Koma Saxo with Sofia Jernberg - Koma West (March 18, 2022 We Jazz Records)

Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album "Koma West", out on We Jazz Records, 18 March 2022. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh (Petter's mom!). The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation.

At 14 tracks, "Koma West" is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop & go production style, Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalise, but nevertheless a recognisable style of composing, producing and arranging.

Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up – he's from a tiny town called Lysekil. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go and you can hear that here as well, especially on cuts such as "Närhet", beautifully sung by Sofia Jernberg.

Petter Eldh says:

"In a way, it's a concept album and a celebration of the Swedish West Coast. The first single is called 'Koma Kaprifol', and kaprifol is the landscape flower of Bohuslän on the West coast, where I grew up. I'm not too wild about attaching strong narratives to my music but there's no way around it this time. The oysters, a common snack around the coast, are a strong conceptual presence here. Anyway, they seem to pop up here and there quite often already thus far in the Koma Saxo narrative, even though it's not always so obvious. Koma Vocals! Koma Strings! I love the presence of Sofia Jernberg here and I love writing string arrangements, too, although I never thought I would do it for Koma, but of course, Koma should have some strings, why not?. Koma Saxo should and can become anything." 

1. Lo Ve Ko Ma

2. Croydon Koma

3. Koma Krig

4. Flamman

5. Lake Koma

6. Koma Kaprifol

7. Ostron Accordion

8. Klippan Granit

9. Koma Rail

10. Närhet

11. Koma Fred

12. Saxo Chop

13. Clos Eko

14. Koma Camu

Petter Eldh - Double Bass, Sampler, Piano, Percussion

Sofia Jernberg - Voice

Christian Lillinger - Drums

Otis Sandsjö - Tenor Saxophone, Alto Clarinet

Jonas Kullhammar - Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Slide Saxophone

Mikko Innanen - Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone

Lucy Railton - Cello

Maria Reich - Violin

Kiki Eldh (the momvillain) - Accordion

Kit Downes - Piano

Produced by Petter Eldh

Executive producer Matti Nives

All compositions by Petter Eldh except “Närhet”, written by Fritz Sjöström, arranged by Petter Eldh

Recorded at Atlantis, Stockholm, 14th of April 2021, by Niclas Lindström

Additional recordings by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin

Some of the voice and piano additions recorded by Sofia and Kit somewhere in Europe

Kiki Eldh recorded by Petter Eldh at Mountain Man Studios, Lysekil

Mixed by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin

Mastered by Martin Ruch at CONTROL ROOM BERLIN

Design by Matti Nives

PRE ORDER

Joona Toivanen Trio - Both Only (February 25, 2022 We Jazz Records)

Joona Toivanen Trio makes their We Jazz Records debut with their new album "Both Only", out 25 Feb 2022. A landmark work for the long standing group, the album showcases a new sound for the band, trekking deep into new ideas for an acoustic jazz piano trio. Since their formation as teenagers in mid-1990's, the trio of pianist Joona Toivanen, bassist Tapani Toivanen and drummer Olavi Louhivuori (of Superposition, Ilmiliekki Quartet and Linda Fredriksson "Juniper") has developed their remarkably coherent band sound step by step, touring the world over. Nowadays, the trio is geographically split between Gothenburg, Sweden (Joona), Copenhagen, Denmark (Tapani), and Helsinki, Finland (Olavi), but the unit has never sounded so together as one, and as adventurous as on "Both Only".

"Both Only" by Joona Toivanen Trio is a cocoon, a welcoming shelter of sound that opens up naturally for the listener to inhabit. The album is moody and introspective, even dark at times, but by the time you get to the closing track, "This and This", you'll likely notice something hopeful brewing up. This is not music dealing with nostalgia or a world lost. Instead, it's a body of work with delicate dynamics, taking a minute just to listen and to look inwards to learn something, to move forward.

The first single "Enlightened" is perhaps the most traditional piece on the album, yet it flows like a vessel beyond genre, conveying a mood, a feeling and an idea. Listen to how the piano, bass and drums discuss, how the groove moves with the instruments having their clear roles but also supporting each other and documenting a musical aging process exactly as that of a quality bottle of red wine. As a song like "Direction" proves, the melody is there all the way, yet there is nothing obvious about how it's carried by the trio. Things remain surprising, fresh and moving at all times. "Except For" keeps its intensity, while nearly erupting into a full on 4-to-the-floor banger. Nearly! The key here is how the energy sustains itself, building the intensity within the music.

