{"title":"We Jazz","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"pu","title":"Pu:","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe Jazz Records presents \u003ci\u003ePu\u003c\/i\u003e:, the boundary-breaking solo debut of bass player Ville Herrala, to be released on 21 February 2020. Utilising only the double bass but looking at the instrument from various different perspectives. The end result is an inspired set of 14 miniatures, each pushing the concept forward in a highly personal way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first single \u003ci\u003ePu: 12\u003c\/i\u003e presents a rhythmic approach with echoes of from the world of minimal classical music and electronic music. Bowed tracks such as \u003ci\u003ePu: 2\u003c\/i\u003e offer another perspective, as does the second single \u003ci\u003ePu: 10\u003c\/i\u003e, going back to the essence of the instrument and opening new doors while doing so. Each of the tracks is a compact musical adventure unto its own.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50388954251595,"sku":"1088138","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red | LP","offer_id":50388954382667,"sku":"1088243","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50388954513739,"sku":"1088242","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0260c886-8d07-4277-829a-508c24c0692b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726351869"},{"product_id":"the-betrayal","title":"The Betrayal","description":"\u003cp\u003eEnemy, the trio of drummer James Maddren, pianist Kit Downes and bassist Petter Eldh make their We Jazz Records debut with their third album \u003ci\u003eThe Betrayal\u003c\/i\u003e. After their self-titled debut (\u003ci\u003eEdition\u003c\/i\u003e, 2018) and the follow up (\u003ci\u003eVermillion\u003c\/i\u003e, ECM 2022), the explosive yet lyrical trio is seeking new directions with the 12-track new record, arguably their strongest yet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Betrayal\u003c\/i\u003e consists of all original material penned by Downes and Eldh. It's an album of \"purposeful contradictions and a shedding of skin\", a studio recording recorded within the scope of a single day, edited, produced and mixed by the band themselves. In their own words, the band \"doesn't really rehearse, playing a lot live, taking risks, always writing new music, always playing as fresh as possible\", and evolving in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCareful listeners will quickly notice how different from Vermillion the new album is. Where once was echo and reverb, is now rhythmic intensity and a more compact sense of sound. The band sounds closer, their movement seems more focused. If Enemy would have a motto, it would be \"no risk, no fun\". True to this, \u003ci\u003eThe Betrayal\u003c\/i\u003e has its sudden twists and turns, yet the trio never loses sight of what makes the music theirs. It wouldn't be fair to call them \"experimental\", at least for the sake of using such a vague word, but they do experiment, having fun while at it. Listen to the three albums in one serving and you'll surely hear many directions in music being suggested, tried out, perfected, thrown out, and taken into processing again. You can also hear it within a single track at times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile being on the move at all times, they have a real \"swing\" in their sound, and there's always a bigger idea for the music than just playing it, whatever it might be at any given moment. 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Composed across a series of residencies beginning in 2019 and recorded in June 2022 at Western Front’s iconic Grand Luxe Hall, fLuXkit Vancouver (its suite but sacred) is the first collaborative release with Brooklyn-based Northern Spy and Helsinki-based We Jazz Records.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album’s spirited first movement, Fluxus V5T 1S1, reveals a compositional universe as penetrating as it is expansive. For Fluxus artists, art can exist anywhere. This can take the physical form of a fluxkit, a collection of artworks and everyday objects placed in a small container or box. By challenging definitions and pushing artistic boundaries, anyone who opens a fluxkit can experience an art event. Jones presents us with a fluxkit that we want to reopen again and again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover art for fLuXkit Vancouver was contributed by internationally acclaimed Vancouver-based artist Stan Douglas. Part of Douglas’ DCT series (2016 - ongoing), Occ6 is a brightly colored abstraction created through manipulating frequencies, amplitudes, and color values at the point in the digitization process where a photographic image is only represented by code. Occ6 mesmerizes and in turn offers a visual language that is untethered from conventional notions of the art form. “Stan found this world inside of a machine. Is this a photo?” Jones asks. “Is it a painting? What am I looking at? Maybe something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe music of \u003ci\u003efLuXkit Vancouver\u003c\/i\u003e also exists in between worlds: Is this a compositional suite? Is it sacred music? Or is it simply art? Jones’ score includes visual components — a 25 unique graphics key for extended technique on strings — alongside standard musical notation. “I wanted the musicians to respond in a way that was unique to them, to explore the relationship between what we hear and how we see, where sound becomes visual, emotional, and visceral.” That relationship is seen in the second movement Zubot, a bopping earthy