Emma Salokoski & Ilmiliekki Quartet

(FIN)

Finnish-Swedish folk songs with jazz influence

A rare chance to hear two great artists together. Coming from a bilingual family, Emma Salokoski sings the Swedish and Finnish-Swedish folk songs that her grandmother sang to her, when Emma was little, and which Emma now sings to her child. The band is the mighty Ilmiliekki Quartet, who lately have played hardly any gigs, as all members are so busy in other projects. The songs are from their recent joint album Vi sålde våra hemman. Passing on tradition doesn’t get any more beautiful than this!

Schooled at the Sibelius Academy, Salokoski came to fame in the funk/soul band Quintessence and its jammier extension Q-Continuum, which also featured trumpetist Verneri Pohjola and keyboardist Tuomo Prättälä of Ilmiliekki. She has since totally charmed the Finns with her two albums as a leader: Kaksi mannerta and Veden alla. The process continues with these heart-rending songs about the tough reality of a world gone by.

Ilmiliekki is internationally one of the top bands in timeless modern jazz. Starting in 2001, the quartet has released two albums, March of The Alpha Males and Take It With Me, to rapturous reviews, and it’s no wonder. Their unhurriedly delicate music is so mature that it sounds like it had been made by older players.