Aki Rissanen - Aki Rissanen / Ju (180g Vinyl)

Limited edition 180 gram audiophile vinyl, pure analogue sound with high end mastering.

Acclaimed Finnish musicians, hotly-tipped pianist Aki Rissanen and drummer virtuoso Jussi Lehtonen invited legendary saxophonist Dave Liebman to record this quartet album with them.

The entire album was recorded live in two days at the Finnish Broadcasting Company in Helsinki, Finland in April 2013. The quartet recorded music by Rissanen with echoes from Finnish folk music and Pont Marie, a composition by the pianist inspired by the Billy Strayhorn masterpiece Chelsea Bridge. They added originals by Liebman and Lehtonen and an interesting arrangement by Liebman of Clare Fischer classic Pensativa, as an homage to recently passed away composer (1928 - 2012).

The result was a perfect example of international co-operation with musicians with different backgrounds and musical heritages combining both the Nordic and American traditions in an innovative way.

Personnel: Dave Liebman (tenor and soprano saxophone, wooden flute), Aki Rissanen (piano), Jori Huhtala (bass), Jussi Lehtonen (drums)