Whether solo, in a trio or with an orchestra, as an opera composer, jazz improviser or profound interpreter of well-known pop melodies, the Finn Iiro Rantala is a jack of all trades, and above all "a brilliant pianist," as the Hamburger Abendblatt notes. "He manages to pack entertainment and meaning, idiosyncrasy and esprit into his music" (Ralf Dombrowski) and blurs the boundaries. Playfully, Rantala moves between genres, and does what he does best: His very own thing
It is this musical horizon that sets Rantala apart. For him, jazz does not begin with Armstrong or Coltrane, but with Bach, and he does not end at the usual genre boundaries, but playfully incorporates classical, pop or rock with ease. With stupendous technique, exuberant imagination and his typical humor. According to the respective theme, some of his qualities dominated on each of his previous albums, the whole Iiro Rantala could be experienced at many of his solo concerts. So a live album of one of these concerts was a real desideratum. Now it is here: "Potsdam", recorded in the same place in the magnificent Nikolaisaal
On "Potsdam" all facets of Rantala's artistic identity are revealed: a kind of retrospective on past albums paired with new compositions the Finn wrote during the forced concert downtime during the Corona pandemic. With "Twentytwentyone", the gifted melodist Rantala begins the concert with bittersweet notes: a sentimental, indulgent piece that oscillates between melancholy and hope, capturing in sound the state of mind of many people during the past year
Here and also in the later "November" (from his "Finnish Calender") Rantala's ability to create great lyrical paintings from simple motifs without shying away from pathos or hymnody is evident. On "Time for Rag" or "Can You Be Bop?" we experience the tradition-conscious virtuoso who brilliantly transfers classic jazz piano styles such as ragtime, stride or bebop into his sound world. On "Peace", also a new composition, one can hear a mixture of classical romanticism and elegiac Nordic sound. "Freedom" demonstrates Rantala's experimental side with the preparation of the grand piano - apart from the irresistible rhythmic force of the piece
"Woman" from his John Lennon program "My Working Class Hero" underscores Rantala's exceptional art of making the old familiar, indeed sometimes all too familiar, appear in a completely new, radiant light. What culminates in the classical adaptation "Candide Overture" in a musical whirlwind with a lot of wit. The encore "Somewhere" has a special meaning: Rantala played it spontaneously in memory of the lyricist of "West Side Story" Stephen Sondheim, who died one day before the Potsdam concert. A tear-jerking masterpiece, which stands not only for Rantala's empathy, but also for his high art of improvisation
Potsdam" thus paints a comprehensive, dazzling portrait of the artist Iiro Rantala. A pianist who, with his universal abilities, convinces even listeners who previously thought they didn't like jazz. And if you define jazz as music from the moment for the moment, carried along by the energy in the room, then "Potsdam" is Rantala's jazziest album to date.
1. Twentytwentyone (Iiro Rantala)
2. Time for Rag (Iiro Rantala)
3. Peace (Iiro Rantala)
4. Can You Be Bob? (Iiro Rantala)
5. Freedom (Iiro Rantala)
6. Woman (John Lennon)
7. November (Iiro Rantala)
8. Candide Overture (Leonard Bernstein)
9. Somewhere (Leonard Bernstein)
