BlueMusicGroup.com - Your jazz, classical and world music label Mika Pohjola is a superb technician who also possesses a crafty compositional pen as the artist generally pushes his creative faculties to the limits, evidenced by an increasingly rich recorded legacy. With this 1998 effort, the pianist along with saxophonist Chris Cheek and longtime running mates, drummer Roberto Dani and bassist Matt Penman integrate ferocious soloing into a palate often consisting of vibrant choruses, peppery exchanges, swiftly executed rhythms and lyrically rich unison lines. However, Pohjola also excels as a forward thinking visionary who draws upon widespread influences, whether it is far eastern modalities, Scandinavian folk or the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, while also injecting innocent, lullaby style melodies into the grand scheme of things. Simply stated, Announcement represents a joyous event that supersedes a good portion of the nondescript, over...