Kaisa’s Machine

Moving Parts

Greenleaf Music

Kaisa’s Machine, the quintet led by Finnish bassist and composer Kaisa Mäensivu, returns with their third album, Moving Parts which follows  In the Key of K (2017) and Taking Shape (2023).  The leader has composed music that represents her reality of two homes in Helsinki and New York.  As you might expect, the former conjures tunes that are more pensive, expansive, and ethereal while those adjectives would hardly ever apply to New York City. As such, those tunes move with ferocious kinetic energy and high wire intensity.  Musically, Mäensivu describes her ensemble as “Nordic noir meets New York sparkle”, succinctly summarizing how the uniquely darker and open Finnish sound blends with the contemporary jazz style of New York. As she travels back and forth between the two, her mood has to adjust and she is constantly wrestling with the concept of home. Her band is in one sense a collective, as the lineup has changes between records, and even between shows and tours. Yet, there’s an organic foundation to the ‘machine’ that keeps it oiled and running smoothly.  This ensemble is Kaisa Mäensivu (bass), Eden Ladin (piano), Max Light (guitar), Sasha Berliner (vibraphone), and Joe Peri (drumset), with guest appearances by Melissa Aldana (tenor saxophone) and Maja Mannila (vocals).  By the way, if you’re new to this ensemble and this sound, trust Dave Douglas’s Greenleaf label which consistently offers provocative and evocative music.

Opener “Tykytys” has been a longstanding crowd favorite of the band’s live performances.  With its tricky, but infectious rhythm and driving bassline, it will stir just about any body part as the soloists – Ladin, Light, and Berliner improvise around the fat groove.  While it’s titled with a Finnish name, it is surely resonant of New York. By contrast, “Midnight Sun’ follows, musically capturing that yearly period in Finland where the sun doesn’t set for days on end. Mäensivu and Belinger engage in a vigorous conversation that builds dramatically. Although it may be intended as Finnish noir, there’s plenty of sparkle through Berliner’s mallets and Ladin’s glistening runs toward the end. The leader establishes a rather funky bassline in “Origin Story” which sets itself apart from the preceding pieces with the contributions of acclaimed tenorist Melissa Aldana who is by turns melodic, explorative, and even unexpectedly dissonant in portions of her solo as dynamics shift from high energy to more pensive forms.

“Moon Waves” has an undulating quality where the leader’s robust lines on the bottom are set against the shimmering colors of Light, Laden, and Berliner. It begins rather calmly but picks up momentum, even swinging in places, before retreating to the timbre of its beginnings. Then surprisingly it bursts into a flurry of colors in the last section, led by Light’s spiraling lines. “Who’s Asking” rides a fairly simple melody over the leader’s plucking, staying dramatic and inquisitive (couldn’t help it) along the way with both strong ensemble sections where the guitar, piano, and guitar create stirring harmonics, and energetic solos from each of those players and drummer Peri who forms a formidable presence. The piece “Satama,” whose title means “harbor” in Finnish, features Maja Mannila singing Finnish lyrics. Mäensivu comments, “The lyric is a quite personal text, written by one of my best friends about finding your way “home,” referred as the harbor, and whether it’s actually something one needs or maybe there is no final arrival, but rather life as is, is it?” In a similar vein, “Best Kept Secrets” takes the pensive route initially but blossoms into a terrific groove in tandem with drummer Peri, as the melody instruments float on top, both blended and individually.

The is a riveting listen, clocking in under 40 minutes. Let the ‘machine’ do its work, and send your mind to various places. On one level it’s just music but as you listen, you’ll find yourself in several states too, dreamlike or emotional.

– Jim Hynes

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