RIP Pekka Pohjola

Today I, as well as the many of us, were saddened by the news that the greatest composer and bass player of all time, Pekka Pohjola, had passed away. Notice that I'm stating the terms "greatest" and "of all time" as facts instead of opinions. That's intentional.

I'm not a prog rock enthusiast, I'm not a professional bass player, or any good at it. I just love his music. I'm disappointed that I never got to see him play live. I can't tell if his life was too short or not. I know that he never sucked, as many musicians tend to do when they pass their prime. He seemed to be drawn towards a particular type of a synthesizer sound in the 80's, which doesn't seem to age well, but I can live with that. This is the only complaint I can think of about his music.

Now this was a guy that composed music that could bring a hard man, such as yours truly, to tears. This is music that will expand your consciousness if you hadn't heard it before. When you watch the video above, remember that the bass player is the guy who wrote the music, and where the plentiful credit is due. He's not a guy who takes the center stage, but he's the guy you should watch.

I haven't listened to all of his albums, but I know what I like. Wait, I don't. I can't tell whether I like Visitation or Keesojen Lehto the best. They're both amazing albums. They ought to have the song "Try to remember" from Visitation playing in his funeral. That's what I'd like to have playing in mine.