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Track List

1 Dionysios 14:12
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
2 And She Appeared 14:49
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
3 The Secret of the Castle 11:16
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
4 Snapshots 05:19
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
5 Relax in the Sun 15:55
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
6 Muistoja Torkkelinmäeltä 05:54
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
7 A Farmer's Dream 14:28
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
8 Hair, Scarf & Fragrance 08:59
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
9 Party 12:51
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)
10 My Mother Turned Fifty 03:42
    by Mika Pohjola (Mika Music)

Total Time: 107:25

About Live at Royal Cotton Club

This important document captures the unmistakable excitement, spontaneity, and energy that only a live jazz performance can deliver. Recorded before an appreciative audience, this album places you in the very heart of the concert, where every note is created in the moment and every musical conversation unfolds naturally.

From the opening performance to the final encore, the musicians explore a rich landscape of lyrical melodies, fearless improvisation, rhythmic interplay, and expressive storytelling. Every performance reflects the joy of live music—where inspiration, communication, and artistic freedom come together to create something truly unforgettable.

The intimate atmosphere of the Royal Cotton Club provides the perfect setting for this remarkable recording. You can almost hear the room breathe as delicate piano passages evolve into powerful ensemble moments, while each solo demonstrates extraordinary musicianship, imagination, and emotional depth. Every applause, every spontaneous interaction, and every subtle musical gesture reminds the listener that this performance happened only once—and could never be recreated exactly the same way again.

Whether you are a lifelong jazz enthusiast or discovering contemporary acoustic jazz for the very first time, *Live at Royal Cotton Club* offers an authentic concert experience filled with warmth, elegance, virtuosity, and musical chemistry. The album celebrates the timeless tradition of live performance while embracing a fresh and contemporary artistic vision.

Rich harmonies, adventurous improvisations, dynamic rhythms, and outstanding ensemble playing combine to create a recording that rewards repeated listening. Each performance reveals new details, unexpected musical conversations, and moments of breathtaking creativity that continue to surprise long after the final note has faded.

This is not simply a live recording—it is a snapshot of musicians fully immersed in the creative process, performing with passion, confidence, and complete artistic freedom. Live at Royal Cotton Club stands as a vibrant celebration of modern jazz at its most expressive, intimate, and exhilarating.

Live at Royal Cotton Club was recorded during the 90's edition of Mika Pohjola Quartet busiest gig periods. Featuring his dedicated sidemen, saxophonist Chris Cheek, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Roberto Dani, Pohjola wrote all material for this group himself, featuring no standards in their active performing or recording repertoire. Apart from the stylistically varied compositions, it is undeniably Cheek's virtuosic and harmonically enriching tenor and soprano saxophones which stand in the center of the drive and energy of the music. However, the trio, which is also documented live in a standalone setting on their marvellous Blue Note recording Live in New York as well as on Live Around Europe, support here Cheek's flawless dribbles throughout Pohjola's intricate forms and harmonic structures.

This repertoire can also be heard in somewhat more elaborate arrangements on Pohjola's first three ensemble studio albums from the mid 90s, Myths & Beliefs (1996, GM Recordings), featuring guitarist Mick Goodrick, The Secret of the Castle and Announcement, the two latter ones featuring Cheek.

Credits

Mika Pohjola - piano
Chris Cheek - saxophones
Matt Penman - bass
Roberto Dani - drums