Biography

Jazz singer Antti Annola is one of the most fascinating rising jazz artists in the Finnish music scene. His debut album Whirlpool invites listeners to dive into impassioned stories accompanied by skillful scat improvisation.

Jazz vocalist Antti Annola's debut album Whirlpool is a collection of pieces from fear of loss to peace of mind along the human life – and everything in between. The album consists of beautiful melodies, mystical stories and intensive storytelling by means of improvisation.

The album holds five of Annola's own songs and three other compositions. The album was named after the title song: Whirlpool.

– The title song is a story of evaporation of fear of disappearance due to becoming aware of one's inner peace. The whirlpool believes to be a separate entity until it realizes what it is really made of. A whirlpool that appears in water is an activity of the ocean, so it really doesn't do anything by its own right. A whirlpool cannot exist without water, but water remains to be itself even without a whirlpool, Annola explains his thoughts behind the theme song.

Some of the songs on the album have stayed with Annola for many years. In addition to, the album includes new songs that are specifically written for the Whirlpool album, such as Listen To Your Heart.

The musicians playing on the album are: Sami Juntunen, piano; Roni Helminen, double bass; and Olli Estola, drums.

– Sami, Roni and Olli understood intuitively what I was going for in terms of atmospheres and themes in my compositions. It has been a great pleasure and privilege to be able to play and work on this album together. The songs have been arranged together as a band, Annola praises his talented co-musicians. One track is visited by the accordion artist Anne-Mari Kanniainen, where the two interpret the Jacques Brel classic Ne Me Quitte Pas.

As a vocalist Annola makes the stories in the songs alive with his intensive story-telling and his warm, sophisticated sound – both in interpreting of the lyrics and his unique scat singing.

– To me improvisation is a way of expressing and channeling that experience which is beyond words and the unknown – but which is still so familiar to all of us, Annola describes.

Tracklist

1. Baby, It's Not You, It's Me
2. Ne Me Quitte Pas
3. Whirlpool
4. Like Someone In Love(säv. Jimmy Van Heusen, san. Johnny Burke)
5. Medium
6. Listen To Your Heart
7. We Will Meet Again(säv. Bill Evans, san. Karen Gallinger)
8. Now