elixir, and in the third movement Rainbow, an alluring and sultry ballad. “The music has a cinematic quality. Like Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite, I wanted to tell a story about a place,” Jones says.The album’s fourth and final movement, Damon \u0026amp; Pythias, marks Jones’ chrysalis as a sonic painter. The 200-year-old building that houses Western Front was originally a fraternal lodge of the Knights of Pythias. When Jones arrived in 2019, he encountered a multidisciplinary space that had fully integrated art practice into daily life. Between composing, Jones spent time with Fluxus artist and Western Front founder Eric Metcalfe and explored their historical archive. “I was able to sit and converse frequently with Metcalfe about why he and other artists created Western Front and how they were influenced by a movement called Fluxus. Being there helped me remember the importance of art existing together, music alongside visual art, writing, and dance, as a way to influence one’s process and perspective. This inspired me to make a compositional statement that would present me fearlessly as an artist.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn her liner notes for \u003ci\u003efLuXkit Vancouver (its suite but sacred)\u003c\/i\u003e, poet and archivist Harmony Holiday writes, “The playing here is gorgeous, but what stands out most is the rigor of the compositions, which feel like tributes to Sun Ra’s call that ‘only the impossible happens.’ Their mood is expansive, gleeful, wistful, sometimes frantic, but so coherent and poised at every turn that all you can do while listening is marvel at this fluency in the language of will and won’t that lives here alone.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReleased by Northern Spy and We Jazz Records, and produced with support from Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, the International Institute of Critical Studies in Improvisation, and with additional support from the Robert D. 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Composed by the three and produced by Eldh \u0026amp; Sandsjö, \u003ci\u003eY-Otis Tre\u003c\/i\u003e lives up to its name (\"tre\" means three in Swedish) and stands strong in the continuum of layercaked liquid jazz, a staple of the Eldh\/Sandsjö production duo lauded for their string of releases as \u003ci\u003eY-Otis\u003c\/i\u003e and Koma Saxo.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile recognisable in form, \u003ci\u003eY-Otis Tre\u003c\/i\u003e adds new dimensions to what has come before. Borne out of hours of tripped-out studio jams by Sandsjö \u0026amp; Eldh, \u003ci\u003eY-Otis Tre\u003c\/i\u003e feels natural, neon, 3D, at times laser sharp, at times gooey like jelly, and at all times ripe with ideas that would make albums on their own. Golden riffs are taken, twisted, thrown away, then recycled, and always evolving.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps evolution is key here, as \u003ci\u003eY-Otis\u003c\/i\u003e reuses and cross-refers its own ideas but never exactly repeats. The music has a mixtape-like DNA, and it seems to be breeding and multiplying at each beat. In colour terms, \u003ci\u003eY-Otis Tre\u003c\/i\u003e is more RGB than CMYK – that is, it might appear unrealistically bright and full of tones not found in the natural world. But when you listen to the music closely, you'll likely find it acoustic to the bone. There's no illusion: hearing the band live tells you what \u003ci\u003eY-Otis\u003c\/i\u003e is all about. It's a live band turned studio tool, morphed back into a live band. Or something like that anyway.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePutting a tag onto this music feels a bit like trying to hold a very colourful, somewhat thick liquid substance on the palm of your hand. You can see it, feel it, but never fully pinpoint just what's it made of. 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The musicians are valued contributors, and an integral part of what's here, but this is far from traditional jazz playing where a band sits in a room playing takes after takes of compositions on sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat being said, this is jazz to the fullest. That is, music that understands its past but always moves forward, and is never afraid of taking risks. \u003cstrong\u003ePetter Eldh\u003c\/strong\u003e uses jazz as a starting point, not the end goal. This gives his music edge and mobility beyond what can be contained on one album. In a way, an album, then, becomes a snapshot of a creative process in constant flux and evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOpening track \"\u003cem\u003eKoma\u003c\/em\u003e\" is literally drum and bass. It only consists of those two elements, yet what comes out of it is an open invite, a way of clearing your palette. It would be useless to describe individual tracks beyond that, but there's a strong sense of deliverance to the set. It feels like an ending, and also like a new beginning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50394560004427,"sku":"2055184","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Gold LP","offer_id":50394560201035,"sku":"2055185","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50394559643979,"sku":"2055183","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e74b8648-dc93-b687-884e-bfdc92061a03_bbf94490_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726442748"},{"product_id":"sonnet-to-silence","title":"Sonnet To Silence","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrooklyn-based bassist\/composer Kenneth Jimenez presents his new work \u003ci\u003eSonnet to Silence\u003c\/i\u003e on We Jazz Records. Consisting of 7 original compositions by Jimenez performed by his quartet including pianist Angelica Sanchez, drummer Gerald Cleaver and saxophonist Hery Paz, \u003ci\u003eSonnet to Silence\u003c\/i\u003e echoes the original fire of New York free jazz while stepping into a terrain of its own, boldly forward-thinking.