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LP
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HH 144LP
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LP version. Hush Hush Records present a bold new exploration within their cinematic, atmospheric, and genre-free sonic universe with Open, a collaborative album between veteran Finnish musicians Tapani Rinne and Juha Mäki-Patola. An organic melding of each musician's distinctive style that yields their own unique shared language, Open reveals a cohesive meditative thread through ambient, jazz, and neo-classical music, paving the way for a refreshingly cool and sophisticated Nordic sound. Tapani and Juha were strangers prior to connecting online in February, yet they've both been active players within the Finnish music community for decades. Tapani's illustrious career as a saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer has been an evolving path of collaborative works, solo releases, and an array of commissioned work dating back to the mid-1980s. He was featured prominently on legendary Finnish jazz drummer/composer Edward Vesala's critically acclaimed 1987 album Lumi for ECM Records, and the following year he co-founded RinneRadio, a pioneering Finnish outfit that forged a thrilling experimental intersection between jazz and techno. Open was written quickly during a three-month creative burst in early 2021. Working remotely from their respective home studios in Helsinki, the two artists eagerly traded ideas back-and-forth to find a warm, immersive, and transportive shared sonic vision. Tapani's rich saxophone and clarinet melodies blend seamlessly into Juha's complementary guitar, piano, organ, and synthesizer compositions. Sometimes Tapani's contributions joyfully dance around in the foreground, elsewhere they provide a deep, subtle, cavernous accompaniment to Juha's lush arrangements. Opening track "Brevity" introduces their combined palette in welcoming fashion, Tapani's dueling melodies interweaving gently within Juha's twinkling minimal foundation before swelling alongside additional layers of piano. Lead single "Open Pt. 1" provides the album's most upfront and immediate moment, Tapani's exploratory saxophone melodies dominating the spotlight to glide atop a meditative piano motif. Penultimate track "Fall" serves as another early single off the album, its undulating pulse finding beauty in its restraint and spotlighting the duo's atmospheric strengths. "Hover" eases the listener towards a gracious finale, Tapani and Juha having a playful dialogue with rich organ chords laying the groundwork for Tapani's whimsical saxophone. Stylistically reminiscent of Floating Points and Pharaoh Sanders's instant 2021 classic Promises, Open distinguishes itself with an expansive and contemplative aesthetic informed by Finland's icy climate and long winters, as well as the atmospheric nature of the Nordic experimental jazz scene.
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