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Tuomi

KRISTIINA TUOMI . CARSTEN DAERR . CARLOS BICA

About Me



Tuomi
The Expense Of Spirit
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet: Tuomi - a trio of voice, piano and double bass, lead by singer Kristiina Tuomi. Touring the globe from Europe to Bahrain to South Korea, Tuomi perform a unique blend of superb songwriting and acoustic chamber composition.
With their second album The Expense Of Spirit, Tuomi confirm their extraordinary status on the international music scene. Voice, piano and doublebass - Kristiina Tuomi, Carsten Daerr and Carlos Bica once again prove to be masters of a still unmapped genre with their congenial interpretation of classical lyric with original lyrics. More than ever, their compositions spring from the Kunstlied (traditional romantic poem set to classical music), Celtic ballads, or the Scandinavian folk song – and still enthuse pop fans. The wave of soft-soul-jazz, currently enjoying immense popularity, has definitely got an alternative!
And so Tuomi continues on the road of success started by their debut album Tightrope Walker, which was met with unanimous enthusiasm by music critics and press two years ago. Jazzthing reviewer, for example, found the trio’s music to be “elegiac, execrating, and (...) with their clear, lyrical melodies (...) charmingly artistic.” The FAZ remarked how the German/Finnish singer Kristiina Tuomi “transports her songs almost entirely into the domain of the “Kunstlied (poetry set to classical music), but that it is a domain where a voice so free of pathos and pretention is just as rare as the improvisational freedom allowed highly sensitive pianist Carsten Daerr”. And finally Jazzthetik described Tightrope Walker as “a dark sounding record, that tells stories of romantic love as well as heartbreak with an intimate chamber music ensemble (...)”, and raves: “Kristiina Tuomi sings all this with disarming clarity and elegance – far beyond the parameters of jazz.
On The Expense Of Spirit, Tuomi again flaunts its total fearlessness of heights in a high-wire act between congenial lyric set to music, jazzy pop (self-penned) and what the Portuguese and Brazilians call “Saudade”: Kristiina Tuomi’s natural alto confidently and competently enters a dialogue with Carsten Daerr’s lucid piano playing and Carlos Bica’s singing contrabass, creating songs full of transparancy and lyrical sophistication that challenge, seduce and fascinate the listener.
Kristiina Tuomi and Carsten Daerr were making music together even before forming this North-South trio. While studying jazz at the Berlin University of Art, where they were introduced to the finesses of composition and timing by Maria Schneider and David Friedman, among others, the two developed a pension for putting Shakespearean sonnets to music. “It’s always fascinating to see (and hear) how my musical sketches come to life when working with Kristiina, and how it naturally works itself out, which poem best fits which composition,” says Carsten Daerr about their working modus. The Team got new impulses when Kristiina Tuomi (re)-discovered not only the poesy of Edgar Allen, but also wrote her own lyrics, whose pop-appeal was a refreshing foil to the “kunstlied” image. The two of them joined in with a cellist for a short time, but when he moved to a different city they started looking around for other musicians, no longer wanting to do without the interaction of three different characteristic sounds..
“Shortly after Carsten and I had reluctlantly shrunk back to a duo, we went to a jazz club together where contrabassist Carlos Bica with his Berliner band Azul were giving an enthralling concert,” recalls Kristiina Tuomi. “Carsten and I looked at each other and knew immediately that this was the right man for our music.” The next day the singer sent the Portuguese (living in Berlin), who had already accompanied the likes of Ana Brandão and Maria João, a demo. Bica reacted in a flash: “Two days later he called and asked when the next rehearsal was.” Just how artistically fruitful this meeting would turn out to be was not only demonstrated on numerous stages, but on the highly acclaimed record, Tightrope Walker, released in the spring of 2005. Its successor The Expense Of Spirit has fulfilled all the high expectations with ease.
Tuomi don’t want to cater to the needs of “jazz-light”, so popular currently, nor to be stereotyped as the talented “Kunstlied” innovators: “To make people aware of the beauty of a Shakespearean sonnet - or other poems which have touched our hearts – that is certainly a goal. But most of all we want to make people really start listening again, emphasizes Kristiina Tuomi, “Because what we do is definitively not Easy Listening!”.


