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Elifantree
Elifantree was formed in 2007 after Pauli Lyytinen and Anni Egecioglu met in Gothenburg, Sweden where they both were studying at the time. Tatu, a lifelong friend of Pauli’s, soon joined and the trio played their first show at Tatu’s father’s art exhibition premiere. Realizing the musical potential of the quirky,minimalistic arrangements that consisted only of saxophone, voice and drums the band started a relentless task of playing as much live shows as possible. They soon made a name for themselves in the jazz scene in Helsinki and Gothenburg.
In 2008 they took part in the Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition and won the Finnish final. At the Nordic finals in Copenhagen they received second prize.
The success of the competition made it easier for the band to book concerts and between 2009 and 2010 the band played a long string of shows in several countries including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and Italy. Their show at the Winter Jazz Festival in Mariehamn was voted as The Gig of the Year in WIRE magazine in 2009. During this period the band also recorded tracks that would eventually become their debut album.
In May 2010 their debut album “Love & Trees” was released by Eclipse Music. The band continued touring the Nordic countries to support the album and the CD soon became the label’s bestselling product. The album was also released in Sweden, distributed by Plugged Music.
In April 2011 Elifantree played two notable showcase concerts. First at the Jazzahead Conference in Bremen, Germany and a few weeks after that in Dublin at the 12 Points Festival. These two shows and an article in Jazzwise Magazine brought the band to the attention of European Jazz audiences. The band also started recording tracks to their second album.
In 2012 Elifantree is playing several high profile shows at both domestic and international jazz festivals to support their new album “Time Out”, released on April 11th.
Awards
First Prize @ Young Nordic Jazz Comets (Finnish Finals 2008), Gig of the Year @ Critics Poll, The Wire Magazine
Tags
Elifantree: Time Out
by Anthony Shaw
From the opening whoop from Elifantree's singer and principle songwriter, Anni Elif Egecioglu,Time Out presents itself as something mysterious. As the name of the trio elliptically suggests, Egecioglu is the principle focus, with saxophonist Pauli Lyytinen and drummer Tatu Rönkkö making up the tree." In comparison with its well-received debut, Love and Trees (Eclipse, 2010), Time Out is something of a return to the fold of convention, but very much Elifantree's own type of experimental, pop-influenced mainstream. ...
read moreElifantree at Birdland, Helsinki
by Anthony Shaw
Elifantree Birdland Helsinki, Finland June 16, 2010
Birdland is the latest jazz venue to open in Helsinki, and as one can expect from a location that is as central as it is conventional, the fare is typically close to the middle of the road. However, in an attempt to woo an audience from outside this field Finland's entry to the 2008 Nordic Jazz Comets competition was invited to perform its usually enervated, intriguing brand ...
read moreElifantree - New Album "Time Out", Release Date: April 11th
Source:
Tapio Ylinen
Eclipse Music is happy to announce that the long awaited second album by Elifantree, entitled Time Out will be released on April 11th. The album will be available by Supersounds Music in Finland and by Plugged Music AB in Sweden and internationally. The album will also be available for download from iTunes and other major digital retailers. Elifantree will support the new release with a series of high profile concerts at Turku Jazz Festival, April Jazz Festival (both in Finland), ...
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“Elifantree(…) created a sound much larger and wider than the sum of their parts.(…) Dipping into improvised funk, punk, pop, ambient and rock textures all wrapped up in a tightly drilled stage show, made for an arresting live experience that proves imagination and sheer bravura showmanship can make the most unlikely of musical marriages soar to emphatic creative highs.” - Mike Flynn, Jazzwise 2011