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJimenez, originally from Costa Rica, has a knack at composing pieces that breathe naturally and take fight on the wings provided by the first-rate quartet, joining scene stalwarts and newcomers together as a coherent unit.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Since I was a kid I’ve had this reoccurring dream of running towards the edge of a mountain and suddenly discovering myself flying down to the valley, feeling weightless and fearless\", say Jimenez. \"This record is the materialization of that dream. The uncompromising voices in the band and our shared desire to explore the unknown make this music live and breathe. It feels that the possibilities become endless when creating with these master improvisers, and the only thing that matters is to take that initial jump into the abyss.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe opening track and first single \"Dos Tazas\" is a fine example of what the quartet can achieve. It sneaks up on the listener, drawing you in from the first moments, before revealing its melodically adventurous nature in its fullest. As a whole, the album lets the band loose at times, while the music maintains its natural flow. 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Nicholls' edits and post production give the music another layer, one drawing from field recordings and layered textural ideas. 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His use of unconventional techniques, such as live looping and electronic effects, adds an experimental edge to his sound. \u003ci\u003eYou're Never Really Alone\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to Jonah Parzen-Johnson's artistic vision and mastery of his craft. It is an album that invites listeners to immerse themselves in its intricate melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and captivating performances. 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In the summer of 2020, the Brooklyn-based vocalist and composer was immersed in mass demonstrations across New York City in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, organizing bands to counter the violent presence of militarized police. “Without venues, we played in the streets, with DIY concerts popping up under bridges, in tunnels, using generators, extension cords run out of storefronts and galleries, bringing the sound of experimental and revolutionary music to a larger public, ” Kidambi recalls. For an artist and activist who once cultivated community at defunct Brooklyn spaces such as Death By Audio and the Silent Barn, these protests became a place to publicly amplify the underground. “We gained tools and tactics, we have understood the power of collectivity, that same power that I feel as an improvising musician, where hierarchies are eliminated and individuals come together to assert their voices communally.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat subversive spirit of collective dismantlement and reassemblage serves as the catalyst for the longform cuts that comprise 'New Monuments', Kidambi’s third full-length recording with her band Elder Ones. As their leader writes in its accompanying liner notes, the title summons the “tearing down of old colonial and racist monuments and vestiges of power… in order to build new ones to the martyrs of struggle. ” Tracked at Figure 8 Studios above Prospect Park, the album is the work of an artist concerned with numerous interconnected sites of global conflict: among them, the farmers’ protests over agricultural reforms in India, the evolution of the Iranian women’s rights movement following the death of Mahsa Amini, and the continuous crescendoing call for Palestinian liberation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis time, the Elder Ones collective consists of saxophonist Matt Nelson, cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Eva Lawitts, and drummer Jason Nazary—all four of whom contribute their share of electronic textures and electroacoustic treatments. As a document of dissent, these four compositions give proof that improvisation is instrumental in the realm of resistance. Kidambi’s voice hovers over a scorched sonic landscape equally informed by Black American liberation music, the devotional fervor of Indian Carnatic, and the unleashing of an inner scream listeners might associate with hardcore punk and harsh noise. 'New Monuments' pays homage to “all those who tirelessly organize and resist against insurmountable headwinds”. To be sure, the propulsive presence of repetition, mantra, and call-and-response patterns instantly elicit a protest at its peak, and what remains is an ensemble ecology that fluctuates between consonance and collision. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon pressing play on the three-part opener 'Third Space', the disruption is as palpable as ripples in water: a synthesizer shimmers against a tremulous cello before Kidambi’s cavernous voice makes its bold entrance center stage. By the time the band storms in, her reverb-drenched long tones evolve into an eruption of short-winded shouts and squalls. Above the bellows of her harmonium, a refrain evoking exile emerges: “you don’t belong here \/ they don’t belong here \/ we don’t belong here”. The quintet then locks into a polyrhythmic pulse that conjures up the ghosts of free jazz past and present; throughout its runtime, there are flashes of Albert Ayler’s\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003elove cry, Don Cherry’s eternal rhythms, Alice Coltrane’s ecstatic spirituality, and the fortissimo fearlessness of Kidambi’s late friend and collaborator jaimie branch, to whom the album is partly dedicated. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Third Space’ is the first track extracted from the album. It was written in response to the Atlanta spa mass shooting in 2021, where a white man targeted and killed Asian women. That year saw a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate, highlighting the complexity of the Asian experience in the United States and the need for solidarity between Asian, Black Americans and other marginalized groups amidst the Racial Justice movement. Often rendered invisible in the black\/white paradigm, the Asian and South Asian experience exists in the contradictions of the myth of the “model minority”, the emasculation of its men, the exoticizing and subjugation of its women through an Orientalist gaze, and the dehumanization of its diaspora through American Imperialist wars. 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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 \u003ci\u003eBoth Only.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoth Only\u003c\/i\u003e 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. 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The instrumentation is acoustic and their sound organic to the bone, but the music's slowly unfolding character brings to mind some deep abstract electronic music or experimental dub explorations at times. That is, there's power just under the surface, just beautifully out of focus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOtto Eskelinen says: \"Lately I have been playing mostly folk music and using traditional instruments, such as ancient flutes. Now I felt that I wanted to play the saxophone again, and to do it in a small group setting, while searching for new compositional approaches and also ways of playing together with others. I wanted to create a band that would play something connected to free jazz, but with a distinctly melodic approach. I wanted the sound of the band to be gentle and peaceful, all acoustic. 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This dynamic collection of tracks showcases Ahvenlahti's exceptional talent as a pianist and composer, offering a blend of traditional jazz elements with modern influences. Ahvenlahti's masterful piano playing takes center stage throughout the album, leading listeners on a musical journey filled with intricate melodies and improvisational moments. His unique style and creative approach to composition shine brightly on each track, drawing in the audience with its depth and complexity.Accompanied by a talented ensemble of musicians, Ahvenlahti weaves together rich harmonies and rhythmic textures that create a lush sonic landscape. The interplay between the instruments is seamless, showcasing the chemistry and cohesion of the group as they explore different moods and emotions within each piece. From upbeat and energetic tunes to more introspective ballads, Mirror Mirror offers a diverse range of musical experiences that will appeal to both seasoned jazz enthusiasts and newcomers alike. 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On \"Y-OTIS 2\", released by Helsinki's We Jazz Records on July 24, Sandsjö and his close associate, bassist\/producer Petter Eldh (of Koma Saxo), deepen their vision of genre-bending, forward-looking \"liquid jazz\" of tomorrow. The core group also includes Dan Nicholls on keys and Tilo Weber on drums, and also featured on the album are Swedish jazz greats Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per \"Texas\" Johansson, cellist Lucy Railton and trumpeter Ruhi-Deniz Erdogan.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiving deeper into \"Y-OTIS 2\", you'll find details and ideas galore. The album is an inviting and inspiring audio mosaic, which links back into the previous Sandsjö\/Eldh collaborations, namely \"Y-OTIS\" and \"Koma Saxo\". The result is a balanced album which quenches your thirst while making you more thirsty in the process. 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The album is the much awaited follow up to 2017's successful 3TM debut \u003ci\u003eForm\u003c\/i\u003e, which was awarded as the \"Jazz Album of the Year\" in 3TM's native Finland. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLake\u003c\/i\u003e was preceded by the ambient electronic album \"Abyss\" in August, which set the mood for what's to come next: A compact yet far-reaching body of work bringing together the trio's acoustic jazz sound and ideas rooted in abstract electronic music in a remarkably boundless way.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"White LP","offer_id":50483480985931,"sku":"1082098","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/06645fa5-5a3e-4190-a6a1-248ff0c62572_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727568275"},{"product_id":"mountain-man-exit-orlo","title":"Mountain Man Exit \/ Orlo","description":"\u003cp\u003eTimo Lassy follows up his new album \u003ci\u003eTrio\u003c\/i\u003e on We Jazz Records by sharing two non-album cuts from the same sessions on a new 7\" vinyl single. \"Mountain Man Exit\" is a stormy number featuring the trio of Lassy (tenor sax), Ville Herrala (bass) and Jaska Lukkarinen (drums) in full flight plus Tuomo Prättälä (of Ilmiliekki Quartet) on synth duties. Album track \"Orlo\" gets a new treatment, edited for the 7\" and taking shape as a tough-as-nails mix breaking new ground here without the string section.