"Both Only" is a powerful statement from a band ready to renew itself time and again, and one willing to do it slowly, outside of the hype. This process makes the impact enduring, nuanced and lovely.

WJLP37 Joona Toivanen Trio "Both Only" is available on CD, digi and vinyl as a black vinyl edition and as a LP+7" bundle also including WJ0716 "Except For (7" Edit)" / "Keyboard Study No. 2". 

1. Both Only

2. Enlightened

3. Acceptance

4. Direction

5. Faculties

6. Of Profession

7. In Place

8. Except For

9. This and This

Joona Toivanen, piano / Tapani Toivanen, bass / Olavi Louhivuori, drums

Produced by Joona Toivanen & Matti Nives

Recorded at Studio Epidemin by Johannes Lundberg

Mixed and mastered by Petter Eriksson at Studio Folkhemmet

Photography by Joona Toivanen

Artist photos by Juho Luukkainen

Design by Matti Nives

PRE ORDER

Ilmiliekki Quartet - Ilmiliekki Quartet (February 11, 2022 We Jazz Records)

Ilmiliekki Quartet from Helsinki return with their new self-titled album on We Jazz Records on 11 February 2022. The group, including Verneri Pohjola (trumpet), Tuomo Prättälä (piano), Antti Lötjönen (bass) and Olavi Louhivuori (drums) is a mainstay in the Finnish scene and the band has been steadily developing their sound for nearly two decades now. It could be said that the group's musicians, each also a solo artist of note these days, has grown with and through performing together with this regularly working quartet. Ilmiliekki Quartet's music has a song-like melodic quality, which pairs naturally with their often freeform search for new musical landscapes.

As testament of Ilmiliekki Quartet being a Band with a capital B, the songs on the new album come from each of the four members. As before, the band also takes a borrowed tune in for a loving rendition, this time tackling "Aila" by the Finnish dream pop group Karina. All in all, there's a deep, moody element to the music, yet at the same time, their sound flows with remarkable ease and lightness of touch. This brings out a wide range of color in their music, which is easy to fall in love with.

1. Three Queens

2. Sgr A*

3. Aila

4. Follow the Damn Breadcrumbs

5. Night Song

6. Kaleidoscopesque

Verneri Pohjola, trumpet

Tuomo Prättälä, piano

Antti Lötjönen, bass

Olavi Louhivuori, drums

"Three Queens" composed by A. Lötjönen, "Sgr A*" & "Kaleidoscopesque" composed by T. Prättälä, "Follow the Damn Breadcrumbs" composed by V. Pohjola, "Night Song" composed by O. Louhivuori, "Aila" composed by H. Tikkanen, K. Mäkiranta [Karina]

Arranged by Ilmiliekki Quartet

Recorded at Kallio-kuninkala, Järvenpää, Finland on 25.–27. Jan 2021

Recorded by Markus Bonsdorff

Mixed & mastered by Tommi Vainikainen

Design by Matti Nives

PRE-ORDER

Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen - Live Recordings 2019​-​2020 (February 19, 2021 We Jazz Records)

 The dynamic duo of tenor saxophonist Timo Lassy and drummer Teppo Mäkynen return with a double LP of live recordings captured in 2019 and 2020. The We Jazz Records release "Live Recordings 2019-2020" follows the duo's 2019 LP which was shortlisted for "Jazz Album Of the Year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards. While the studio album versions were studies in improvisational brevity, the live album lets the long-time collaborators really let loose and build memorable sonic narratives around the compositions. The album is produced and edited by Teppo Mäkynen, also known as a sought-after producer with the knack for looking at the big picture.

From the subtle minimalism of "Fallow" via the ambient of "Aero" to the riff-heavy groove of "Calling James", Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen breathe their music as one unit, building it based on a mutual trust as fellow musicians. Their duo shows have quickly become celebrated examples of what a long history of playing together can enable on stage when paired with the right mindset and a shared musical goal. This live album follows the ethos of both documenting what's happening and expanding on what was captured in the studio earlier.

1. Fallow (live)

2. Zomp (live)

3. Liberty (live)

4. Hypno (live)

5. Aero (live)

6. Kobi (live)

7. Solution Black (live)

8. Ecru (live)

9. Telemagenta (live)

10. Calling James (live)

Timo Lassy, tenor saxophone

Teppo Mäkynen, drums

All compositions by Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen

Mopo - Mopocalypse (WE JAZZ RECORDS January 26, 2018)

Mopo, a trio of sax, bass and drums from Finland, has been on the radar of international tastemakers already for a while thanks to their unique blend of jazz, punk, and inpisration from the Finnish nature. Now the trio of saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, bassist Eero Tikkanen and drummer Eeti Nieminen is set to release their fourth album on Helsinki's We Jazz Records. 

