Esa Pietila -Saxophones (Finland)
Michael Jefry Stevens – Piano (USA)
Juho Laitinen – Cello (Finland)
Michael Jefry Stevens – Piano (USA)
Juho Laitinen – Cello (Finland)
The “Brain Inventory Trio” plays music that bridges 2 cultures (USA and Finland) and a multitude of styles (jazz, folk, classical, rock, improvised, composed, acoustic, electric). The instrumentation of acoustic piano, saxophones and cello (acoustic and electric) creates new musical parameters, colors, and hopefully will lead the listener as well as the performer to an internal inventory of one’s life and our relationship to each other. One species. A “Brain Inventory”.
Nowadays mostly known for his prowess and vision as an improviser, saxophonist Esa Pietiläcommenced his career in the big band environment and Sibelius Academy Jazz Department. Over the years, Esa Pietilä´s original style of Freeform jazz and various projects of his Trio, "4 Streams" Quartet with ECM artist Iro Haarla, improvised solo saxophone concerts etc. have stabilized his position performing on the national & international jazz circuit, and have led him to play in Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, England, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Cuba. He has performed e.g. with the names like Ron McClure, Mathias Eick, Mike Nock, Claudio Fasoli, Heiri Kaenzig, Odean Pope, Raoul Björkenheim, Brian Melvin, Iro Haarla, Filip Augustson, Hilmar Jensson, Johannes Mössinger, Mikko Innanen, Mika Kallio, Seppo kantonen, Antti Hytti, and Erling Kroner.
His solo saxophone concerts belong to the elite of saxophone expression – Esa`s virtuosity of saxophone combines with colours of saxophone sound in multitude textures & atmospheres from variety of minimalism whispers to full free blowing results a palette of colourful shapes of multiphonics, chordal tones, rhythmic surprises in drama, and even "Bach"- like fugue approach to Improvisation.
Juho Laitinen (b. 1977) is a cellist, improviser, composer, writer and teacher. He performs as a soloist and chamber musician, teaches and studies at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, regularly makes recordings for the Finnish Broadcasting Company and writes for various music publications.
Juho has a particular interest in the tradition of American and European avant-garde. His repertoire includes works by Cage, Scelsi and Stockhausen, and also the most recent music – improvisation – is of key importance. In the latter realm he has worked for example with John Zorn, Elliott Sharp and Christian Wolff.
Not a fan of unnecessary classifications of genre, Juho regularly works with jazz musicians, currently with the band of Pepa Päivinen. He also performs on the Baroque cello, plays fado as well as some classical music from the Near East. Juho pursues his interest in the possibilities of electronic sound manipulation with Mikko Hassinen in Sound Dentistry. Among the works he has commissioned and premiered are On Air-Line for cello, electronics and big band by Riikka Talvitie and Boost for cello and analog synthesizer, in extended just intonation, by Juhani Nuorvala. Coming up in November 2011 is a new piece for 6-string electric cello by Maija Hynninen.
He received his initial training at Turku Conservatory and Royal College of Music in London and additionally in Rome and New York, with Timo Hanhinen, Jérôme Pernoo and Petr Kotik as his main mentors. Currently he is working towards a doctorate at Sibelius Academy with "Innovations in 20th century cello music" as his topic. He curates the Kallio New Music Days festival and Tulkinnanvaraista, a new music recital series about to be launched in October 2011. His first solo cd will be released in fall 2011. In 2009–10 Juho was the editor for Amfion, an online magazine for classical music, and has also written for Rondo.
Pianist/Composer and “Steinway Artist” Michael Jefry Stevens (born 1951 in NYC) performs extensively in Europe, Latin America and North America. He has composed over 400 works for both large and small ensemble. As an active band-leader for over 30 years his working musical ensembles currently include the Conference Call Quartet, The Fonda/Stevens Group, the Swiss “In Transit Quartet, the Hungarian “Eastern Boundary Quartet”, the Griffith/Stevens Quartet, the Southern Excursion Quartet, a quartet project with Memphis Vocalist Joyce Cobb, German vocalist Nicole Metzger’s NY Connection and performs with New Orleans horn man Brian “Breeze” Cayolle. Michael has released over 70 cds featuring his own music. Mr. Stevens has performed and/or recorded extensively with many of the top names in Jazz including Dave Liebman, Dave Douglas, Valery Ponomarev, Cecil Bridgewater, Steve Swell, Bill McHenry, Leo Smith, Perry Robinson, Matt Wilson, Mark Feldman, Dom Minasi, Dave Ballou, Pheeroan AkLaff and many others.
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