For his new project Flock, pianist and composer Iiro Rantala joins forces with three young musicians: Maja Mannila on vocals and keyboard, Johannes Granroth on bass and Severi Sorjonen on drums (otherwise — when not playing with Iiro — known as the Maja Mannila Trio).
The concert in Berlin's A-Trane had been planned for a long time and had to be delayed due to the, you'll never guess, pandemic. Fortunately, on November 14th, nothing got in the way.
What a great night it was, what an amazing band — all four of them. Rantala played some solo pieces, too — „November“ of his album "My Finnish Calendar" as well as a new ballad (If I remember correctly it was called "Peace") and shared some funny stories (for instance about his smart watch measuring his Ragtime playing as sporty activities). As Iiro said: "Ragtime will rise again!" (After he said that he and his band went into full bebop mode).
Here's some pictures I took yesterday. For my in-depth conversation with Iiro Rantala, click here!
All photos © Markus Brandstetter
click on the pics to enlarge them
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