Kari Ikonen – piano //
Olli Rantala – bass // Markku Ounaskari – drums
”Kari Ikonen Trio
achieve an ensemble sound that is fresh, subtle, and tickled by gentle
surprises.” -Joe Woodard, DownBeat (USA)
“Kari Ikonen shows
a sparkle and gently questing spirit that engages the listener (…) an
aesthetically satisfying album” (****) -Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise (UK)
The
Finnish Kari
Ikonen Trio has been active since 2012. Its two albums
”Bright” and “Beauteous Tales and Offbeat Stories” on German label Ozella have
gained a lot of international success, making the band busy playing at clubs
and festivals all over Europe, and in Japan, South-Korea, Russia, Turkey,
Australia and the USA. KIT’s third album Wind, Frost & Radiation will
be released April 27, 2018 by Ozella Music!
Besides
of the trio, the pianist-moogist-composer Kari Ikonen (b.1973)
is currently active with several other bands like Orchestra Nazionale della Luna, Quartet
Ajaton and Trio Toffa – and
different projects with Louis Sclavis, Bob Moses, Tom Arthurs, Ingrid Jensen,
Jeff Denson, Vincent Courtois and Juhani Aaltonen. Ikonen has won several
international awards for his compositions, and in 2013 he received the Yrjö
Award as the Finnish Jazz Musician of the Year. Bassist Olli
Rantala (b. 1981) studied at Gothenburg University with
the master Anders Jormin. Today he is an essential part of the Swedish jazz and
world music scene. He plays in KIT since 2016. ECM recording artist, Markku
Ounaskari (b.1967) is known for his work with Jarmo
Savolainen, Pekka Pohjola. Today he plays regularly with artists such as Per
Jørgensen, Anders Jormin, Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim and Raoul Björkenheim.
Markku got the Yrjö award in 2014.
James Hall is a versatile trombonist/composer re-imagining
professional musicianship for the millennial generation.
Hall’s sophomore release, Lattice (Outside In 2018),
described as “a masterpiece of chamber music” (JazzLife Magazine), is built
around the harmonious combination of Hall’s dexterous trombone and the
virtuosic flute playing of Jamie Baum, a pliable and expressive study in
contrasts. Kirk Silsbee praised the work’s “graceful instrumental combinations
and linear development” (Downbeat Magazine), and Bob Morello called the work “a
tasty treat” and “a potpourri of great tunes” (Boston Post-Gazette).
Previously, Hall blurred the line between classical chamber
music and free jazz with Soon We Will Not Be Here (2015), creating original
settings of poetry by contemporary New York City-based poets Tina Chang, Paolo
Javier, Malena Mörling, and Emily Ruth Hazel for quartet. Premiering at Fridman
Gallery in downtown Manhattan, this project found an enthusiastic underground
listenership in France, the UK, Belgium, and the US on Taran’s Free Jazz Hour.
When not leading his own projects, Hall is often to be found
touring and recording internationally with viral sensation Postmodern Jukebox,
with whom he has recorded videos tallying over 80 million YouTube views; or
with Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra, whose salsa dura interpretations of indie
rock have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine’s Latin Hot List. Speaking on
his aesthetic choices, Hall says “I really believe in the non-musical aspects
of music, so I believe in a fun concert experience. I believe in humor. I
believe in accessibility even when the music itself is not accessible.”
As a composer and bandleader, James was named a finalist in
the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Competition, won three ASCAPlus Awards
for composition, and was a featured performer/composer at the Chelsea Music
Festival. James' trombone playing earned third place, runner-up, and honorable
mention in the Antti Rissanen, J.J. Johnson, and Carl Fontana International
Jazz Trombone Competitions, respectively.
James holds degrees from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music
in Wisconsin and Aaron Copland School of Music in New York. His teachers have
included Luis Bonilla, Hal Crook, Michael Dease, Nick Keelan, Ed Neumeister,
and Fred Sturm.
