New Jazz From Finland | Alexi Tuomarila Quartet

The Alexi Tuomarila Quartet’s repertoire consists of compositions by the bandleader, in which the melodic and harmonic signatures of all four musicians are evident, whilst openness and spontaneous interaction remain central. Alexi Tuomarila toured for a decade with the legendary Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko; his album *Sphere* was named ‘Album of the Month’ by *BBC Music Magazine* and won the EMMA Award, known as the Finnish Grammy. Bendik Hofseth made his name in the band Steps Ahead, as Michael Brecker’s successor. Markku Ounaskari has released numerous albums on ECM Records, whilst Mikael Saastamoinen represents the younger generation of the Finnish improvisation scene; he has collaborated on several projects, including with Linda Fredriksson, who enjoyed great success with Opus.