Iiro Rantala, Veneziana, ACT ***

With dazzling strings, woodwind and horn drawn from the membership of the Berlin Philharmonic, Finnish pianist Iiro Rantala continues his long tenure on the German ACT label with this 2023 live recording that took place in the larger of the two halls at the Philharmonie just over three months ago. Venice as in the city themed, it isn't a classic pizza that you might get served at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in case you were wondering, it features Rantala's typically playful compositional creations beyond pastiche often wittily entitled such as 'Mozart Loses His Mojo'. But, the elephant in the room, has the mercurial Finn?

Far from it. But this isn't at all the best exposure to his twinkling charms on a recording because it's not really a jazz album at all let's not kid ourselves although there is that touch and sensibility personal to this most magical improviser. For Rantala at his jazz best there is plenty of choice but go back to his brilliant Trio Töykeät Emarcy 1990s days particularly the greater wow factor you will find on Jazzlantis.

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If you are the kind of jazz fan who doesn't listen to classical music much then you will feel that this is a recording for a different kind of listener. And the Finn's piano playing does get crowded out too much. As to highlights: the bassoonist Selim Aykal has fun on 'Casanova and Lorenzo' and even the stoniest of hearts will too. Oboist Sofia Zamora Meseguer provides one of the best moments on the pivotal death in Venice track that again concentrates the mind but isn't at all gloomy. Thomas Mann - no need at all to eat your heart out. SG

Iiro Rantala, photos Jari Kivelä and ACT

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Cast your minds back to 2022 and in the same Pharoanic slipstream The Cradle that maxed out on the sheer feeling of space engendered on 'First Step' pivoting between the bass playing of Seth Ford-Young of US West Coast outfit Phi-Psonics to the floaty flute-playing of Sylvain Carton who also plays tenor saxophone on the album.

On the upcoming Octava clearly the balladic 'Green Dreams' dedicated to Ford-Young's wife is the best track with the slow tick of drummer Josh Collazo a human metronome that has somehow ceased being an inanimate object to deftly choreograph the dance that develops. But most tracks work in terms of a long play listen. Carton is all over the record and the tasteful Wurly playing is the work of Mitchell Yoshida.

Even more relevant since the passing of Pharoah Sanders last September. And even long before. Again the sax titan was at the heart of the awakening. What goes around coming around all the years on since his classic Karma all the way up to his last great statement, the incredible Promises. It is a circle that remains unbroken and the solar ripples span ever outerwards.

Maybe it says in its best expression a poetic commentary on the malaise of Western society more than any news cycle can even make a motion towards. Manchester label Gondwana is the original spiritual jazz label for the 21st century in the UK and while others may dabble at the style and frequently do, there is always a deep sense of exploration with the Halsalls & Mackness heads at the label even when they change tack.

Seth Ford-Young of Phi-Psonics - photo: via Gondwana. The ethereally Celtic tinged 'We Walk in the Gardens of Our Ancestors' is streaming. 'An Offering' is the next single out on Friday 2 June. The full issuing of Octava is on 30 June

Iiro Rantala, Veneziana, ACT ***

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Phi-Psonics, Octava, Gondwana ****

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