Biography

Soaring on the border of modern jazz and classical impressionism, Emmi U. Quintet spices up the Nordic jazz scene with lyrical tones and unorthodox structures.

When pianist Emmi Karoliina Uimonen got the idea of pairing a violin with a saxophone in 2018 she collected together some rising talents of the current Finnish jazz scene and founded Emmi U. Quintet. The material for My Bird was then composed in a few months’ time inspired by the unique sound of the ensemble playing together.

The album’s name My Bird comes from Uimonen’s unexplainable feeling of flying while creating the material. “I didn’t care what musical genre the music would represent when composing. In almost a mystical way, not caring about any expectations, it felt like it gave me wings.” Uimonen describes the experience.

The presence of the melancholic, beautiful Nordic nature breaths calmness and continuity to the pieces with a great variety of influences. Uimonen specifies: “The album’s title piece My Bird is like a trippy jam session of Chopin and Nirvana in Goa, while the first piece Loving Eyes is a tender love ballad that bows to Bach with variating the theme in different parts and roles. The last piece, a bossa nova Sumu hälvenee (The fog is vanishing), pays a tribute to João Gilberto and Tom Jobim”.

The pieces are borrowing the progressive structures of classical music rather than using a form of a traditional jazz piece, while the music alters smoothly between thoroughly composed parts and improvisation. For example, in Friendly Shadows there are various orchestrated parts that flow seamlessly to solos, which don’t have a harmonic base in the already presented material. The influence of classical music can also be heard in the broad palette of dynamics and colours used by the musicians.

The album’s theme is venturing and owning the power to pursue your dreams. “Power doesn’t always need to sound like thunderstorms and rockets. A seemingly slow, seemingly invisible, but determined dedication to follow your intuition can be even more powerful in the end. Just like water moves objects to drill holes and shape gigantic rocks that have already been standing there for millions of years”, says Uimonen and gives a wink.

Emmi Karoliina Uimonen - piano, compositions
Silva Kallionpää - violin
Jesse Vilhomaa - alto saxophone
Tuomas Talvi - bass
Joona Räsänen - drums

Tracklist

1. Loving Eyes
2. Double Life
3. Tikka
4. Friendly Shadows
5. My Bird
6. Winter Solstice
7. Sumu hälvenee