AVA Trio

Pianist and composer Aki Takase (b. 1948), who has made over fifty albums of her own, has visited Finland in several different combinations, including one-on-one with a singer and drummer, as well as her own quintet, which liberally reproduced the compositions of pioneer pianist Fats Waller.

However, it is quite difficult to say anything about Takase’s last Jazz Happening concert. The new Japanic quintet that performed at the Pakkahuone in November 2019 was, in many turns, reminiscent of a boisterous family reunion, with everyone talking at the top of their voices.

The core of the AVA Trio, assembled by Takase, is obviously also the musicians’ free-form, multi-directional conversation. However, no one can yet say how it will sound in the end – not even Takase herself. The AVA Trio is so new that it has never performed before the Tampere concert. In other words, you will witness the world premiere at Pakkahuone.

The musicians have, of course, met each other several times. Takase has performed as a duo with alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier (b. 1970) and has followed the career of Vincent von Schlippenbach (b. 1980) since he was a schoolboy. He is the son of Takase’s German husband, free jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, and a composer who has achieved great success on his own, as a producer and musician, better known in other circles as DJ Illvibe.

Vincent von Schlippenbach first recorded with Takase back in 2004 and is now a regular member of Takase’s band Japanic, whose second album Forte was released in the summer of 2024. AVA Trio’s wild card may still be the Polish-born saxophonist Niescier, who hasn’t performed in Finland before now, which is more than twenty years after her own debut album.

The multi-award-winning Niescier’s long-term playing partners include American cellist Tomeka Reid and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, but there is also an encounter with a Finn on the album list. Niescer plays standards on the album, where pianist Iiro Rantala’s sextet reminisces about the famous jazz patron, Pannonica de Koenigswarter.