The We Jazz Rising Star -winning Bowman Trio is a specimen of the vitality and originality of today's Finnish jazz. Their first album, recorded at a We Jazz Festival concert at Kahvila Sävy in December 2015, will also be the very first release in the catalogue of We Jazz. The album will be available on two different vinyl editions and in digital format. The album launch party takes place on Lonna on 4 September.
Bowman Trio, a set of bright young things of Finnish jazz, bring out their anticipated first album on vinyl and in digital format on 2 September. The self-titled disc will actually be a double debut, since the release will also see the Helsinki-based creative office, We Jazz, debut as a record label. Selected as the We Jazz Rising Star last December, this powerball of a trio features Tomi Nikku on the trumpet, Joonas Tuuri on the bass and Sami Nummela on the drums. The album was recorded at the We Jazz Festival 2015 and it comprises seven tracks, all of which are written by the drummer Nummela. The album is produced by the Creative Director of We Jazz, Matti Nives. The launch party takes place on at the last edition of this summer’s We Jazz x Lonna concert series, on 4 September on the coastal island of Lonna in Helsinki.
Bowman Trio has written their music around the imaginary adventurer J. Bowman, portraying his lively phases on, for example, Mount Everest. The trio’s sound could be described as swinging, catchy and nuanced; the narrative melodicity of “Hard Work”, tender melancholy of “Summer in Visby and the tight gangster swing of the closing track, “How to Win a Gunfight”, the album’s moods and atmospheres surprise and delight the ear. The album captures the intimate milieu of the coffee shop and the trio’s smoky, cool swing in all its hues wonderfully.
“Releasing Bowman Trio’s debut made perfect sense considering the various collaborative productions we have undertaken with previous We Jazz Rising Star awardees,” says Matti Nives. “This time we wanted to release the album ourselves, since it enabled working with the band itself without any third parties. We Jazz will not be turning into a full-time record label, but we will certainly keep this door ajar to carry out suchlike projects in the future if possible.
The album comes out on two different vinyl editions: in addition to accustomed, black, it will be available on clear, transparent vinyl. The LP includes a digital download and a free coffee at Café Sävy, where the live album was recorded. The album will also be available on most popular streaming and digital music shops.
Bowman Trio: Bowman Trio
We Jazz Records 2016 (WJLP01, release date 2 Sep 2016)
Distributor: Playground Music
1. Bowman Cigarettes 2. Hard Work 3. Khumbu Icefall (Excerpt) 4. AM Prayer 5. Summer in Visby 6. The Summit 7. How to Win a Gun Fight
Tomi Nikku, trumpet / Joonas Tuuri, bass / Sami Nummela, drums
Compositions: Sami Nummela
Produced: Matti Nives
Cover Design: Matti Nives
Recorded and mixed: Juho Luukkainen
Recorded at the We Jazz 2015 festival at Café Sävy on 9 Dec 2015
Bowman Trio live
Sun 4 Sep at 15 (the event takes place at 12-18) Helsinki, We Jazz X Lonna