Vocalist-composer Riikka Keränen is one of the noteworthy and distinctive jazz artists of the vibrant Finnish music scene. On her debut 'A Vision of a Garden', released by the Flame Jazz Records, she fuses jazz aesthetic and improvisation with evocative stories.
At heart, ’A Vision of a Garden' is an expressive quartet album focusing on intuition and observations about love and its many faces. Riikka says: ”With this album, a garden for me is a metaphor for love - an enclosure, a private space which at times can be shared with people. The beautiful things in the garden must be nurtured or otherwise they might perish. On the songs I’m envisioning the immaterial thing which is love: there’s the delicate and tender sides as well as longing and fear of rejection.”
The debut album is a modern, jazz-inspired piece of music, with lyrics and musical storytelling at the center. ’A Vision of a Garden’ aims to update the traditional vocalist-led jazz piano trio line-up to this day with new musical material: on the original compositions of the album traditional standard structures have been abandoned in the forms of the songs, creating new challenges and opportunities for the musicians to construct their improvisation.
In addition to Keränen the quartet consists of pianist Juho Valjakka, bassist Jori Huhtala and drummer Anssi Tirkkonen. The track ’Cameroonian Sky’ features Matias Kiiveri on voice and Arttu Takalo on vibraphone.
Riikka Keränen ’A Vision of a Garden’ will be available on vinyl, CD and digitally.
1 The Little Mermaid I (Juho Valjakka)
2 Say It Isn't So (Irving Berlin, arr. Riikka Keränen)
3 Cameroonian Sky (Riikka Keränen)
4 Sweet of Love (Riikka Keränen)
5 Strange Flowers Bloom at Night (Riikka Keränen)
6 There Is (Riikka Keränen)
7 Alone Together (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz, arr. Riikka Keränen, Teemu Viinikainen)
8 The Little Mermaid II (Juho Valjakka)
Riikka Keränen - voice
Juho Valjakka - piano
Jori Huhtala - double bass
Anssi Tirkkonen - drums
The featuring artists on 'Cameroonian Sky'
Matias Kiiveri - voice
Arttu Takalo - vibraphone
Produced by Riikka Keränen
Recorded by Mikko Raita with assistant engineer Joonas Kaartti at Kallio-Kuninkala studio on February 19th - 21st 2021.
Additional recordings by Mikko Raita at Studio Kekkonen on 18th and 29th March 2021.
Mixed by Mikko Raita
Mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers
Photos by Jouni Harala and Roosa Karhu
Styling and clothes by Sari Syväniemi
Cover design by Nina Grönlund
