The Mortal Lease Josefiina Vannesluoma & Mortal Lease

• 1Because the Currents07:15
• 2Because Our Kiss04:18
• 3All Is Sweet08:11
• 4Sad Immortality Is Dead05:41
• 5Yet for One Rounded Moment03:56
• 6The Moment Came04:21
• 7Shall I Not Know?07:23
• 8Strive We No More.06:29
• Total Runtime47:34

Info for The Mortal Lease

The debut release by Finnish vocalist and composer Josefiina Vannesluoma and her jazz ensemble Mortal Lease set centenarian poems aflame. Alongside Vannesluoma’s colourful tone, the ensemble features some of the most sought-after musicians on the Finnish jazz scene - Mikael Myrskog on piano, Nathan Francis on double bass, Ville Luukkonen on drums and Sampo Kasurinen on alto flute, tenor saxophone and clarinet. ​

The title and the lyrics are by American poet Edith Wharton (1862-1937) that Vannesluoma has finely crafted into an eight-part jazz suite. The Mortal Lease sparked from Wharton’s own emotions during an intensely passionate summer affair. Although this relationship was short-lived, Wharton’s profound sensuous experiences empowered her to transform them to art works. ​

The album sets off with impressionistic landscaping on Because the currents by the piano trio, alto flute and Vannesluoma’s sweet narrating vocals. Myrskog’s neo-classical melodies seam the song’s outro into the second track, Because our kiss, in which Vannesluoma joins by reciting a love letter. Before long the ensemble bursts into a soulful adventure and more traditional jazz grooves. ​

Midway the cycle of songs, Yet for One Rounded Moment weaves like an Edwardian era embroidery. Released as the second single, Vannesluoma’s delicate vocals ornament on a chamber jazz canvas, Sampo Kasurinen adding Balkan romance with melancholic clarinet. Vannesluoma has attached Wharton’s sonnet to a bulgarian folk melody ‘Kalimankou Denkou’, previously interpreted by the world-famous Bulgarian State Television Female Choir. ​

Intensity increases towards the end. The album’s sixth track The Moment Came creates a saga of its own, where clear-toned Vannesluoma takes on more dramatic characters and Kasurinen changes the woodwinds to tenor saxophone. Seventh track Shall I not know? contains steamy solos before settling into detained introspection on Strive we no more. ​

Josefiina Vannesluoma, vocals, composition​
Mikael Myrskog, piano​
Nathan Francis, double bass​
Ville Luukkonen, drums
Sampo Kasurinen, alto flute (1, 2, 8), clarinet (5), tenor saxophone (6, 7)

Josefiina Vannesluoma
is a jazz and contemporary vocalist and flutist living in Helsinki, Finland. Her debut solo project, titled as The Mortal Lease, is an eight-part suite that Vannesluoma composed to Edith Wharton's (1862 - 1937) sonnets. The album was released in October 2023 by Flame Jazz Records as LP and CD, and digital via Playground Music.

Vannesluoma also leads and composes for vocal ensemble Signe and bossa nova group Nossa Bossa as well as for various other projects. Signe has twice been nominated for "the Finnish Jazz Grammy" at Emma Gala 2023 and 2020 and received honourable mention after being nominated for Teosto Prize 2020 with Signe's debut album To Sappho.

Born in Turku, Vannesluoma began her musical studies with classical flute and singing in choirs. At age fourteen she found a Brazilian compilation album that immersed her to bossa nova and imitating tropical rhythms. From there it didn't take her long to find interesting jazz records that engaged her with standard and bebop repertoires and further to more experimental music. Today she works fluently in and between different genres, exploring through improvisation. ​

Vannesluoma has pursued a Master’s Degree on Jazz Performance (2019) and Bachelor's degrees both in Jazz Performance (2016) as well as in Music Education (2013) at the University of Arts in Helsinki. Between 2016 and 2017 she lived in the US making music and studying at the University of Miami. The spring 2019 she studied at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Sweden. ​

Vannesluoma is a dedicated pedagogue and a founder of Jazz Voice School Helsinki (Jan 2020) with her Signe colleague Riikka Keränen. She also teaches as a permanent pop&jazz voice lecturer at Turku Conservatory.

This album contains no booklet.