Kaisa's Machine: Taking Shape
Greenleaf Music

Much has happened in the eight years since jazz bassist Kaisa Mäensivu formed her ensemble Kaisa's Machine: in 2016, she emigrated from Finland to New York, issued the group's debut In the Key of K a year later, and acquired her Master's at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of legends like Dave Liebman and Ron Carter. Helming a slightly revamped version of the band, Mäensivu has now issued a strong follow-up called Taking Shape, the title intended to refer to music captured at a stage of metamorphosis.

Many changes have transpired in Mäensivu's life. By her own admission, her playing was more straightahead before the move, but receptivity to the city's energy and atmosphere has had a transformative effect. Of course, such changes also have been affected by the musicians with whom she's surrounded herself, a stellar cast comprising people with her since arriving and others newly added. Even if the lineup is still settling, there's undeniable chemistry between the players, the result performances vital, fresh, and alive. Produced by Mäensivu, the material was captured during two December 2022 days at Brooklyn's Big Orange Sheep Studios.

The size of the ensemble fluctuates during the album, with some tracks featuring six players and others five or four. Present throughout is the leader, of course, whose acoustic bass both grounds the performances and often inhabits the forefront as an authoritative lead (that she elected to open the album with what's ostensibly a solo bass statement, “I,” shows as much). Partnering with Mäensivu is drummer Joe Peri, a terrific player who buoys many a performance with inventive patterns and muscularity. The third part of the rhythm section, pianist Eden Ladin, likewise distinguishes the performances with inspired contributions (see his light-speed turn on “Sink or Swim,” for instance, and his unaccompanied solo on the serene interlude “III”).

Occupying the front-line are guitarist Max Light, who's been with the NYC iteration of the band since the start, and vibraphonist Sasha Berliner and tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, stellar new recruits that Mäensivu had played with but a few times before the recording session. Pennicott asserts himself on six of the twelve tracks; Berliner, on the other hand, appears on two only and ideally would be present on more, something hopefully rectified on the next Kaisa's Machine release.

As high-level as the playing is, it's equaled by Mäensivu's writing, which slots itself smoothly into the contemporary jazz idiom. That's apparent the moment Pennicott and Light glide across a high-energy backdrop in the first ensemble track, “Floating Light.” Berliner's absent on this one, but she's hardly missed when the remaining five deliver a powerful, engrossing, and visceral statement. With the rhythm section laying down a funky jazz groove and the saxophonist and vibraphonist voicing unison lines, the effervescent “Dream Machine” marks itself as a particular standout. On the high-velocity, odd-metred “Gravity,” it's Berliner's turn in the spotlight, and the vibraphonist delivers a dazzling solo whilst simultaneously riding the furious pulse generated by Mäensivu and Peri. In fact, witnessing the tight interlock the two generate throughout the recording is one of its major pleasures.

August 2023