On The Rails project by the Finnish Jazz Federation, tests train touring in Europe at the end of June and beginning of July. Led by bassist Kaisa Mäensivu, Kaisa’s Machine will perform in five concerts during the tour, gathering valuable data for future sustainable touring practices. The project’s main partner is Trac Cymru, a folk music organization from Wales.
Bassist-composer Kaisa Mäensivu, now based in New York, will embark on the European tour with her newly revamped ensemble, Kaisa’s Machine. Joining Mäensivu on the journey to explore the intricacies of train travel and forge new connections in Wales are saxophonist Max Zenger, pianist Eden Ladin and drummer Joe Peri.
Kickstarting the tour at a well-connected club
The band begins their tour on June 28th in Munich, where the quartet performs at the legendary Unterfahrt jazz club, a bastion of Bavarian jazz culture for over 40 years. Unterfahrt is part of a network of European jazz clubs that collaborate in booking artists from outside Europe. By fostering collaboration instead of exclusive performances and one-off gigs, emissions from artists’ air travel can be reduced, especially when they opt for train travel within Europe. Other clubs in the Unterfahrt network include Porgy & Bess in Vienna, Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene in Oslo, Fasching in Stockholm, Nefertiti in Gothenburg, and the renowned Bimhuis concert hall in Amsterdam.
Concert at sustainability pioneer Bimhuis
From Munich, Kaisa’s Machine travels by train to Bimhuis in Amsterdam, where the quartet performs on June 29th, joined by Dutch guitarist Jesse van Ruller, who is also familiar to Finnish jazz musicians and audiences. Bimhuis has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts since its construction in 2005. The building is powered by solar panels, and heating and cooling systems utilize water-air pumps and geothermal energy, resulting in virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions from energy production. With excellent public transportation connections, Bimhuis enables low-emission access for audiences as well. The venue’s restaurants also prioritize responsible food products and minimize waste through recycling and waste reduction practices. Bimhuis actively participates in several sustainability initiatives in the jazz field, including the EU project Better Life, in which Tampere’s G Livelab is a partner. The project aims to establish regional club networks to facilitate more sustainable international travel.
Networking on the western edge of Europe
From Amsterdam, Kaisa and her bandmates continue their journey by train beyond the EU borders to the western part of the United Kingdom, specifically the coastline of the Irish Sea in western Wales. The Jazz Federation, together with Trac Cymru, a folk music organization, organize a concert and a networking event in a chapel in the Welsh-speaking village of Caernarfon. Jazz and folk music professionals invited to the event on July 2nd, will travel to Caernarfon by train.
Caernarfon is located a 2-hour train ride away from Wrexham, which is the home of Wales’ largest music and arts festival, Focus Wales. Focus Wales is currently developing its environmental program, and the information and experiences produced in the On The Rails project are welcome in terms of sustainable transportation. Although over 250 performers at Focus Wales mainly travel by land, while hailing from the Welsh region, dozens of international guests are invited to the showcase festival, and their flights contribute significantly to the festival’s carbon footprint. Various actors in the Welsh music scene from different live music genres could favor train travel within Europe or offer other activities and destinations for the guests during their visit, in addition to the festival. In return, Trac Cymru, the umbrella organization for folk music based in Cardiff, will organize a train tour with a folk music band visiting Finland in 2024.
Various audiences locally
From Wales, the band continues their journey by train through Northern Europe to Copenhagen, where Kaisa’s Machine throws two shows with a visiting Danish saxophonist at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival on July 5th and 6th. The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is a city-wide umbrella for over 1.200 concerts held in various clubs, cafes, and outdoor stages. The festival excels in cooperation between performance venues concerning international performers: the same artist can perform in different places for different audiences with the same transportation emissions. The Mäensivu band, reinforced by saxophonist Andreas Toftemark, will first perform in a relaxed bar atmosphere on Wednesday evening and the next day in a concert hall.
Experiences and carbon footprint measurement during the tour
The band uses a “green rider” on their tour, requesting concert organizers to consider climate-friendly practices, such as organizing vegetarian catering, avoiding waste, and conserving energy and water. The riders also ask the concert venues to provide information to the audience on how to reach the venue using public transportation or other low-carbon methods, such as cycling.
The carbon footprint of the tour’s transportation, accommodations, and purchased services will be calculated. The Jazz Federation will utilize the information, participants’ experiences, and new networks to develop best practices for possible international tours in the future.
The Jazz Federation piloted train touring in its carbon-neutral tour model project in Sweden in 2022. In collaboration with its Nordic partners, the Jazz Federation has been exploring environmentally sustainable tour practices in their Nordic Jazz Comets cooperation between 2020 and 2021, but the On The Rails project is the Jazz Federation’s first initiative to test more sustainable tour models outside the Nordic countries. From 2022 to 2023, the Jazz Federation created a roadmap for carbon-wise domestic touring, and this project lays the foundation for international touring activities.
The On The Rails project is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre. The tour is produced by Minnamurra Agency in collaboration with the Finnish Jazz Federation.
Kaisa’s Machine
Max Zenger, alto saxophone
Eden Ladin, piano
Kaisa Mäensivu, double bass
Joe Peri, drums
Tour Dates
June 28 Unterfahrt, München
June 29 Bimhuis, Amsterdam
July 2 Capel Salem, Caernafon
July 5 Søhesten, Copenhagen Jazz Festival
July 6 Musikhuset København, Copenhagen Jazz Festival