Into the Woodland Silence brings together the internationally acclaimed Swedish big band ensemble, Norrbotten Big Band, one of Finland's most celebrated young composers, Outi Tarkiainen, and Aili Ikonen, a Finnish jazz vocalist with a distinctive voice. Into the Woodland silence will be released on 12 July by Helsinki Jazz Underground, and album launch gig will take place at the Pori Jazz Festival on 17 July.
The unique release moves freely somewhere between jazz and contemporary music. The earlier works of Outi Tarkiainen – an award-winning composer dubbed Kaija Saariaho of jazz – range from intimate chamber and vocal pieces to large-scale works written for symphony and big band orchestras. Into the Woodland Silence brings to life Tarkiainen's musical vision of a big band setting where each individual musician weaves into the compositional fabric of the pieces.
The album marks Tarkiainen's debut as a composer-arranger for a full-length release and further expands the young composer's musical palette. Melodic and lyrical in her expression, Tarkiainen draws on Scandinavian melancholy and the mystery and the mystique of the northern nature, but the energetic big band jazz tradition and the unpredictability of contemporary music are there too. One prominent feature is the lyrics, most of which are taken from poems written by Eeva-Liisa Manner and Sirkka Turkka.
The title track Into the Woodland Silence builds on the long-standing collaboration between Tarkiainen and Aili Ikonen. The piece is, in fact, dedicated to Ikonen and tailored specifically to her voice. “I heard Aili sing in a new type of context in 2009, in the opera Lovers of Mankind, and was very impressed. I realised she can do anything with her voice. In Into the Woodland Silence, the attention focuses on the vocalist: Aili sings vocals, speaks, whispers, improvises, leading the listener through different musical landscapes,” explains Tarkiainen.
“Into the Woodland Silence is the most challenging piece of work for me so far, both technically and expression-wise. Outi's musical language and topics are now more expansive and diverse than ever. Ten years back, Outi was much more a traditional composer,” says Ikonen.
For Norrbotten Big Band, too, the title track meant venturing into new and challenging territory. Clarinet soloist Jan Thelin likens his solo parts to a bungee jump: ”You need to let go of the desire to be in control. There's no turning back, you just have to go with the flow and trust your own imagination. It gives you a sense of awareness of what's around you, and the here and the now. The only thing you can't allow yourself to do is to lose the ability to express yourself, go mute.”
The original version of Into the Woodland Silence, commissioned by UMO Jazz Orchestra, was premiered in Helsinki in 2010, and the piece has now been rearranged for Norrbotten Big Band.
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Rovaniemi-based composer Outi Tarkiainen (born 1985) has emerged with a distinctive style and a desire to try something new. A graduate of the Sibelius Academy, Tarkiainen is at home with both jazz and classical music. Her works have featured in many prominent festivals and been performed to audiences in the Nordic countries and many other European countries, as well as the United States, by ensembles such as the Metropole Orchestra, UMO Jazz Orchestra, Norrbotten Big Band, Big Band RTV Slovenija, Henry Mancini Institute Chamber Orchestra, Miami Concert Jazz Band, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Lapland, and Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra. Soloists who have performed her works include such jazz legends as David Liebman, Randy Brecker, Conrad Herwig, Peter Erskine, Dick Oatts and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
Tarkiainen has been a visiting composer-conductor for UMO Jazz Orchestra, the Slovenian Radio and Television Big Band in Ljubljana, and for the Norrbotten Big Band's Swedish concert tour in 2011. In 2008, she won first prize at the international Jazzverk big band composition competition in Sweden. In addition to Norrbotten Big Band, her music has been recorded by Umo Jazz Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra, Metropole String Orchestra and Emma Salokoski. Several of her works are found on master tapes in the archives of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, and live recordings have been aired on Sveriges Radio P2 in Sweden.
Based in Luleå, Sweden, Norrbotten Big Band is one of the world's most highly acclaimed big bands. The orchestra's history dates back to the 1980s, but their rise to fame began in 1995 with Tim Hagans as the artistic director. The long list of artists who have worked with NBB cuts across several genres and includes such prominent names as David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Rufus Reid, Maria Schneider, Carla Bley, Toots Thielemans, Kurt Elling and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Since 2000, the Grammy-awarded orchestra has been involved in active collaboration with Radio Sweden, which has, among other things, resulted in a number of jointly commissioned works. NBB's current artistic director is saxophonist/composer Håkan Broström.
Aili Ikonen (born 1982) is a versatile vocalist who works in many different fields of music. Based in Helsinki, Ikonen has performed in many major venues both at home and abroad. In addition to leading her own group, Aili Ikonen Ensemble, she sings in and writes music and lyrics for Kvalda, Korpi Ensemble and Hereä. She also participates in a number of other ensembles, including Aili Ikonen & Tribute to Ella, Panu Savolainen Proprius, and Aili Ikonen & HERD: “Jazzbasilli”. Over the course of her career, Ikonen has toured with the a cappella ensemble Rajaton, featured with Don Johnson Big Band and provided vocals in the much-raved-about musical Kristina från Duvemåla.
Into the Woodland Silence
1. Oglütz 7:53
Outi Tarkiainen (Dan Johansson, trumpet; Karl-Martin Almqvist, tenor saxophone; Jonas Holgersson, drums)
2. Arco Íris 5:55
Christian Spering/Outi Tarkiainen; Lyrics: Mirja Mäkelä (Aili Ikonen, vocals; Peter Dahlgren, trombone)
3. Contemplations 11:32
Outi Tarkiainen (Håkan Broström, alto saxophone; Aili Ikonen, vocals; Dan Johansson, flugelhorn)
4. Vapautensa antanut (Freedom Surrendered) 9:14
Outi Tarkiainen; Lyrics: Sirkka Turkka (Peter Dahlgren, trombone; Aili Ikonen, vocals; Håkan Broström, soprano saxophone)
5. Cayo Coco 4:57
Tero Saarti/Mikko Pettinen/Outi Tarkiainen (Magnus Ekholm and Dan Johansson, trumpet)
6. Thus the Fairies Disappear 7:32
Outi Tarkiainen (Håkan Broström, alto saxophone; Adam Forkelid, piano)
7. Into the Woodland Silence 18:01
Outi Tarkiainen; Lyrics: Eeva-Liisa Manner/Sirkka Turkka (Olga Konkova, piano; Aili Ikonen, vocals; Jan Thelin, clarinets; Jonas Holgersson, drums)
8. Mörkö (Bugbear) 6:56
Mirja Mäkelä/Outi Tarkiainen (Jan Thelin, bass clarinet; Aili Ikonen, vocals; Karl-Martin Almqvist, tenor saxophone; Jonas Holgersson, drums)
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