Pekka Lehti was born in 1965 in Joensuu, Karelia. He first entered the world of music by beginning to play the bass in a punk rock band.
Kicking off his professional career at the age of 17, the brave bass player plunged into a dizzying array of settings from backing up singer-songwriters to sweating the night away with jazz combos to producing a concert based on the music of Nino Rota and beyond. Many exciting projects aside, Pekka’s most widely recognized working environment, since 1992, has been the modernist folklore ensemble Varttina.
As an arranger, co-leader and composer, Lehti is a valuable team player in the ranks of this leading world music collective, which had performed live all over Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America. The bassist can be heard on ‘Aitara’ (1994), ‘Kokko’ (1996), ‘Vihma’ (1998) and ‘Ilmatar’ (2000).
Pekka Lehti steps to the foreground with ‘Outo Voima’. The CD presents a collection of duets with vocalists and instrumentalists with whom Pekka has crossed paths with during his long and winding career in music.
With the goal of capturing the strong Nordic inspiration at its purest, most of the album was recorded “on location” – either in Lehti’s living room or the collaborators’ homes. Therefore ‘Outo Voima’ seems possessed by an irresistible timeless magic. These meditative tunes are not only the first statement of a mature solo artist, but also a poignant cry out for peace and quiet. They are impressions from the outside looking inward. The Suomenlinna spirit.
Pekka Lehti produced Varttina’s live album ‘6.12.’ and also produced Värttinä’s accordionist Markku Lepistö’s solo CD.
Discography
Outo voima (2000)
Sohjo (Aito Records, 2003)
Helsinki (2008)
Radio Moskova (2011)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
