reijonen’s ‘Sayr’ work, instead replaced with a mix of Western Asian and African ideas.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Jussi Reijonen

More info
http://jussireijonen.bandcamp.com/album/sayr-salt-thirst
http://jussireijonen.bandcamp.com/album/sayr-kaiho-live-in-helsinki

 

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