"Mopocalypse", a highly flammable mix of rough-around-the-edges jazz and melodic songwriting, is the remarkable next step for one of Finland's most potent exports. Mopo swing, grind, drive hard, and slow down with an impeccable sense of dynamics. Their music is raw and beautiful.

1. Tökkö 03:40

2. My Best Friend

3. Riisto

4. Ruusu

5. Mustafa

6. Niin aikaisin 04:44

7. Sinut muistan ainiaan

8. Noita

9. Panama

Linda Fredriksson, baritone saxophone, alto saxophone

Eero Tikkanen, double bass, electric bass, violin

Eeti Nieminen, drums, percussion, syntheziser

with: Otto Eskelinen, Farfisa organ

Produced by Mopo & Matti Nives

Recording, mixing and editing: Joonas Saikkonen & Abdissa ”Mamba" Assefa

Mastered by: Pauli Saastamoinen

Additional mastering for vinyl: Jukka Sarapää

Olli Ahvenlahti - Thinking, Whistling (WE JAZZ RECORDS 2017)

The legendary Finnish pianist/composer Olli Ahvenlahti returns with his first new jazz work in decades! The new album "Thinking, Whistling" will be released 1 Dec by Helsinki's We Jazz Records, and the first digital single "Minor Minor" is available 3 Nov. 

The new record finds Ahvenlahti team up with the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio, one of the most highly-regarded ensembles in Finnish jazz. From funk-influenced acoustic jazz to heartfelt ballads, the band are delightfully in a world of their own, drawing from Ahvenlahti's effortless pianism and the trios natural swing.

1. Thinking, Whistling 05:31

2. Minor Minor 04:32

3. Miles Away 04:37

4. Say It Again 03:50

5. Black Forest Air 05:19

6. Late Night 03:56

7. A Piano Song 03:59

8. Saturday 04:16

9. Little White 06:22

Composed by Olli Ahvenlahti

Arranged by Olli Ahvenlahti New Quartet

Olli Ahvenlahti, piano

Jussi Kannaste, tenor sax

Antti Lötjönen, bass

Jaska Lukkarinen, drums

Produced by Olli Ahvenlahti, Jaska Lukkarinen & Matti Nives

Pauli Lyytinen Magnetia Orkesteri - Pauli Lyytinen Magnetia Orkesteri (WE JAZZ RECORDS 2017)

On the fifth release on the Grotto Editions X We Jazz 10" EP series, sax man Pauli Lyytinen steps up with a strong 4-tracker featuring Verneri Pohjola on trumpet, Eero Tikkanen on bass, and Mika Kallio on drums. The leader of the Helsinki-based quartet is known from other projects such as Mikko Innanen 10+ (in which the entire quartet is featured), Raoul Björkenheim eCsTaCy, and Elifantree. "Artist of the Year" at the 2017 Pori Jazz Festival, Finland's premiere jazz event, Lyytinen displays his ability of writing melodic fire music with ever-evolving momentum. 

Each of the group members is currently in the middle of an active period in their respective careers, with Pohjola experiencing well-deserved acclaim for his latest LP "Pekka", Tikkanen working on the new album with the Mopo trio, and Kallio performing lauded shows experimenting with the duo of percussion and a dancer. 

On GROTTO005, the quartet pools together their creative resources, presenting four original compositions by Lyytinen. They rely on their individial soloistic strengths and get a lot of mileage out of the group's strong interplay. Their sound should appeal to fans of Art Ensemble of Chicago, Andrew Cyrille, Byard Lancaster, and the indie label avantgarde movement of the late 60's/1970's, to mention but a few directions on the musical compass. That being said, the quartet shines in creating personal music which has a strong footing in the now.

