June 28th, 2023 6pm Stage 1
For more than 15 years Alexi Tuomarila has been building a considerable reputation as one of the finest pianists of his generation in Europe. Distinguished British jazz journalist Stuart Nicholson selected Tuomarila as one of the New Future Names of International Jazz in the Observer newspaper.
Alexi has built an extensive catalogue both as a leader and as a sideman with many groups including for ECM with the late great Tomasz Stanko. With his latest trio album 'Sphere' Alexi Tuomarila has produced his most accomplished album yet featuring his long-term collaborators, Norwegian Mats Eilertsen and a fellow Finn Olavi Louhivuori.
Alexi Tuomarila Trio 'Sphere' (Edition Records) received the prestigious EMMA prize in Finland for Best Jazz Recording of the Year 2020, and was also selected as the Jazz Album of the
Month with a 5/5 star review in BBC Music Magazine, UK.
The almost eerily intuitive playing of the trio stems from Alexi, Mats and Olavis’ long relationship – not just in this trio but in a host of other musical situations: “We have played together for 15 years as a trio and also in multiple other contexts, so we have grown into a strong unit. Besides having played so much together, we also all compose and play each other’s songs. So each of us contributes ideas equally to the music.
Alexi Tuomarila Trio brings together strong melodic, driving, rhythmical soloing, Finnish melancholia, robust free improvisation and Nordic folk elements.
Alexi demonstrates by his musical progression on his trio albums for distinguished British Edition Records – 2017’s Kingdom, 2013’s Seven Hills and his album with Drifter – Flow from 2015 – that he is not only influenced by the music and the situations around him, but that like the artist he is, he is able to mold and shape these influences into something new and exciting.