Anni Kiviniemi Trio: Eir (We Jazz Records)
Anni Kiviniemi: piano, compositions
Eero Tikkanen: double bass
Hans Hulbaekmo: drums
The first time I listened to Anni Kiviniemi Trio’s Eir I found some of its quirks, such as the juxtaposition of lilting melodies with off-kilter, irregular rhythms, reminiscent of Moskus’ (wonderful) Mestertyven. When I later got around to giving the press release and the credits a closer look, the comparison made sense: the drummer in this trio is Hans Hulbækmo, who also plays in Moskus (as well as Atomic, Flukten, and Gard Nilssen Supersonic Orchestra, among several other projects). I should have recognized his drumming style.
That said, pianist Anni Kiviniemi’s compositions have many other qualities, too, drawing inspiration from both classical music and Scandinavian folk music. The melody that skips around Eero Tikkanen’s ominously trudging bass, as if he was conjuring the sound of a troll was lurking about, and Hulbækmo’s fluctuating drumming on “Judy”, for example, has a distinct Norwegian folk tune quality to it. Like the ghost of Edvard Grieg summoned by a modern jazz piano trio.