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50483496354123,"sku":"1140697","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cfab94af-7aaf-40e8-af0d-d6cb290cb014_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727568644"},{"product_id":"tigers-are-better-looking-2","title":"Tigers Are Better Looking","description":"\u003cp\u003eComposer Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen presents his Nonet formation on We Jazz Records. Their debut album Tigers Are Better Looking is released 3 Feb and the ensemble features internationally renowned Finnish clarinetist Antti Sarpila, plus a strong cast of Helsinki-based musicians from several of the top Finnish groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on the writings of British-Caribbean author Jean Rhys (1890–1979), the 6-track album is a melancholy, intimate chamber jazz creation. Laurell's music swings, yet he doesn't stop there, but moves further to paint an original, richly-toned sonic image with the highly potent Nonet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaurell states Gerry Mulligan, Miles Davis's \"Water Babies\" and Charles Mingus among the key musical influences of his compositions on this album. Through Rhys's text, Laurell finds a special sense of detachment and melancholy evident in his new material. Antti Sarpila's masterful clarinet provides the icing on the cake, floating high above the clouds of sound.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50488779309387,"sku":"2005640","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cover.ki_13_60989b31_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727631362"},{"product_id":"one-eyed-daruma","title":"One-Eyed Daruma","description":"\u003cp\u003eSwiss artist Lukas Traxel releases his powerful debut album One-Eyed Daruma on We Jazz Records, March 10. The trio features Traxel on double bass, Otis Sandsjö on sax and Moritz Baumgärtner on drums. Compact, deep, and organic to the bone, Traxel \u0026amp; co's sound echoes the innovations of rhythmically driven avantgarde jazz while keeping things moving at all times. There's both drive and freedom to this sound.\nONe-Eyed Daruma features eight new compositions by Traxel, who crafted the outline for the album while dealing with the loss of his father. The group came together after an open invitation from the Zurich jazz club Moods to present a new group. The trio of Traxel, Sandsjö and Baumgärtner creates a full, symphonic, and powerful body of sound despite the instrumentation without a harmony instrument. The trio functions as a collective where the boundaries between composition, melody, and accompaniment are in flux, while keeping the common goal of creating new music together in sight at all times. Traxel reports that after playing bass in various groups with guitar and\/or piano, he wanted to create a counterpoint of sorts with his new group and specifically go about it with a more sparse setup. As One-Eyed Drama proves, the idea behind the trio dynamic is a strong one and the unit makes use of their extra space in creating evocative, moody, swinging creative jazz with a distinguishable fingerprint of its own.\nLukas Traxel says:\n\"The process of composing this music while dealing with the loss of a loved one resulted in a writer's block at first. The notes would just not flow out of my pen until I noticed a mysterious-looking figure in the right upper corner of my piano. It was a daruma, an eyeless figure that in the Japanese tradition brings luck and prosperity. According to the myth, the first eye must be drawn onto the figure while expressing a wish. The second eye can be added only if the wish comes true. My daruma is meant to stay one-eyed as my wish, strongly connected and intertwined with my now gone father, is not meant to be fulfilled. The feeling of unfulfillment and imperfection of life serves as a common thread throughout this album, right down to its title. In a similar fashion, a composition remains incomplete until it is interpreted by musicians, and given form as music. That being said, for me playing together with this trio symbolises the upside: the sense of fulfillment in music and life.\nOur musical influences include the American composer and singer Caroline Shaw, Swiss pianist Colin Vallon's trio, and composer\/singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane. In addition, I have listened a lot to the trio albums of Jimmy Guiffre and Sonny Rollins. Besides that, my musical heroes like Charlie Haden, John Coltrane, and Keith Jarrett always flow into the music. Another very important influence in the music is the work of American visual artist Agnes Martin, in whose works the imperfection of a multiplicity of repetitions results in a lively big whole in the end. (See \"Wild Flower\")\nLive, the trio takes a lot of freedom in interpreting this music, yet we have a deeper, almost pop-like attitude towards the live performance as an experience. For me it's always important to build a strong narrative with the band while on stage.