Audiopile Review: Double shot from the Finnish spiritual/free jazz imprint Ultraääni, who continue to shine a light on their home country’s vibrant and ever-expanding scene, this time issuing a pair of up-and-coming outfits who are both making their debuts here. First up is the newest ensemble from Lauritz Lyster Skeidsvoll, who, admittedly, isn’t totally new to the imprint, contributing to last year’s outstanding modal jazz LP Dance To Summon, an album by his brother, pianist and composer Isaac Skeidsvoll. With Laurtiz on sax, he’s joined by his brother, bassist Georgia Wartel Collins, and drummer Rino Sivathas. The quartet, much in the same vein as Dance To Summon, strike a middle ground between untethered free jazz and spiritual atonement. The four lengthy tracks here tend to launch quickly into melodic divinity, with references to the emotional phrasing of giants like Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Archie Shepp. Eventually the quartet bounce off one another like overheated molecules, dissociating into an improvisational netherworld before eventually reforming back into familiar melody and a satisfying resolution. It’s an incredibly striking debut that belies their youth, sounding more like old souls convening for yet another glimpse at the sublime. The second debut to be offered up by Ultraääni this week is from Solar Unity Ensemble, which, despite their moniker, is actually a duo made up of multi-instrumentalists Roope Niemelä and Henri Ijäs. With a plethora of instrumentation at their disposal, the duo offer a far more restrained vision than Skeidsvoll’s wilder terrain, the duo hovering at a low-level placidity that reaches across the continents, falling more in line with International Anthem/Chicago improv scene (think Asher Gamedze or Dezron Douglas’ recent efforts) than anything we’ve heard from Finland in recent years. Cyclical guitar lines wind their way through bubbling percussion and windswept synths, or a slow breath of flute flutters gently across chimes while a sweet lament of saxophone offers a guiding hand. Unmissable contemporary jazz from Ultraääni, both landing in very limited quantities. Hand numbered editions of 500 housed in the usual silkscreened jackets. These will not last long.

The quartet recorded this album in February 2024 in Studio Paradiso, Oslo, Norway – Together with the great sound engineer Christian Engfelt.

Rapid Light is a result of a need to create a raw, powerful and open musical landscape where the musicians can thrive and explore together. The tunes are inspired by my love for strong melodies in orchestral film music and the raw energy and creativity in American and European free jazz. I have put together a band with some of the most inspiring and interesting musicians I know and I believe that together we make up a powerful quartet, which with the help of melodious compositions, great rhythmic drive, and a sincere urge to explore, conjures up a raw and energetic primal force.