Published by We Jazz Records, producer-drummer Teppo Mäkynen's 3TM is nominated for the 2020 Nordic Council Music Prize for the album Lake (2019). The winner will be announced in Reykjavik 27th October from among the 12 nominees.
3TM is a jazz trio consisting of producer and drummer Teppo Mäkynen, bassist Antti Lötjönen and saxophonist Jussi Kannaste. The nominators describe Lake as an album where "the combination of acoustic playing and electronic elements assumes almost philosophical dimensions. -- In the end, echoes of the album’s minimalist, reflective elements continue to reverberate at the back of your mind like an enigmatic magnifying glass upon life."
The 3TM's members are cornerstones of the Finnish jazz scene, and their first album together, Form (2017), was rewarded with a Jazz-Emma. In the same year, they released Abyss – A Prelude to the Lake (2019).
Twelve works have been nominated for the 12 Nordic Council Music Prize in 2020. In addition to 3TM, the nominee list includes i.a. such names as Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and Swedish artist Robyn. The nominees were announced during a live digital broadcast from London and Copenhagen on 16 June.
The Nordic Council Music Prize was first awarded in 1965 and recognises the creation and performance of music of a high artistic standard. The prize is awarded on alternate years to a work by a living composer in one year, and an individual performer or group the next. This year the music prize will go to a work by a composer.
The winner of the 2020 Nordic Council Music Prize will be announced on 27 October at an awards ceremony in Reykjavik in conjunction with the Session of the Nordic Council. The winner will receive the Northern Lights statuette and DKK 350,000. All twelve nominees can be found here.
Reviews of Lake:
"The catchy synthesis between the electronic and acoustic approaches reveals slightly reminiscent of what Radiohead's Thom Yorke has been doing for a couple of years now, though mastered in an even purer form. Chapeau!"
– Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz
Photo: Klaus Elfving