john greenwood
Aki, I'm liking your style. I've been through this a few times now, and it seems to be soaking in a little more each time. There is more here than you can get in a few times through. The mark of good music is that it seems to be living and growing with each time through.
Favorite track: Signettes.
WINNER OF BEST JAZZ ALBUM AT EMMA AWARDS FOR BEST JAZZ ALBUM!!
Amorandom is the new major international release from Finnish pianist and composer, Aki Rissanen, described as a ‘rising star around Europe’ by Downbeat Magazine in 2015.
‘Aki is a tremendously musical, passionate and soulful person and has a high energy level. He is one of the best young pianists I have heard in years’. DAVE LIEBMAN
‘A melodic imagination and instinct to bend the familiar into unfamiliar shapes’. GUARDIAN
Over the last few years Aki has quietly been building a name in the international jazz world both as a leader and as a sideman. With Amorandom, he delivers his most authoritative work to date. There's a fluidity in his playing and a boldness in his composing that deserves widespread praise and real recognition for one of the finest young European pianists. Described by Downbeat as a ‘rising star around Europe, Amorandom is the work that will introduce Aki Rissanen’s startling new talent to a global audience.
credits
released March 4, 2016
LINER NOTES by Aki Rissanen:
Many of today's jazz musicians are renaissance men. We have vast knowledge of the history and craftsmanship of several genres of music. Technology has indeed made it possible to explore music on the internet at a very fast pace. We seem to have “everything” at our finger tips. Maybe this is our way to keep up with today’s intense lifestyle, but this has often made me wonder, why cannot I focus on anything? Especially in a small country like Finland, I've found myself playing all kind of things, from mainstream to avant-garde and almost everything in between. I've faced the problem that many other artists have encountered too, how to concentrate on one's own music while still being involved in many projects and styles? Nevertheless, as demanding it has been, I've always liked the beautiful anxiety of being an artist and not knowing what is going to happen next!
For me, the piano trio has not been the dearest musical set-up. Although it offers lots of liberty and chances to use the piano's full capabilities in communication with the other musicians, I've always felt that there are too many good trios around and everything has been done before. It took guts to make a trio album. Fortunately, my fellow musicians here came to help me at the perfect time. The trio was really born under the lucky stars! The readiness of these musicians is fascinating and there is no real need for verbalizing anything, neither in studio nor on stage. People ask me if there are any other players in Finland because those two seem to be everywhere. The answer is yes, but there is only one Antti and one Teppo!
The music on this album is based on an animation movie to which I composed a sound track few years ago. Although the original music has gone through many stages of transformation, you can still hear a cinematic flavor in it. I also felt mature enough not to hide my musical influences which are pretty evident, but at the same time I feel that my own voice is more present than ever before. In a way, I have needed to step a bit back in time to be able to side-slip from what I have been to who I am now (and maybe will be in the future).
I want to thank Antti and Teppo once again for their incredible musicianship, my sound engineer Mikko Raita, who has given lots of support at various stages of this album, my mastering engineer Svante Forsbäck, who made the music sound like silk, Tuula Leinonen and Markus Partanen for inviting me to score the movie, the artistic director of Koko Jazz Club in Helsinki, Timo Hirvonen, who has provided a spot for musically developing the trio to this point, and of course Dave Stapleton from Edition Records for his trust and the most pleasant beginning of a collaboration! And last but definitely not least, I owe my deepest gratitude to Nathalie who has always believed in me.
Pianist Aki Rissanen has quickly risen to a position among the top pianists in Finnish Jazz. Although originally classically
trained he has always had a feeling for improvised music and jazz. Rissanen is known for his work with Verneri Pohjola and with Dave Liebman. He has released seven albums under his own name and is gaining a growing reputation on the European jazz scene....more
Yet another very delicious ride on the adventure that is Phronesis. Complex without losing musicality.
Only downside on this is the production has a rather irritating level boost at the quiet end of the tracks. Peter Jones
Innovative and full of character. It's a long time since I've been so enraptured by a release such as this. 4 unique talents 'Together as One'. smithyhouse1
September 2018. It's July 2020 now. I'm feeling that's too long, y'know..?
This stuff's addictive. You just have to get more of it.
The composition and performance on show are in a class of their own. But I say that every time.
This is jazz like nothing else. Peter Jones
The Chicago group, led by trumpeter Will Miller, channel their collective experiences in the city’s storied hip-hop and jazz scenes. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jul 8, 2019
This masterful group of Chicago improv musicians, led by impresario trumpeter Will Miller, combine elements of jazz, electronica, and more. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 10, 2019
The trio get it together with big band goodness and show how well it _just works_, like it was meant to have always been that way.
"Untitled#1" is outstanding. "Herne Hill", the muted trumpet through to the finale - wonderful.
The rest - well - enjoy it yourself! :) Peter Jones