WHITE VINYL EDITION

Finnish double bass player Antti Lötjönen Quintet East sophomore album keeps the same Helsinki all-star personnel and long-time comrades –  Verneri Pohjola,  Mikko Innanen,  Jussi Kannaste and Joonas Riippa , and marks a spirited evolution of this band. Lötjönen composed all the pieces over a relatively brief time span, with a clear intention to leave for each player enough room to re-invent and expand on the music within the pieces, and cleverly arranged the music in smaller formations – duos and trios of different combinations.

The title of the new album pairs the two words Circus/Citadel and was inspired by a poem by the Romanian-born, German-language Jewish poet Paul Celan (1920–1970). “The world we live in sometimes feels like an absurd circus, from which you need to get away to get new ideas and energy. Everyone needs their citadel, whatever it may be”, says Lötjönen. The cover artwork displays a freeform graphic score of the music by We Jazz’s artistic director and designer Matti Nives.

PERSONNEL:

• Antti Lötjönen - (double bass)
• Mikko Innanen - (alto & baritone sax)
• Jussi Kannaste - (tenor sax)
• Verneri Pohjola - (trumpet)
• Joonas Riippa - (drums)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Circus/Citadel Pt. I
• A2. Circus/Citadel Pt. II
• A3. Circus/Citadel Pt. III
• A4. Ode to the Undone

• SIDE B
• B1. Defenestration
• B2. (for) Better People
• B3. It Goes On