OldEric

I am rather a painter than photographer but these hobbies support each other. I have been interested in photography since childhood but I got my first own camera not until 1972 when I was 16 years old. It was a semi automatic SRL Topcon Uni to which I purchased a 200 mm lens and ATP 2 x tele converter. I used B&W film, Kodak Tri-X PAN mostly, developed the films and made the prints myself in our schools photo lab. My brother shared this hobby and then we had some friends on the same field. I took part in the monthly competitions of Kuopio Camera Club (Kuopion Kameraseura) without any success. Perhaps I was too young and my equipment a

Last spring I found by chance a splendid musician - Anouar Brahem أنور ابراهم from Tunisia. He is an oud player and composer, who is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. Performing primarily for a jazz audience, he fuses Arab classical music, folk music and jazz and has been recording since at least 1991. As I said, I found by chance his CD album "Le Voyage de Sahar" in my home town's public library. After listening it many times I finally bought that CD from a net store and later an other CD "Astrakan Café" I consider Brahem's music highly visual. Listening his mast

For several years I have been more and more interested in African music. I don't exactly remember when I first in my life came contact to it. Perhaps it was through Afroamerican music, blues, gospel and later reggae. In early 80's I heard some afropop in the radio. There is something  very special in African music, the complex and fascinating ryhms, the incredible colors of vocal sounds and the exotic instruments like kora, tama-drums and many others. And also the joy of life in the African music is exhilarating.  It is so totally different from for example the Finnish folk music that I consider monotonic, mostly sad and very scarcely dynami