Soul Song No. 3 - Heikki Hallanoro (Recording Video)

Moments of bliss and freedom are rare but Soul Song No. 3 captures it perfectly since it’s so all-embracing – true bliss and freedom becomes from acceptance, embracing all, the good and the bad, and it’s a pile that can crush but in these rare moments of lightness one finds himself on top of this pile so high that one can touch the sky – and even, fly.

On the 23rd of June 2013 Heikki Hallanoro was on Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in Japan and had just started the day’s walk from the beautiful mountain village of Yonomine, which is one of Japan’s oldest spring bath settlements and famous for its emerald river. Last night Heikki had bathed and still in the morning our walker felt relief for both body and soul and just after Heikki had crossed a little stone bridge and entered the primeval forest this song entered into Heikki’s head. He took his dictaphone and hummed this Soul Song straight as it is here and it has become a key song in his concerts and has brought relief to thousands of listeners ever since.

Souls Song No. 3 contains 3 parts: blissful verse or starting theme, which turns up to a gentle, uplifting chorus for its forgiving nature (0:32-1:29) which then evolves to a flying and gliding solo (1:30-3:37). After this soul configuring flight, Soul Song No. 3 lands so very safely on an opening theme and rests there with a sense of thoughtfulness and calm. Bon Voyage!
********************

This is a video from Soul Songs studio recordings. Here, on 16th of April 2023, Heikki Hallanoro plays Soul Song No. 3 that appears on the album Soul Songs (Mons Records, 2023). Heikki performs with 19th century period instrument which has memory of her own.

Recordings took place at the famous Wolfbeat Studios in the spring 2023. Recordings were engineered and mixed by studoguru Pentti Amore who has 3 gold albums on the walls of his studio and who made the most physical album in Finland 2020.

Mons Records is a legendary jazz/classical label which has released albums among others from such greats as Duke Ellington's and Ella Fitzgerald's trumpeter Clark Terry, Sting's and Peter Gabriel's drummer Manu Katchè, and Buddy Rich's, Tito Puente's and Jaco Pastorius' saxophonist Bob Mintzer.

Now, Mons Records releases Heikki Hallanoro's first piano album Soul Songs. First single Soul Song No. 8 releases on 8th of September 2023. Release date for the Soul Songs album is 15th of December 2023.