Heiskanen Bayatz Baharat – Samai Maata (Eclipse Music, 2022)
Samai Maata is the debut album of an excellent new Finnish band called Heiskanen Bayatz Baharat. Led by superb fiddler and composer Lotta-Maria Heiskanen, the ensemble performs a sumptuous and emotive mix of jazz with a fusion edge and world music (Middle Eastern influences, flamenco beats, Latin music and beyond). The title song of her new album, Samai Maata, is a tribute to the entire universe.
Lotta-Maria Heiskanen is an acclaimed violinist who typically combines rhythms and tonal language from the Middle East with the Nordic jazz tradition. Her colorful and deeply mesmerizing compositions explore the boundaries between mysticism and realism.
The band members are Lotta-Maria Heiskanen on violin; Jukka Haavisto on bass; Aapo Heinonen on piano; and Ricardo Padilla on percussion.
Guest artists: Ali Haithem on oud; Munther Al Assaf on saz; Daniel Al Attrash on qanun; Valeria Conte on clarinet; Kamel Bala on percussion; and Teija Sotikoff on vocals.
Also featured on the album is an exquisite string quartet, injecting a gorgeous chamber element into the tasty mix, with Lotta-Maria Heiskanen on violin; Silva Kallionpää on violin; Linda Palin on violin; and Mila Laine on cello.
Heiskanen has earned recognition as a violinist and composer with BaranBand, an ensemble that plays music from the Middle East, and as concertmaster and music arranger of the Middle Eastern Orchestra. Additionally, Heiskanen also plays flamenco in Anna Murtola’s band and in the Nordic Flamenco collective. Moreover, Heiskanen also performs with various other ensembles in Finland and abroad, along with work as a theater musician.
Get the album at https://heiskanenbayatzbaharat.bandcamp.com