Reviews, concert reports and
photographs of an extensive range of
improvised and jazz-related music

More allegorical than anthropological, Soul Bird is the most recent variation on reconciling with Jazz myths associated with his Finnish roots by Bay area saxophonist Rent Romus. Building on the tales, tones and timbres attributed to birds in Finno-Ugric culture Romus and the Otherworld Ensemble have come up with an eight-part suite that converts ornithology into orchestration. Critical to the adaptation is the group’s co-composer and co-leader, Fin Heikki Koskinen, who plays e-trumpet, piano, tenor… Read More