

Following up his 2016 trio release Amorandom, Finnish pianist Aki Rissanen returns with Another North, featuring strong rhythmic propulsion and agility from bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Teppo Mäkynen. “John’s Sons,” with its swirling, intricate melodies, has a particularly striking beauty, while the slower “Étude 5” brings out a dark and moody dissonance in the trio. There’s an unmistakable creative poise in the percussive textures of “New Life and Other Beginnings,” the devious tempo shifts of “Before the Aftermath,” and the hard swing of “Hubble Bubble.”