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Kaisa’s Machine: Taking Shape
ByKaisa Mäensivu
bassM?ensivu sets the album's mood with a 40-second lithe and elegant intro after which she leads the ensemble on the effervescent and soulful "Floating Light." The exciting tune also features award winning tenor saxophonist

Tivon Pennicott
saxophone, tenorb.1985

Max Light
guitar, electricM?ensivu's own intelligent and intricate extemporization bisects "Dream Machine" as it is preceded by pianist
Eden Ladin
piano
Joe Peri
drums
Sasha Berliner
vibraphoneLadin's unaccompanied pianism, with its warm and melancholic lines, forms the third interlude on the recording which dovetails into the dramatic "Shadow Mind." This piece unfurls slowly within a tense and cinematic atmosphere. Light's incandescent guitar strings flicker against M?ensivu and Peri's dark, rumbling, vamps. Ladin improvises with lyricism while M?ensivu's reverberating phrases are pure poetry. The inner camaraderie within the quartet is demonstrated clearly here as one individual expression fades into the next and the music flows seamlessly from the collective to each band member and vice versa.
Refreshingly inventive, Taking Shape demonstrates that M?ensivu is an accomplished musician with a uniquely creative voice. It also showcases a mix of exuberance and maturity. It is an engaging work which portends a brilliant career. ">
Track Listing
I; Floating Light; Dream Machine; Gravity; Aurora Unbound; II; Better Intention; Sink or Swim; III; Shadow Mind; Sizzler; Eat Dessert First.
Personnel
Kaisa M?ensivu
bassMax Light
guitar, electricEden Ladin
pianoJoe Peri
drumsTivon Pennicott
saxophone, tenorSasha Berliner
vibraphoneAlbum information
Title: Taking Shape | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Greenleaf Music
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