Biography

Released on German label Ozella Music, Beauteous Tales and Offbeat Stories is Kari Ikonen Trio's sophomore album. Fusing Afro-American jazz tradition with Eastern and Scandinavian elements and having a number of entirely improvised tracks, the album is a veritable ode to contrasts.

The trio's debut, Bright, came out on the same label in April 2013, winning them plenty of international attention. What is telling enough is that two thirds of the group have won the Finnish Jazz Federation’s prestigious Yrjö Prize, and what’s more, in consecutive years: Ikonen was awarded in 2013 and Ounaskari the next year.

The group premiered the album's material in December 2014 at the We Jazz festival and they returned to European stages, including Germany, Belgium and Austria around the album’s international launching date in April.

"Kari Ikonen has won multiple awards for his compositions and you can find three new ones of his on the album, aside an Armenian love song, a Coltrane classic and a Bollywood hit. Even this selection shows how much Ikonen likes a good contrast." - Ozella Music

Tracklist

1. L'avant-midi d'une elfe5:04
2. Astri Pes6:49
3. Kärhämä 1:27
4. Septentrional 9:08
5. Veritulppaani4:20
6. Countdown5:35
7. Verhotango3:05
8. Yöläiset2:02
9. Poorab Disa Se5:36
10. The 4th Part of the Harbour Trilogy6:15