Kaisa Mäensivu

"Mäensivu also has three strong originals on the disc, saving the best for last: closing tune The Lemur is also the perfect showcase for her bass playing, scampering agilely as a lemur up a tree."

The pandemic year brought a record harvest of jazz by women. While Finland prides itself on equality, there’s still a long way to go on the jazz scene, though.

"Berghäll’s six compositions have a multifaceted global flavor. Straight forward jazz rhythms and African beats meet Nordic and even oriental ideas."

Signe and Emmi U Quintet bring a dreamy night of jazz and beyond to Tampere’s stellar new music venue.

In a sun-drenched town only 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, jazz connoisseurs mixed with locals to enjoy their 31st festival of music, at the Jazz on the Beach in Raahe, Finland.

"Mostly a cappella, Signe's sound mingles folk, pop, barbershop and choral singing. The result is utterly original, uncategorisable art – unlike anything else you’ll hear this year."

Kaisa Mäensivu studied double bass at the Sibelius Academy and continued her jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She is now creating a career in various ensembles in the USA and Finland. How did she end up becoming a jazz professional? And how would she compare her experiences of the jazz scene in Helsinki and New York?