Blood Red, composed by Mikko Hassinen, is a kind of soundtrack to a fictional story taking place in late 16th-century Istanbul.The compositions are influenced by both Arbian and Persian music. The influences of Persian music are involved in nuances related to the shapes, scales and rhythms of the songs. The use of live electronics spices up the big band's already colorful sound. « I have been interested in Arabic music for a long time and therefore it seemed natural to combine the influences I got from it with jazz. Verneri Pohjola is a great jazz improviser, but he was a natural choice as a soloist also because of his strong lyrical playing style, » says Mikko Hassinen
