Kaisa's Machine: Moving Parts

On the third release with her trusted ensemble, Kaisa's Machine, rising star Kaisa Mäensivu displays a mature compositional voice, creating seven beguiling tracks that make excellent use of her superb colleagues. The Finnish bassist has for some years split her time between Helsinki and New York City, and the album's concept is loosely centered on the challenges and opportunities of bilocation—but the music itself is remarkably cohesive and taut, with a group dynamic that indeed reflects machine-like precision, even if the music itself is really too graceful for mechanistic metaphors.

The core of the ensemble is unchanged from 2023's Taking Shape (Greenleaf Music), with vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, guitarist Max Light, pianist Eden Ladin and drummer Joe Peri by now quite comfortable with Mäensivu's predilection for intricately designed compositions that rely on the synergy created by five musicians working together as one. Berliner and Light are often in tandem, as they are on the unison melody of the energetic opener, "Tykytys," while Mäensivu and Ladin move the track forward with a vigorous ostinato. Light gets a generous solo opportunity midway through, but the piece gets its power through its collective sound rather than individual bravura performances, a characteristic evident throughout the album.

Although the pieces are too complex to give way to facile ear worms, there is a strong lyrical dimension to cuts like "Midnight Sun," which has a surging section supported by Ladin's driving chords and more terrific unison playing from Berliner and Light. "Moon Waves" exhibits a wistful sensibility and a delicate melody undergirded by Mäensivu's sinuous bass, while "Who's Asking?" bounces with a carefree spirit and another infectious theme.

A couple of guests put in appearances: tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana gets a cameo on "Origin Story," outlining the poignant melody with Light before taking an expressive solo that makes full use of the tonal range of her horn. And vocalist Maja Mannila adds a gently floating lyric to "Satama (Harbor)," a lovely piece that again benefits from the ensemble's empathetic tendencies.

"Best Kept Secrets" closes the album on a strong note, with a light groove animating another emotionally resonant theme that gives both Berliner and Mäensivu a chance at some individual flexing—although here too, as always, in support of the greater whole.

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