Blog | The song of the blackbird plays in the trio

“The music of the Tuomo Uusitalo trio is frankly unashamedly beautiful,” writes Katri Kallionpää.

If you've been longing for romantic jazz, melancholic wistful harmonies, joking ensemble playing or a casually jogging bass line, go and listen to the Tuomo Uusitalo trio, which is currently touring Finland on the Jazzliito tour.

Double bass player Juuso Rinta Picture: Katri Kallionpää HS

The music of the trio takes you to the heart of jazz, to the streets of Greenwich Village, in the middle of the city at night, where the blackbird sings. It's downright unashamedly beautiful, but in a personal, fresh way.

We were immersed in this music on Friday at Espoo's Tapiola Garden hotel at the April Jazz Club, where a pianist Tuomo Uusitalothe bass player Juso Rinta and the drummer Roope Kantonen started their tour.

Vibes feels like being at the center of the trio's music in such a self-evident way that it feels fresh and revolutionary in the Finnish jazz scene.

Drummer Roope Kantonen Picture: Katri Kallionpää HS

The trio could almost be considered international. Uusitalo was born in Tampere, studied jazz music in Graz, Austria and Queens College in New York.

He returned to Finland during the corona pandemic after living in New York for eight years. Last summer he was awarded Pori Jazz's artist of the year.

Drummer Roope Kantonen has graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatory and moved to Finland in 2021. The Jazz Musicians Association chose him as jazz musician of the year 2022.

Double bassist Juuso Rinta studied at the jazz department of the University of the Arts and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

These musicians have revived and developed Finnish music life, which is also evidenced by the recognitions they have received. The trio organizes jams on Tuesdays in the restaurant Sörkan Ruusu.

Espoo at the gig, the skill of listening honed in the trio's jams and the collective playing approaching telepathy were experienced.

Uusitalo's touch with the hotel's Steinway grand piano was as firm as By Thelonius Monkbut soft as by Friedrich Chopin.

The surprise of the gig was that the trio didn't even play through the atmosphere of returning to Finland Homecomingsongs from the album. The Spanish Fresh Sound Records released the album last October.

Its instead, many completely new songs were heard in Espoo. I especially remembered Roope Kantonen Mellow– the song's exciting chord progressions. Of course, there were also interpretations, for example Duke Ellington and Bud Powell's of classic songs.

The trio is reportedly planning to go into the studio right after the tour to record the new compositions for the album.

At the end of the gig, however, the trio played my favorite song, like an anthem All Things Beautiful. Its strong, hopeful atmosphere followed me out into the foggy evening, which suddenly smelled like spring.