Iiro Rantala - Lost Heroes (2011) CD-Rip

Iiro Rantala is a Finnish jazz pianist, and Lost Heroes is an album of solo piano pieces from 2011, all dedicated to musician “heroes”. For instance, Tears for Esbjorn was inspired by Esbjorn Svennson of the EST Trio, who died in a scuba diving accident in 2008). Like those EST records (such as Strange Place for Snow, 2002) it has a very resonant piano sound and a cool feel. (I’m not using “cool” here in the usual slang sense, I mean “low temperature”, the opposite of “hot jazz” I suppose). That doesn’t mean it’s unemotional. This piece has a simple but very affecting melody with a rippling arpeggio accompaniment. Other tracks from the album, including pieces inspired by Errol Garner and Bill Evans, are very different, reflecting their influences.