Jazz /
Gravity
Joona Toivanen Trio returns to We Jazz Records with their new album "Gravity", out 31 January 2025. A landmark work for the long standing group, the album showcases the forward-looking sound of the band, moving way beyond the basic scope of the "piano trio". There’s a startling sense of telepathy and intimacy at work in the music of the Joona Toivanen Trio, something you can glean from the opening moments of their latest album, Gravity. It’s that rare synergy that can only come with years of tim…
Out Of Self and Into Others
Helsinki tenor saxophonist Jussi Kannaste's debut album as a band leader has been a long time coming. A top musician in the local scene revered by his contemporaries and sought after as a band member, Kannaste now presents his new work Out Of Self and Into Others on We Jazz Records. His quartet, Kannaste4, brings together Finnish musicians Tomi Nikku (of Bowman Trio) and Joonas Riippa, plus Berlin-based Swedish bassist Petter Eldh (of Koma Saxo / Post Koma and Y-OTIS), and features an all origi…
Live In Helsinki
Timo Lassy, one of the leading lights in the current generation of Finnish Jazz, releases a new live album with his hard-cooking trio on We Jazz Records. That's Lassy on tenor sax, Ville Herrala on double bass and Jaska Lukkarinen on drums – each member a We Jazz recording solo artist on their own right. Recorded at G Livelab, Helsinki's premiere live music spot, in 2023 and including new versions of tracks all accross the sax man's celebrated catalog, Live in Helsinki proves why Lassy usually p…
Just Us
Two legendary souls, one timeless rhythm—Just Us celebrates the enduring bond between Heikki Sarmanto and Juhani Aaltonen. Born from spontaneous sessions and inspired compositions, these eleven tracks capture their unmatched musical chemistry. A testament to six decades of creative mastery.
Kammin Jaaretti
On their new album "Kammin Jaaretti," the renowned jazz trio Hot Heros craft mesmerizing forest jazz. Saxophonist Sami Sippola and double bassist Ville Rauhala have been navigating the depths of jazz together for over two decades. Originally part of the wild and unpredictable Black Motor, their musical journey evolved into Hot Heros when they combined forces with the masterful drummer and percussionist Janne Tuomi. Hot Heros have made a name for themselves as a fierce live band and a hardworking…
Mount
*200 copies limited edition. First repress* All compositions by Tahmela Six. Recorded on December 29, 2023, at Tahmela’s Villa, Tampere. Session produced and engineered by Jarno Alho
Introducing: Ville Lähteenmäki Trio
“Ville Lähteenmäki Trio is a fresh jazz band formed in Trondheim 2022, featuring young Finnish and Norwegian musicians. Influenced by American jazz legends of the 60s and 70s, they blend energetic playing, bold melodies, and intense improvisations in the Dolphy-Murray-Mahall lineage”
Interstellar Fantasy
A concept album of Analogue Electronic Sci Fi Library Grooves for Synthesisers and Percussion. Commissioned by Sonoton and inspired by the 70's & 80's Sonoton music Library Catalogue. Featuring Ayo Salawu on Drums (Kokoroko) and Greg Foat with his impressive collection of vintage Synthesisers. File under Library Music
Cassiopeia
"Ville Vannemaa Cassiopeia is an exciting quintet project led by reed player Ville Vannemaa, a key player in UMO Jazz Orchestra and known for his engagement in several other Finnish jazz constellations. With him on this date is vibraphonist Panu Savolainen, Kasperi Sarikoski on trombone, Heikko Remmel on bass and Jaska Lukkarinen on drums. Six sublime songs penned by Ville himself, plenty of detail and swinging from joy to melancholy in a melodic sense aimed for repeated listening. Future classi…
For Children
The 1970 album For Children by Eero Koivistoinen was originally released by the book publishing company, Otava, which was responsible for his earlier two albums as well. Jazzpuu/Sähkö Recordings reissued For Children in 2006 as did we in 2016, yet both of these releases have been hard to find ever since. This time around Svart brings this important piece of Koivistoinen's career, a successful amalgam of acoustic jazz and funky fusion back on the market on a limited Svart exclusive blue vinyl ed…
Odysseus
Odysseus, Eero Koivistoinen's first proper jazz album, gets its title from the wandering spirit of its songs, traveling from one mood to another. Performed by the Eero Koivistoinen Quintet & Sextet, because Koivistoinen wanted to extend his standard quartet (Koivistoinen-Sarmanto-Laine-Hietanen) to a quintet and invited trumpetist Bertil Lövgren to join. Also Juhani Aaltonen is questing on two tracks. Odysseus is an excellent, youthful package of forward-thinking jazz played by ambitious young j…
Puna
Huge Tip! Oiro Pena is a Finnish jazz collective helmed by prolific composer Antti Vauhkonen. Their last album, Puna, recorded in bedrooms, studios and other salubrious locations around Helsinki during 2022, is a mix of lo-fi spiritual jazz, experimental, and avant-garde music forms. It includes four vocal tracks recorded with Merikukka Kiviharju, which feature both original lyrics and those sourced from traditional Finnish folk songs. Vauhkonen first attracted attention as saxophonist in the gr…
Feathers
Enjoy Foat's rhythmic mastery, jazz-infused mood, and cosmic synths, accompanied by Finland's finest, including the legendary saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen.
