AKI RISSANEN - Art In Motion
Edition: EDN1134
Aki Rissanen: piano; Antti Lojonen: bass; Teppo Makynen: drums
Recorded 19th and 20th March 2019 bu Mikko Raita at Kallio-Kuninkala Studios, Jarvenpaa, Finland
This is the third outing for this trio, following well-received previous recordings. The CD’s title uses an acronym formed from the initials of the players’ first names or surnames and then describes this as being in motion. The ‘motion’ is felt from the way that Rissanen’s restless left hand grooves are shared by the vivacious bass lines and kinetic drum patterns. There is within this approach a merging of jazz rhythms with contemporary dance music; you get hints of hip-hop, trap, dubstep as Makynen’s sticks skip around his kit. Over the infectious layer of rhythm, Rissanen weaves melodies that loop and twist, invoking classical music in some of the phrasing and themes and building these into jazz chord structures. This is particularly apparent in the opening track, which has the enigmatic title of ‘Aeropeans’ (I can see this a play on the word ‘european’ but wondered whether this carried with a hint of the flygskam movement).
The blending of styles is not only characteristic of the trio and its playing, but also the development of Rissanen who studied classical piano from an early age but always tempered this with a passion for electronic dance music. Having said that, while electronic dance music has a strong influence in the tempo and phrasing of the pieces, there are also moments which revel in the complexities of contemporary classical music (most obviously on their version of Rautavaara’s ‘Cantus Articus, Melancholy’, track 6, but also in the phrasing of ‘Seemingly radical’, track 7) or baroque musical structures (as on the punning ‘Das Untemperierte Klavier’, track 4); although track 4 and 7 are both buoyed by Makynen’s scuttling drum patterns. A piano solo, ‘Love song’ (track 8), merges a chord sequence that could have come from Gershwin with left hand playing that rumbles ominously, especially as the piece picks up tempo and the right hand wrestles with circular motifs at ever increasing speed.
Of course, this trio is not unique in seeking to find ways on merging jazz sensibility with contemporary styles of dance music but, nevertheless, they create some exciting and beguiling music and are carving a unique sound in Nordic (and international) jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Edition: EDN1134
Aki Rissanen: piano; Antti Lojonen: bass; Teppo Makynen: drums
Recorded 19th and 20th March 2019 bu Mikko Raita at Kallio-Kuninkala Studios, Jarvenpaa, Finland
This is the third outing for this trio, following well-received previous recordings. The CD’s title uses an acronym formed from the initials of the players’ first names or surnames and then describes this as being in motion. The ‘motion’ is felt from the way that Rissanen’s restless left hand grooves are shared by the vivacious bass lines and kinetic drum patterns. There is within this approach a merging of jazz rhythms with contemporary dance music; you get hints of hip-hop, trap, dubstep as Makynen’s sticks skip around his kit. Over the infectious layer of rhythm, Rissanen weaves melodies that loop and twist, invoking classical music in some of the phrasing and themes and building these into jazz chord structures. This is particularly apparent in the opening track, which has the enigmatic title of ‘Aeropeans’ (I can see this a play on the word ‘european’ but wondered whether this carried with a hint of the flygskam movement).
The blending of styles is not only characteristic of the trio and its playing, but also the development of Rissanen who studied classical piano from an early age but always tempered this with a passion for electronic dance music. Having said that, while electronic dance music has a strong influence in the tempo and phrasing of the pieces, there are also moments which revel in the complexities of contemporary classical music (most obviously on their version of Rautavaara’s ‘Cantus Articus, Melancholy’, track 6, but also in the phrasing of ‘Seemingly radical’, track 7) or baroque musical structures (as on the punning ‘Das Untemperierte Klavier’, track 4); although track 4 and 7 are both buoyed by Makynen’s scuttling drum patterns. A piano solo, ‘Love song’ (track 8), merges a chord sequence that could have come from Gershwin with left hand playing that rumbles ominously, especially as the piece picks up tempo and the right hand wrestles with circular motifs at ever increasing speed.
Of course, this trio is not unique in seeking to find ways on merging jazz sensibility with contemporary styles of dance music but, nevertheless, they create some exciting and beguiling music and are carving a unique sound in Nordic (and international) jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