My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/28/2006
Band Website: kristiinatuomi.com
Band Members:


KRISTIINA TUOMI voice
CARSTEN DAERR piano
CARLOS BICA doublebass

Influences: Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Massive Attack, "the soul cages"-Sting, Nine Inch Nails, Sara K., John Dowland, Jeff Buckley, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Miles Davis, Kenny Kirkland, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Joachim Kühn, Andrew Hill, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, John Ruocco, Björk, Ennio Morricone, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Bela Bartok, Igor Strawinsky, Györgi Ligeti, Morton Feldmann, John Cage. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Sounds Like:

New CD

The Expense of Spirit
out now on

and
cdBaby /// eMusic /// amazon.de



Tightrope Walker

and
cdBaby /// eMusic /// amazon.de


or from Traumton Records' website www.traumton.de
Record Label: Traumton Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

tuomi go electric, macro goes acoustic

Liebe Freunde von Tuomi, sonst eigentlich bekannt für rein Akustisches, wagen wir jetzt einen Flirt mit elektronischer Musik. Das Ergebnis ist eine feine Vinyl-EP Expense Of Spirit", di...
Posted by Tuomi on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:52:00 PST

Danke Leipzig!

Leipzig, es war so schön bei Euch! ..."Eine Winterreise der anderen Art Tuomi gastierte mit neuem Programm   Im folkloristisch weißen Kleid singt sie dunkel gefärbte Songs, umwoben von sensibl...
Posted by Tuomi on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:20:00 PST

Tuomi bei LUFTHANSA - Newsletter Juni 07

Berlin, Mitte Juni 2007Liebe Freunde,Auch in der Sommerpause tut sich etwas: Das komplette Tuomi Album The Expense Of Spirit" ist jetzt im Lufthansa in flight" Radioprogramm zu hören. Also auf alle...
Posted by Tuomi on Sun, 24 Jun 2007 10:07:00 PST

Newsletter Mai 07

Liebe Tuomi-Freunde und Freunde der Kunst,die erste Konzert-Phase liegt nun hinter uns. Es stimmt uns froh, daß das neue Programm bei Euch/Ihnen auf so viel Begeisterung gestoßen ist, daß wir regelmä...
Posted by Tuomi on Mon, 07 May 2007 06:43:00 PST

Tuomi im WDR5

Der WDR 5 wird am 1.Mai um 23.05 Uhr eine ganze Stunde über uns berichten und unsere Songs spielen. Das freut uns sehr!!!
Posted by Tuomi on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:06:00 PST

Danke Jazzthing!

"Tuomi ist ein Trio. Darauf legt die gleichnamige Kristiina allergrößten Wert. Eines, das in keine Schublade will. Einen festen Platz hat es dagegen längst. Dank der hinreißenden Altstimme seiner deut...
Posted by Tuomi on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:08:00 PST

ERSTE PRESSESTIMME

Nicht ohne NebenwirkungDass es immer soweit gehen muss. Mit einfacher aber trotzdem anspruchsvoller Samstagabendunterhaltung hätte man sich im Foyer des Nikolaisaals schon begnügt. Zwei Stunden Genu...
Posted by Tuomi on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:51:00 PST

ENDSPURT!

Die Arbeiten am neuen TUOMI Album neigen sich dem Ende: Das Cover ist so gut wie gedruckt (entzückend), jeden Moment flattert der letzte Mix des grandiosen Hrólfur Vagnsson direkt aus Island in unser ...
Posted by Tuomi on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:03:00 PST

Tuomi for the U.S.

Tuomi's debut album "Tightrope Walker" will be soon available for our friends in the U.S. at www.cdbaby.com. We're delighted! With kindest regards,Kristiina, Carsten & Carlos...
Posted by Tuomi on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 01:27:00 PST

No cello!

Just to make this clear: There's no cello on any of our recordings! Those beautiful lines are played by the one and only Carlos Bica on his double bass. Kisses, Kristiina......
Posted by Tuomi on Sun, 24 Sep 2006 06:40:00 PST