\"\nOne-Eyed Daruma by Lukas Traxel is released on 10 March 2023 by We Jazz Records on LP\/CD\/digitally. The LP edition is shelved in an inside-out sleeve and pressed on white vinyl. The CD is housed in a cardboard digisleeve with UV lacquer finish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50489209422155,"sku":"2010438","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_2b741473_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727639443"},{"product_id":"tesserae","title":"Tesserae","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrummer Tilo Weber joins forces with bassist Petter Eldh (Koma Saxo) and Elias Stemeseder, who plays harpsichord and keys here on Weber's We Jazz debut, \"Tesserae\", to be released 21 April 2023. The three musicians plus guests present a unique jazz trio sound for all times, without boundaries. Weber, based in Berlin, came to the attention of We Jazz Records with his his highly inspired drum work on Otis Sandsjö's Y-OTIS, and has since then also been awarded with the prestigious Deutscher Jazz Preis for the arrangement of the year in 2022.\n\"Tesserae\" is the work of not only Tilo Weber the drummer, but also the visionary \"full stack\" artist on the rise, and the entire record consists of new, original compositions by Weber. Eldh and Stemeseder, both also part of the first incarnation of the Y-OTIS live band and the first album, are close musical partners to Weber, and the whole album brims with natural innovation and musical joy shared among the three. Each of the versatile musicians also move beyond their main instruments on the album, with Weber bringing on the vibraphone, Stemeseder tackling the celesta(!), and Eldh picking about acoustic guitar. It's easy to hear that all three are keen on going beyond what would be expected while creating this music.\nThe harpsichord dominates the first spin, as the very sound of the instrument sounds so delightfully alien to the modern trio setting. Indeed, \"Tesserae\" sounds at once baroque and futuristic. Flute, played on two tracks by Anna-Lena Schnabel and ney by Bastian Duncker on one selection, add levels that make the sound float at almost otherworldly dimensions (check \"Sacre Sacre\" for a case in point). The lead single \"Nacre Nacre\" introduces the trio in an apt way, snapping with an irresistible groove while moving not only from left to right, but also forward on a 3D spectrum of its own.\nThese added dimensions are there to be found for the repeated listens, suggesting \"Tesserae\" is an enduring album with plenty of mileage. The whole kaleidoscope of the sound reveals itself slowly, yet the impact is an instant one. Making something seemingly minimal turn out so colorful is no mean feat, and Tilo Weber \u0026amp; co pull it off here with remarkable ease. The album has a flow that grabs you from the first notes and builds monuments from there on.\nTilo Weber says:\n\u2028\u2028\"I was writing a lot of different music for various ensembles and instruments over the last 3 years. When I started this Trio I wanted it to represent a strong compositional trademark besides the improvisational impact of the players. Since Petter and Elias are both rhythmically versatile and experienced, I wanted to challenge them and collected all my musical odd-metre sketches and rhythmic patterns that I found interesting. \nI have always dreamt about forming my own trio, but never really wanted to add another piano trio to the endless sea of them already out there. One day Elias told me about his harpsichord and that set this in motion. I had written some musical sketches for a trio setting, but wasn't hearing a piano playing this music. The sound of the harpsichord changed everything and inspired me to finish all tunes.\nThe music of this album might be the most \"drummer-like\" music I have written and released under my own name so far. My goal with these pieces is definitely to disrupt the conceptional composition with improvisations. Some pieces are connected to each other, because they share the same musical material. That's why they also have \"related\" titles. For example the bass line of 'Nacre Nacre' and 'Sacre Sacre' are the same but in different tempos. 'Sacre Sacre' is somehow a recycled version of \"Nacre Nacre\" and it creates a totally different atmosphere. 'Entrope Nestled' is somehow recycled from 'Time Traveler's Vessel'. The melody on the celesta is written out for the opening track of the album and lay foundation for the group improvisation in 'Entrope Nestled'. Then there are some conceptional pieces such as 'In Rapture and Rubble', that has a melody which is a transcription of the pitches made by water dripping into a cistern. \nA lot of my inspiration comes from literature. I mostly read nonfiction and poems. The compositional aspect within written language fascinates me. Besides the actual meaning of the words and their power, there is always an ambiguous shadow which somehow reflects our irrational world.\nThe mystic nature of Rainer Maria Rilke's poems inspired me a lot. The ambiguity of his words stimulates the brain and you start reflecting your life and how you are positioned in the world. Following that tarin of thought, the track titles of the album assume the form of a poem. I asked Katie O'Riley to write a poem about mother pearl (nacre). The theme also inspired the album's title, 'Tesserae', because you mostly come across nacre when it's formed in a specific way.\nWhen you watch nacre under the microscope you can see it's made of different layers, which almost look chaotic. That reminds me a lot of how we recorded the music of the album. We kept adding layers with synthesizers, guitar, vibraphone and additional flute and sax solos in a pretty random way and a short amount of time. I love exploring a creative process which becomes somehow irrational. Live, we always start a new process with these compositions, and that takes us into new territory each time around.\"\n\"Tesserae\" by Tilo Weber is released by We Jazz Records on 21 April 2023 on LP, CD and digitally.