Kiri Ra! - Kiri Ra! (2021)

The debut album from Kiri Ra! is an intuitive journey through landscapes of spectral otherness with colors of post classical minimalism, ambient folk and spiritual jazz.

Starting as cross Baltic improvisation group in 2014, Kiri Ra! found form in the winter of 2016 when Finnish experimental artist Lau Nau, Finnish jazz saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, and Swedish pianist Matti Bye were commissioned by The Swedish Film Institute to create music for experimental amateur documentary films from its archive. Their debut album is made up entirely of improvised live studio recordings that stemmed from this film-scoring effort; magical and otherworldly material with a unique narrative voice of its own.

With meticulous attention to detail and a sense of wonder, the players are collective witnesses to what can unfold between three musicians in a room. As illustrated on the tracks “Happlo’os” and “))Glänta//”, softly played piano ostinatos, field recordings and bowed percussion set a visceral foundation for the saxophone to carve melodic tones of tingling melancholia. This warmth and sense of intimacy prevails throughout the album, as illustrated on the serene track “Linnesöndagen Gynnas Icke” whilst “Kites Över Gärdet” is an almost supernatural unfolding of timelessness.

Kiri Ra! approaches each recording session without speech; the players choose an instrument and the journey begins, constructing music around repeated motifs, and the all-important space between the notes. This act of listening and reacting creates a very lucid, intuitive and inviting sonic atmosphere.

Kiri Ra!’s music slides easily between genres, with textures of post-classical, ambient folk and spiritual jazz, taking the listener with them on an unpredictable yet accessible journey.