Leaf | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Bassist Kaisa Mäensivu formed her ensemble Kaisa’s Machine in 2015 and made her debut with the group in 2017 on the tight-knit, imaginative In the Key of K. In the midst of this, in 2016, she moved from her native Finland to New York, and thus began a process of artistic growth and transformation. She earned her master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music, studying with the likes of Dave Liebman and Ron Carter. And though she brought new players into her orbit, she kept the Kaisa’s Machine name, landing on Dave Douglas’ prestigious Greenleaf Music label for the follow-up release Taking Shape, her first album as a New Yorker. “This album represents a new, progressive and hard-hitting direction in my music that is a reflection of New York,” says Mäensivu. “I was more of a straightahead bassist when I moved here, but the city has changed me as a player and composer. I feel like this music captures the magic of New York, where we all have this symbiotic language and the atmosphere is open to new things.” The lineup on Taking Shape, she adds, “is a perfect and fresh mix of old and new musical relationships, including people I’ve played with ever since moving here (drummer Joe Peri) and some incredible new members (Sasha Berliner, Tivon Pennicott) that I played with only once or twice with before this session. Pianist Eden Ladin, too, was someone I’d played with in a more traditional standards setting, but I knew he would capture the vibe of my music right away. Max Light has been in the NYC version of this band since the beginning — I’d been wanting to add guitar to the lineup for a while, and Max’s sound was exactly what I was looking for.”