Vespers

Six years after Iro Haarha's much-praised ECM debut release entitled Northbound described by All About Jazz as lovely, articulate, river-deep music comes a new album of emotionally-powerful ballads from the outstanding composer-pianist-harpist and her remarkable Finnish-Norwegian ensemble. The line-up is unchanged, likewise the commitment of the players, top-flight improvisers, every one. Vespers extends a tradition of music and a scope of feeling that Iro has been establishing and developing over the years in the Far North and which now is brought to international attention. She writes for this magical constellation of players and their special skills and strengths are illuminated as never before in her unique and often very touching music.