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50489214763339,"sku":"2014739","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50489214959947,"sku":"2014744","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_8036ce7e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727639638"},{"product_id":"milda-doden-hamtar-oss-alla-till-slut","title":"Milda Doden Hamtar Oss Alla Till Slut","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe Jazz Records is delighted to present the first ever vinyl release for two modern classic tracks by Swedish organist Eric Malmberg. Originally released in 2007 by the label Häpna on Malmberg's second solo album \u003ci\u003eVerklighet \u0026amp; Beat\u003c\/i\u003e, the pair of tunes herein serve as proof of Malmberg's remarkable artistic vision, echoing both the pure pastoral beauty and the irresistible groove of his work. This release, part of the ongoing 7\" series by We Jazz Records, follows the label's Artistic Director Matti Nives's 10+ years of obsession with the aforementioned Malmberg album after an initial chance encounter with the side A track on a WIRE Magazine compilation in 2007.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Eric Malmberg's music is a small miracle. I don't want to call him a genius, because I don't want to jinx him. But I will say that he's a complete original, in addition to being a vastly talented musician. I will also say that his recordings and the two performances that I saw by Sagor \u0026amp; Swing merit a place on a short list of most enjoyed musical experiences of the last half decade. I could bleat about the quality of the work, but \"most enjoyed\" to me carries the stronger charge.\" – David Grubbs, New York, March 2007\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50489219744075,"sku":"1119963","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"drought","title":"Drought","description":"\u003cp\u003eDebut album of Ainon, a Helsinki-based ensemble founded by cellist-composer Aino Juutilainen. On \"Drought\", the four-piece plays music influenced by jazz, contemporary music and classical music, all morphed together into a highly inspired musical vision. The music of Ainon might be best described as \"spiritual avantgarde jazz\", with original compositions and the individual voices of the four players both playing an integral part in the music. In addition to Juutilainen, the quartet includes Satu-Maija Aalto (violin \/ viola), Suvi Linnovaara (saxophone \/ clarinet \/ flute) and Joonas Leppänen (of Alder Ego, drums).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe quartet has a knack for creating strong moods and performing their original material with remarkable intensity. Mood-wise, the album ranges from serene, almost ambient-like passages to moments of strong improvisation and explosive energy. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50489912721739,"sku":"1102822","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e06f4d81-ec40-42bb-8b3d-4d925d564da2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727646019"},{"product_id":"koma-west","title":"Koma West","description":"\u003cp\u003ePetter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album \u003ci\u003eKoma West\u003c\/i\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 14 tracks, \u003ci\u003eKoma West\u003c\/i\u003e is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop and 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThematically, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50490025247051,"sku":"1150449","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50490025378123,"sku":"1148689","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/44bb952f-76c2-46be-9bbe-e64a04bf1804_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727649667"},{"product_id":"iii-5","title":"III","description":"\u003cp\u003eHelsinki quartet Alder Ego, led by drummer\/composer Joonas Leppänen, returns with their new album \"III\" on 9 April on We Jazz Records. A follow up to their successful 2018 We Jazz album, \u003ci\u003eIII\u003c\/i\u003e finds Leppänen and his bandmates extracting more depth and punch out of their tenor sax + trumpet + double bass + drums setup, which echoes the greats in the game, such as Ornette Coleman, yet adds a readily identifiable edge to it all. Leppänen's writing is evolving, becoming more and more of a signature of the band and sounding delightfully angular yet easily flowing. On \u003ci\u003eIII\u003c\/i\u003e, Alder Ego features Leppänen on drums, Jarno Tikka (of OK:KO) on tenor sax, Tomi Nikku (of Bowman Trio) on trumpet and the new addition Nathan Francis on bass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKicking off with a key track introducing the band's deep sound, \u003ci\u003eLove And Maladies\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIII\u003c\/i\u003e moves through a sonic landscape which is constantly surprising yet identifiable as Alder Ego guided by Leppänen's musical vision at all times. This is true even during moments when the composer himself steps aside, namely in the Tikka–Nikku duo cut \u003ci\u003eImpermanence\u003c\/i\u003e and Nathan Davis's highly memorable solo outing \u003ci\u003eNathan's World\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album's many highlights include singles \u003ci\u003eNovember Ghost\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eI Saw It In a Dream\u003c\/i\u003e, plus the stunning closing track \u003ci\u003eEphemeral\u003c\/i\u003e, featuring Natalia Castrillon on harp.