One might expect a chordless ensemble, particularly one fronted by a drummer, to involve a certain amount of bombast, but this young Finnish quartet, led by drummer Joonas Leppänen, are looking in the other direction.
Leppänen first came to international attention as the rhythmic force behind Big Blue, an echoing, wide open take on Nordic cool. Alder Ego sails a little closer to the mainstream wind, with echoes of Ornette Coleman’s pianoless quartets and Dave Holland’s trailblazing groups of the 1980s, but Leppänen and his young quartet – saxophonist Jarno Tikka, trumpeter Tomi Nikku and bassist Teemu Åkerblom – show remarkable restraint, exploring the leader’s thoughtful, folk-tinged compositions quietly, with a subtlety and sense of purpose that belies their years.
