Eero Koivistoinen (b. 1946) is truly a legend in Finnish jazz – or as the current terminology would have it, a genuine ‘local hero’. He really deserves much greater recognition across Europe, as Artic Blues makes clear. His great talent seems evenly divided between that of a composer, arranger and saxophonist, and he seems at home in any musical environment, from the jazz-and-poetry of the album Valtakunta (1969), the jazz-rock of The Front Is Breaking (1976) to collaborating with Jim McNeely, Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield on Altered Things (1992), a collaboration with Senegalese drummers in 2000 and the raunchy Helium (2001). However, the one constant in his career has been the UMO Jazz Orchestra, where he played an important role in its development as one of its founders (with Esko Linnavalli and Heikki Sarmanto) and, at various times, has been hired by them as saxophonist, composer, conductor and artistic director. This 2CD album celebrates his 70th birthday, and reveals him as creative as ever. It comprises mostly new works recorded in the studio in 2016, plus three live tracks from 2005. On the album is straightahead, post-1960s jazz, blues, Norwegian and Finnish folk songs, African grooves and Koivistoinen's take on two Monk tunes. It's a remarkable achievement. In solo, Koivistoinen gives his all, and in return, the UMO give theirs, a great tribute to one of their own and a major figure on the Finnish jazz scene.