1. Ljubljana 08:25

2. Lonesome Dreamer's Dance 03:45

3. Triangulum 06:42

4. Village Fool 06:13

Pauli Lyytinen, tenor and soprano saxophones

Verneri Pohjola, trumpet

Eero Tikkanen, bass

Mika Kallio, drums

Jaska Lukkarinen Trio - Origami (WE JAZZ RECORDS 2017)

Recorded at Helsinki's We Jazz Festival, the new LP "Origami" by the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio offer a solid glimpse of the remarkable creative power of one of the best working groups in the vibrant Finnish scene. Drummer Jaska Lukkarinen (of Dalindèo), sax man Jussi Kannaste and bassist Antti Lötjönen (of The Five Corners Quintet) play jazz which relies on the strong dynamic of the group. They swing at times, turn inwards for some deep meditative passaged on occasion, and find their own personal way within the music. Think pianoless small groups in the vein of some of Jimmy Giuffre's best work, for example, and you're in the right mindset. 

On this LP, the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio capture the essence of their music and the innovation in the moment which is at the very core of all great jazz music. They tackle the music of a close collaborator Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen (of Dalindèo and Ricky-Tick Big band), and deliver a which set brimming with fresh musical ideas, and this music has appeal well outside of the hard core jazz crowd. This music is approachable yet deep with layers at the same time. Recorded on analogue equipment, the set echoes a the classic sonic palette of live jazz recordings, while offering music which looks ahead at all times. The LP release includes an article about the project + a digital download with the bonus track, "Beauty Passing By".

1. Flow On 10:41

2. Origami 05:22

3. Komeda 07:41

4. Pengerkadulla 07:30

5. Beauty Passing By 09:33

Composed by Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen 

Arranged & performed by Jaska Lukkarinen Trio 

Produced by Jaska Lukkarinen & Matti Nives 

Recorded at We Jazz Festival in Helsinki at Dubrovnik Lounge & Lobby on 11 Dec 2015 by Abdissa Assefa 

Mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde at Virtalähde Mastering Additional mastering by Sami Kantelinen at Timmion Cutting Lab 

Design & liner notes by Matti Nives

Jukka Perko Tritone - Dizzy (WE JAZZ RECORDS 2017)

Alto sax man Jukka Perko, one of Finland's leading jazz artists, presents a new project Tritone, where he joins forces with the dynamic rhythm section of Antti Lötjönen and Teppo Teddy Rok Mäkynen (who have appeared together in projects such as Teddy's West Coasters, The Five Corners Quintet, Timo Lassy Band, Verneri Pohjola Quartet, etc.). Perko, once a member of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, has put together a set of tunes made famous by Dizzy for the re-evaluation by the highly talented trio. The time is right now, Dizzy's 100th anniversary, 30 years since the alto sax player, back then a teenage sensation, shared the stages with the likes of Sam Rivers, Jerry Dodgion, Jon Faddis, and of course Dizzy himself.

The results are stunning. On Dizzy, Jukka Perko Tritone showcases what small group jazz sounds like at its best. The group breathes the music naturally, taking cues from each other to expand the compositions onto a new level, their own personal music. The tracks brim with innovation and the sheer joys of playing.

As Perko himself put it: It's not about what Dizzy's music means to us, but rather what we can bring to it. We're adding our own piece onto the mosaic which makes up modern jazz.

The release comes as both vinyl LP and CD versions, complete with a booklet including liner notes documenting Perko's time in the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and rare archival material from press clips to touring schedules. The vinyl includes free digital download with 4 bonus tracks.

"Holy mackerel! Everything works: the idea, the execution, and the amazing trio."

Andreas Müller, Deutschlandradio Kultur

"Playful and cool. It's remarkable how much the trio gets out of these compositions."

Jan-Erik Holmberg, HBL newspaper

"The jazz gem of the year."

Venla-Vanamo Asikainen, Karjalainen newspaper

"The perfect jazz record."

Pentti Ronkanen, Suomijazz.com

01. Bebop 07:00

02. 'Round Midnight 07:18

03. A Night In Tunisia 09:46

04. Cubano Be, Cubano Bop 06:29

05. Dizzy's Business 04:44

06. Con Alma 10:02

07. Lover Come Back to Me 05:14

08. Woody 'n' You 05:12

09. One Bass Hit 05:52

10. Tin Tin Deo 04:36

Jukka Perko, alto sax

Antti Lötjönen, bass

Teppo Mäkynen, drums

Music arranged by Jukka Perko Tritone 

Choir vocals on "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop" by KYN / KVL 

Recorded by Risto Hemmi at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki on 11-12 Oct 2016 

Mixed by Teppo Mäkynen & Risto Hemmi at Finnvox Studios 

Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen at Finnvox Studios 

Additional vinyl mastering by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab 

Produced by Teppo Mäkynen 

Design & liner notes by Matti Nives