Teemu Kekkonen - Here/There (2022)

"Teemu Kekkonen Trio is certainly one to check out" - Jan Granlie / Salt Peanuts

Grounded by thoughtful composition ‘Here/There’ takes the listener on a series of musical adventures; improvisatory journeys which rise from warm, familiar melodies and subtle lilting grooves and cacophonous trio passages complete with rhythmic interplay and ear-catching effects.

Whilst the music gives more than a passing nod to modern influences like Vijay Iyer, Brad Mehldau and The Bad Plus, Kekkonen’s openness to everything from Ravel to pop, gospel and traditional Finnish music provides a highly individual twist on the classic trio format, for an experience that is equally calming and exhilarating.

Compatriots Mikael Saastamoinen (bass) and Roope Kantonen (drums) provide not just the perfect foundation for these melodic adventures, but hint at yet another enduring trio outfit for the European scene.

Behind the seven original pieces and the one cover tune are real-life stories from the past ten years. The album cover, designed by Teemu, is a rendition of the symbol in infinity which strives to relate his thoughts on creating music.

“In each individual’s experience, the past and present together create a unity from which we subconsciously draw ways of thinking and behaving. Creating music is similar for me. I fall into a timeless space where everything is possible and from which it’s possible to draw endless joy. From this space the music which I’ve been drawn to comes out in an intuitive way”, Teemu describes.