Pianist-composer and co-owner of the British Edition Records label, Dave Stapleton is no stranger to Finnish jazz and musicianship. Edition has released i.e. Verneri Pohjola's, Olavi Louhivuori's and Alexi Tuomarila's music. In the latest Jazzpresso he reveals why the Finns have a special place in his heart.
How I was drawn to Finnish music
Text: Dave Stapleton
Little did I know but my first exposure to Finnish was in Bath, England in 2006. Sat in the front row of the Pavilion at the Bath Jazz Festival, I watched Finnish ensemble Ilmiliekki perform a quite, controlled and sublimely beautiful set. It captivated me. I didn’t know the musicians or the music but what I heard connected with me. I can still remember that feeling now. Little did I know that two of those musicians would become a major part of Edition in the future - Verneri Pohjola and Olavi Louhivuori.
At that time, Edition wasn’t in existence. I was a musician running my own label and releasing my own self-produced albums but without knowing it at the time, that concert was a defining moment to hear musicians create music in that way.
My next encounter was a chance meeting at Jazzahead, the Jazz conference held each year in Bremen, Germany. We had just released an album by Meadow with Tore Brunborg, Thomas Stronen and the late, great John Taylor. Tore was playing in Mats Eilertsen’s Sky Dive so I went to see that concert. Also in that band was Olavi Louhivuori. At that point I didn’t realise I had seen him before at the Bath Festival.
I was invited out for a meal with the band and happened to sit next to Olavi. We got talking and immediately the connections came together and I had, without knowing it, heard him play on numerous records including Alexi Tuomarila and Tomas Stanko. I loved his approach to drumming and immediately knew at that point he would be ideal to play on my own album ‘Flight’ which I was writing at the time. This was the second defining moment. Following our collaboration the rest, as they say, is history - we released Olavi's Oddarrang album ‘In Cinema’ on Edition in 2013, which introduced me to Alexi Tuomarila and Verneri Pohjola. Writing this now, with hindsight, I can clearly see how these brief encounters shaped the music I make and produced and aim to produce in the future. The music connects with me.
For me, the creative process and approach to music defines everything. It’s a mindset. A way of thinking. And an approach I intend to discover more and more over the years.
For me Finnish music is not about money or fame but achieving individual personal goals, being honest to yourself and respecting the talent of like minded people. There’s a temperament that I respect and values that I and Edition share.
Today's industry is a fast paced, immediate and impatient. Taking a leaf out of the Finnish way of life for us all would provide invaluable positive rewards.