First Finnish Concert

One of my office neighbors is Pertti Nurmi, a verification expert, and colleague of Harold Brooks (one of my office neighbors in Norman at the National Weather Center). Pertti is a long-time blues fan and excellent photographer. His work can be seen on the covers of Blues News, the magazine of the Finnish Blues Society. I told him to keep me posted about shows coming to the area that I should check out.

Thursday was my lucky day. There was a mini festival occurring in a suburb of Helsinki called Fillmore Northeast and he invited me to go along. There were three acts. The first was a drums and guitar experimental jazz duo. They were enjoyable. The next act is pictured here. Yes, this guy is for real. His name is Viktor Kalborrek. He had a novelty hit in the 70s. He spoke in Finnish, but he kept referring to himself in the third person. One song he performed that I recognized was "I'm Just a Gigolo." He was entertaining, although kind of pathetic.

The highlight (and headliner) of the show was the Jim Campilongo Trio. This guy started out slow, but gained my respect as the show progressed. He played instrumental guitar backed by a stand-up bass and drummer. He played a unique blend of country, surf, rock, and blues guitar. Very, very enjoyable. You can hear him on iTunes. My favorite song was "American Hips." All in all, a great start to music listening in Finland! Thanks, Pertti.