EERO KOIVISTOINEN QUARTET to release new album

“Eero Koivistoinen is one of the mainstays of jazz in his part of the world, a true elder statesman. Finland has some of the best trained musicians around who are completely aware of the jazz legacy, versed in modern harmony and ways of thinking. The album Hati Hati is what I consider a real hard-core contemporary jazz recording, without any concessions to popular culture or some of the excesses of the musical period we live in. There is a palpable sense of honesty, thought, experience and commitment that is apparent from the first note.” -Dave Liebman

Today, Svart Records announces February 27th as the international release date for Eero Koivistoinen Quartet‘s Hati Hati, on CD, LP, and digital formats. Eero Koivistoinen has had many different ensembles on his long career as a jazz musician, and Eero Koivistoinen Quartet is the latest. The quartet plays mostly Eero’s own compositions, new and older. The music is based on modern jazz tradition but has personal angles. Koivistoinen’s long connection with Africa shows in the group’s rhythmic expression. Eero has worked in many different African countries as a musician, producer and educator. On the quartet’s program can be heard also hints of Finnish folk music.Koivistoinen received the very first Georgie Award (1967) of the newly founded Finnish Jazz Federation. Since then, Koivistoinen has won several competitions for musicians and composers both abroad and in Finland. In the early 1970s, Koivistoinen studied at the Sibelius Academy and Berklee School of Music in Boston, USA.

Eero is one of the UMO’s founder members. He was appointed Artistic Director of the UMO for a two-year period (1996-1998). As a conductor, he is appreciated also outside Finland; he has conducted in countries such as Germany, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Iceland, and South Africa.

Koivistoinen’s sizeable list of works includes hundreds of works, instrumental music for ensembles of various sizes, and vocal music. Among recent larger works is Round about Monk, an orchestral suite on the themes of Thelonious Monk arranged for a symphony orchestra, commissioned by RSO (Radio Symphony Orchestra); multimedia work Baltic Sea Blues for Sinfonietta and jazz trio commissioned by Kymi Sinfonietta; and a CD album of children songs commissioned by UMO Jazz Orchestra.Eero has been collaborating with many legendary music makers like Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Gil Evans, John Scofield, Ron McClure, and Jack DeJohnette, among others. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Eero Koivistoinen Quartet’s Hati Hati
1. Hati Hati
2. Seaside
3. Relations
4. Times They Are a-Changing
5. Moz
6. Things
7. Far North
8. HeliumAlexi Tuomarila studied first classical piano from an early age. Later, Alexi studied at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where he graduated in 1999. The same year, Alexi Tuomarila Quartet won the trophy for best band at Jazz Hoeilaart competition in Belgium. In 2001, Alexi got the 1st prize in Monaco jazz soloist competition, and his quartet won later Tremplin competition in Avignon, France. Alexi has been recently playing with Thomas Stanko, with whom he has been touring in Europe and USA.

Jori Huhtala graduated in 2013 as a bass player from the Jazz Department of Sibelius Academy. He is very talented and already an important musician in Finnish jazz circles. He performs with a numerous groups – for example, Kvalda, Big Blue, Raoul Björkenheim Ecstacy, Panu Savolainen Proprius, etc. Huhtala has been collaborating also with David Liebman, Tim Hagans, Billy Hart, Dick Oatts, Jukkis Uotila, and Tim Ries. Jori is also an active composer.

Drummer Jussi Lehtonen is a steady figure in the Finnish jazz scene – an energetic, swinging, and sensitive musician with a lot of experience in live performances with small and big bands, recording and education.

The album Hati Hati, originally recorded at Yleisradio’s studio facilities in 2009, sees the light of day on February 27th on CD, LP and digital formats.