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50490393854283,"sku":"1114494","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50490394214731,"sku":"1114495","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_09ecf473_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1731186025"},{"product_id":"lake-abyss-bundle","title":"Lake \/ Abyss Bundle","description":"\u003cp\u003e3TM is a new project by Helsinki-based drummer\/producer Teppo Mäkynen (of The Stance Brothers, Timo Lassy \u0026amp; Teppo Mäkynen, The Five Corners Quintet, etc.), bringing together the sound of modern acoustic jazz trio and abstract electronic music seamlessly and in a highly personal way. In 2019, 3TM released two records: the glorious new trio album \"Lake\", and its \"pre-album\", the ambient work \"Abyss\".\nThis 2LP bundle brings together both of 3TM's 2019 releases \"Lake\" and \"Abyss\". Comes in a Japanese-styled re-sealable plastic sleeve including both LPs with their original artwork. Available as black+clear and white+clear vinyl versions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50521307119947,"sku":"2055960","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50521307283787,"sku":"2055965","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_7485fa7a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727990444"},{"product_id":"abyss-a-prelude-to-lake-2","title":"Abyss (A Prelude To Lake)","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrummer\/producer Teppo Mäkynen presents a new album by his lauded trio ensemble 3TM in 2019. Before the second 3TM album \"Lake\" comes \"Abyss\", a collection of 10 ambient pieces laying the groundwork for the upcoming album. This prelude album is a full-bodied work in itself, a glorious and somewhat mysterious LP which brings forth yet another shade of multifaceted Mäkynen's musical vision. The 10 compositions on \"Abyss\" feel like the discovery of life and movement in deep waters, where only the rare shades of light breaking through indicate that another world exists above the surface.\n\n\"Abyss\" will be available as a clear vinyl edition, on tape and digitally, and both as a standalone album and as a bundle with the upcoming 3TM trio album \"Lake\".\nTeppo \"Teddy Rok\" Mäkynen is a drummer\/producer from Helsinki, who works at the centre of the lively jazz scene in Finland. His work includes projects such as 3TM, The Stance Brothers, Teddy Rok Seven and the new duo with sax player Timo Lassy. Mäkynen also plays drums in several highly-regarded ensembles such as Timo Lassy Band, Aki Rissanen Trio, Jukka Eskola Soul Trio, Verneri Pohjola Quartet, Nicola Conte Jazz Combo, plus many more. As a producer, his work has been highly regarded in projects such as 3TM, The Stance Brothers, and the albums of Timo Lassy and Jukka Eskola.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50521428754763,"sku":"2055959","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_53a6daf2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727991467"},{"product_id":"ii-76","title":"II","description":"\u003cp\u003eHelsinki-based drummer Joonas Leppänen introduces Alder Ego, his quartet formation bringing together four major talents from the buzzing Finnish jazz scene. Here, Leppänen is joined by trumpeter Tomi Nikku (of Bowman Trio), saxophonist Jarno Tikka and bassist Teemu Åkerblom.\nTogether they create forward thinking jazz music of the now: melodic, flowing, and full of surprises. The music moves forward naturally, carrying with it multiple levels of discovery. Leppänen's musical vision has cubist undertones, and the Alder Ego tracks takes unexpected turns yet maintain their melodic clarity at all times. Each member brings forth his soloistic prowess, with the frontline of Tikka and Nikku on sax and trumpet, respectively, shining through. That being said, this is small group jazz at its best: lean yet multilayered, melodic yet challenging, and ultimately based on teamwork with very rewarding results indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"White LP","offer_id":50521452970315,"sku":"2056000","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50521452708171,"sku":"2055991","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50521454543179,"sku":"2056001","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_1cbad096_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727991655"},{"product_id":"berlin-271017","title":"Berlin 27.10.17","description":"\u003cp\u003eHelsinki's We Jazz Records launches a new series of live recordings, the \"We Jazz Live Plates\", offering a closer look into the label's live activities. The first installment of the series is a recording from Berlin captured in October 2017. The six-tracker features Black Motor, Bowman Trio and Jaska Lukkarinen Trio offering two potent slices of raw live jazz each. All of the compositions herein are previously unreleased or new arrangements.\nThe album \"Berlin 27.10.17\" was recorded at club Monarch located in Berlin's Kottbusser Tor during the second annual Scope Festival (a collaborative effort of Berlin's XJAZZ and We Jazz). The dense atmosphere of the packed club is present in the recordings which showcase three major acts from the vibrant Finnish scene. Musically, the album ranges from the undeniable swing of Jaska Lukkarinen Trio's \"Roger\" and Bowman Trio's \"The Hillary Step\" to the scorching updated version of Black Motor's \"Branches\", subtitled here as \"Berliner Musik\".\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Jazz","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50521558942027,"sku":"2056124","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_ee55ded5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727992271"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/we-jazz.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}