Markus Niittynen Band - Flashbacks (2020)

Markus is a Finnish jazz pianist. He has played in 20 countries. His newest album is released soon. A lot has been written about the Finnish character…unpretentious, to the point, well-educated, communitarian, demonstrating integrity and seriousness of purpose.

As a pianist Markus Niittynen is courageous enough to acknowledge his eminent influences. If I can trust my ears they are all masters from whom I also have drawn much inspiration. He thus displays both good taste and a refreshingly humanistic philosophy: eschewing both a stereotypically European quest for a ‘national’(istic) jazz aesthetic as well as the contemporary American obsession with identity politics in art, Markus follows nothing more or less than a purely musical logic. His tirelessly deep love for the greatest exponents of jazz music imbues the heart of his work.