Italian label Cam Jazz releases the sophomore solo effort of A-listing Finnish jazz pianist Joona Toivanen this September. The outing, Lone Room, will be followed by an album launch tour in Toivanen's two home countries, Finland and Sweden.
Finnish jazz pianist Joona Toivanen issues his newest on 23 September. Entitled Lone Room, this will be the second solo piano disc for Toivanen whose solo debut Polarities came out three years ago, and his third album to be released on the Italian label CAM Jazz. The 2013 solo debut garnered acclaim from the media, and the sophomore will be offering more of Toivanen’s signature sound: airy and stylish modern piano jazz with subtle, almost classical melodies. Launched in 2000, CAM Jazz is an independent Italian jazz label, whose other Finnish signees include such acclaimed bands as SUN Trio and Big Blue.
Joona Toivanen (b. 1981) belongs to Finland’s most internationally recognised jazz pianists, and most people will remember him from his own trio that has been active for almost two decades. Composed of drummer Olavi Louhivuori and the leader’s brother, bassist Tapani Toivanen, the trio has brought out five albums to date. Currently, Toivanen is based in Göteborg, Sweden, and in addition to the Joona Toivanen Trio and a number of other band projects he features in the band and concept Jazz & Fly Fishing. Coupling jazz music and fly fishing, the unlikely group’s music has come out on both DVD and CD.
Toivanen’s touch and his compositions for Lone Room combine the so-called Scandinavian melancholy and wistfulness with lyricalness and strong melody lines. Some of the eight pieces of the album lean more strongly to a composed structure; some leave more room for free improvisation with their wide arcs with a sense of a beginning and destination.
“While improvisation plays a key role, each piece has a structure that guides it and sets a framework for it,” Toivanen explains. “I did not want to predetermine the length of the pieces; instead, I played and improvised around the structure for as long as it felt good.” Toivanen’s first solo album featured lots of creative use of overdubbing and preparation, including the building of themes with the help of these effects. On Lone Room, he has found yet new ways of preparing the grand piano, but makes use of more organic approaches, too, and this time without overdubs.
Joona Toivanen: Lone Room
Cam Jazz 2016 (CAMJ 7904-2, release date 23 Sep 2016)
Distribution: Supersounds / Eclipse Music
1. Impromptu / 2. Lowlands / 3. Lone Room / 4. Moon Illusion / 5. Kafka / 6. Elder / 7. Highlands / 8. Whale Song
Joona Toivanen, piano & compositions
Joona Toivanen live
18 Sep at 18 Lerum Church, Lerum, Sweden
22 Sep at 18 Festsalen, Flokets hus, Vänersborg, Sweden
26 Sep at 18 Metso Live, Main Library Metso, Tampere
27 Sep at 19 JazzAnti Concert, Restaurant Laulumiehet, Helsinki
29 Sep at 18 Kuokkala Church, Jyväskylä
15 Oct at 18 Floda, Öijared, Sweden
24 Oct at 19 Nefertiti, Göteborg, Sweden