Skip to content

Mortal Lease is a band founded in 2020 by top Finnish jazz musicians. The band performs the compositions of the band's vocalist, Josefiina Vannesluoma, to the poems of Edith Wharton.

The band draws its name and lyrical inspiration from Edith Wharton's poem series The Mortal Lease, in which ornate sonnets depict a summer romance, the thirst for life, and the search for meaning. In Vannesluoma's compositions, moods range from ecstatic outbursts to restrained elegance, and influences from various musical genres seamlessly blend into the storytelling of the jazz ensemble.

Vannesluoma's singing and innovative musical language have been previously featured on albums by the acclaimed Signe ensemble and Mikko Sarvanne Garden's Teosto Award-winning album Heräämisen valkea myrsky (The White Storm of Awakening).