Rent Romus, Heikki Koskinen & Life's Blood Ensemble - Itkuja Suite, Invocations on Lament (2023)

The tradition of song through lament has served as a form of community expression spanning millennia, invoking processes of healing in profound ways. The Finnish word itkuja (eet-koo-yaw) literally means crying, but hidden within this translation embodies deeper undercurrents of meaning. Itkuja surpasses the biopic Western acceptance of polar opposites (i.e. happy/sad, good/bad), drawing a more all-encompassing world view of the definition of existence, loss, and change. This project completes the Otherworld Trilogy which includes the 2015 release of the Otheworld Cycle and the 2020 release of Manala.

On this new recording, themed on the challenges of the living, Life’s Blood and Laitinen are splendidly supportive of the mission. The compositions by Romus and Koskinen summon the instrumentalists to shine in solos, pairings, and ensemble.
The result is an audible balance between sadness and joy, inherent to itkuja. “We’re expressing the feeling of lamentation in a way that’s universal”, says Romus, “and putting the life-affirming elements of jazz in with the lament structure.” The itkuja conventions of alliteration and parallel exposition are channeled in both lyrics and music.
The stories, sung by Laitinen in Finnish, are (with one exception) historical laments informed by The National Archives of Finland’s Ancient Poems of the Finnish People, with reference to the historic refugees of Finno-Ugric people across Northern Europe, and also to Romus and Koskinen’s longing for their heritage. With the benefit of translation, this offers listeners a dazzling discovery both musical and poetic, and a universal call to remembrance and healing.

Rent Romus - alto & soprano saxophone, c-flute, king flute, voice, melodica
Heikki “Mike” Koskinen - tenor recorder, e-trumpet, kantele
Heikki Laitinen - vocals
Joshua Marshall - tenor & soprano saxophone, c-flute
Erika Oba - c-flute, Piccolo
Ann McChesney-Young - accordion
Max Judelson - Cello
Mark Clifford - vibraphone
Safa Shokrai - double bass
Cory Combs - double bass
Timothy Orr - drumset, hand drum, percussion