Audiopile Review: Our Record of the Week is the debut self-titled offering from Finnish spiritual jazz outfit Ville Lähteenmäki Trio, which was initially issued last year on cassette via the Ultraääni Records imprint. For the past half decade, Ultraääni, run by the visual artist Arsi Keva, has been at the forefront of the Finnish experimental and spiritual/free jazz scene. An outpouring of releases—from the likes of Oiro Pena and their lo-fi brand of modal jazz, the neo-classical work of Otto Taimela, and the avant jazz of Fågelbörs, among so many others—has marked the label and accompanying Finnish scene as a true hot spot of creative output. The Ville Lähteenmäki Trio—made up of Nicolas Leirtrø on double bass, Trym Saugstad Karlsen on drums, and band leader Ville Lähteenmäki on bass clarinet—add to this growing movement with an ode to the influential late 60s/early 70s US avant jazz scene, with special a nod to the Impulse Records roster of this era. Album opener “Prelude” wastes little time before launching full on into scorched earth territory—the roiling and skittering drums of Karlsen run headlong into Leirtrø’s energetic bass, conjuring the interplay between Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones on the more ecstatic sides of Coltrane’s classic quartet. Soaring above the rhythmic chaos below, Lähteenmäki runs explosive clarinet lines, leading the charge into intense, gripping crescendos. The rest of the A-Side, with all 3 tracks acting as a single, nearly uninterrupted piece, ebbs and flows between climactic peaks and restive laments, quickly changing gears with an ease usually found in groups with much longer track records. The B side begins with an arresting two-minute drum solo from Karlsen, eventually joined by the rest of the trio in what is one of the more pleasant moments on the record, though they don’t rest for there for too long before gaining velocity towards a furious display of their full powers. The final half of the flip side aims to restore the peace with bowed bass lines and shaking percussion, Lähteenmäki sending the session skyward with a bluesy lament. Imported direct from the label in Finland…these surely will not last long.

”The bass-clarinetist Ville Lahteenmäki’s raucous, ruggedly braying style makes him a notable addition to the Dolphy-Murray-Mahall lineage that produces maximum excitement with every outpouring of notes. His accompanists, drummer Nicolas Leirtre and bassist Trym Saugstad Karlsen, are like himself, students at the renowned Trondheim Conservatory, an institution whose impact on European jazz has been significant in modern times.”
– Kevin Le Gendre / Jazzwise

”Lähteenmäki is indeed very distinctive and original in his music. Although in some of the quietest parts the thought of John Coltrane, for example, creeps into the back of my head, the voice is that of a young and skilled musician who knows the history of the genre well.”
-Arto Murtovaara / Kulttuuritoimitus

”Straight to the point, no fuss – and greedy tough!” Jan Granlie / Salt Peanuts