Granfelt, Ben
Gratitude
His 20th solo album is Granfelt's homage to role models who influenced his style as a guitarist. He mentions Gary Moore, Jeff Beck and Robin Trower in particular. The fact that the album release falls exactly on his 60th birthday shows that it is a very special piece of work for the exceptional Finnish guitarist. It is also a retrospective of his career with highs and lows, which, as the title says, he looks back on with gratitude. The fact that he recorded the album with his long-time companions Masa Maijanen on bass and Jari Salminen on drums and percussion shows his down-to-earthness. Miika Aukio, Erja Lyytinen's keyboard player, adds a special, sometimes slightly psychedelic touch to the songs. Stylistically, the work spans a range from blues to monumental rock to jazz, which is not least due to Granfelt's three great idols