Dance To Summon
Awe-inspiring debut of a prodigious young pianist, whose virtuosity on the keys has earned him recognition in Norway and beyond. Joined by his talented brothers in the horn section, this seven-man ensemble delivers a dynamic musical experience featuring compositions penned by the pianist himself. Mark it Spiritual Jazz / free with a tonal and groovy core, the album has made its mark already and is not to be missed!
Waves of Sound
Small combo beat laden jazz experimentations, drawing influences across the rare groove spectre in this unique funky mashup.The group consists of Finnish players including Aleksi Heinola on drums, Temu Åkerblom on bass and Markus Holkko on reeds & flute. Second album in our New Library Series, recorded and produced at Jazzaggression’s own PELTO studio!”
Aleksi Heinola Quartet
The Aleksi Heinola Quartet presents a new take on vintage hard-bop with their latest record, featuring original compositions and reinterpretations of works by iconic jazz greats. Impeccable musicianship, groovy swing, and a distinct sense of style are on display, with Gábor Bolla on tenor sax, Jukkis Uotila on piano, and Daniel Franck on double bass. This quartet date is not to be missed!
Shapes And Colours
Funky synthesized jazz with mood and feeling from the Estonian composer and keyboard veteran Tõnu Naissoo. Backed up by Finnish players including Aleksi Heinola on drums, Temu Åkerblom on bass and Markus Holkko on reeds & flute. First album in our New Library Series, recorded and produced at Jazzaggression’s own Pelto studio!
Tigers Are Better Looking
Composer Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen presents his Nonet formation on We Jazz Records. Their debut album Tigers Are Better Looking is released 3 Feb and the ensemble features internationally renowned Finnish clarinetist Antti Sarpila, plus a strong cast of Helsinki-based musicians from several of the top Finnish groups.
Based on the writings of British-Caribbean author Jean Rhys (1890–1979), the 6-track album is a melancholy, intimate chamber jazz creation. Laurell's music swings, yet he doesn't st…
Circus/Citadel
Finnish bassist Antti Lötjönen returns in February 2023 with his second Quintet East album on We Jazz Records. With Verneri Pohjola on trumpet, Mikko Innanen and Jussi Kannaste on saxes, and Joonas Riippa on drums, Quintet East is a hard-hitting ensemble of Helsinki scene A-listers. The new release sees the quintet work with Lötjönen's inspired new music with remarkable spirit, spreading out on a quest for new sounds and ideas, and returning to base with a fresh batch of acoustic creative music,…
Cooper's Test
** 200 copies ** Oiro Pena moves out of the bedroom. I, like many others I’m sure, was very much blown away after hearing the first Oiro Pena 10” released by Ultraääni in 2019. From where did this Finnish flute phantasm appear? Part of the fun was the mystery of it all, the not quite grasping or understanding the music, or where it came from. The second 10” on Jazzaggression felt like a deeper dive into the Pena universe. With 2020’s Music from Moments on 2 Headed Deer we finally got the origin …