Biography

Departing the Wasteland marks the beginning of a new creative flowering for Finnish pianist and composer Alexi Tuomarila and also 20 years of playing with the trio that’s at the heart of the album: Mats Eilertsen on bass and Olavi Louhivuori on drums.

Born from a period of introspection, the album reflects Alexi Tuomarila’s journey of rediscovery, reigniting his passion for music through a deeper, more structured compositional approach.

"Working with Mats and Olavi for 20 years provides an opportunity. With so much mutual understanding we are able to interact and communicate in a way that feels both intuitive and instinctive. There’s no longer any fear of getting lost in the creative process and not finding our way back. For knowing someone for so long gives us an opportunity to explore the unknown together and opens the door to exploring uncharted territory/discovering the unknown. For this album not only marks 20 years of playing together but a start to a new era of writing and creativity. I feel like I'm just getting started, somewhat reborn, and that excites me to explore new musical ideas and discover new ways to interpret my playing as well as how we play together as a trio. I’m eager to push the boundaries of what we can create together as a trio and to look at things from perspectives different from what we’re used to."

Tracklist

1. Towards Dark Light
2. Gaman
3. Watchtower Hill
4. Inner Wasteland
5. August
6. Moreeni
7. Aether
8. Circle