Selma Savolainen
in the shade

Singer-composer Selma Savolainen is known for a fearless approach to music, as well as her striking use of voice, which have “raised Finnish vocal jazz to a new level” (Finland’s leading newspaper Helsingin Sanomat). Her compositions and lyrics in English draw equally from the rich, multifaceted history of modern jazz and singer-songwriter tradition. They are infused with memorable, deeply personal storytelling that turns each piece into a compelling narrative. Savolainen’s debut album Horror Vacui won the Jazz Emma award for Jazz Album of the Year in 2024.

The UK-based Whirlwind Recordings will now release the second album of Savolainen, in the shade, which takes the expression of her six-piece ensemble into new directions. The music echoes influences ranging from Radiohead to The Doors. The album is produced in collaboration with, among others, Lauri Kallio (known from Pambikallio), its themes spanning from family relationships to angry men and mass hysteria. In the shade drew its title inspiration while Savolainen was in Paris writing new material: “It felt as if the rays of sunlight illuminating my apartment had come to peek in on how the album was coming along,” she says.

Selma Savolainen – voice
Tomi Nikku – trumpet, flugelhorn
Max Zenger – woodwinds
Toomas Keski–Säntti – piano
Eero Tikkanen – double bass
Okko Saastamoinen – drums