Words by Kris Kropff
Finnish bassist Kaisa Mäensivu has three headlining albums to her credit, numerous sidewoman credits, and a masters degree from one of the most prestigious conservatories in the word, Manhattan School of Music. She tours internationally and is a regular in the NYC jazz scene. She is, in the best sense of the word, a traditionalist, having built a machine that takes the energy of Ray Brown’s bass-led combos and transports it to today.
Off Shelf: You’ve described your ensemble as “Nordic noir meets New York sparkle.” Is there a difference between how your music is received between your two homes? Is New York more appreciative of the sparkle? Finland more responsive to the noir?
Kaisa Mäensivu: One thing I’ve noticed is that live audiences can be very different. Finnish audiences often show their appreciation in a quieter way, mainly by clapping between songs—rather than loud cheers or comments during the songs. In contrast, American audiences tend to be more expressive and reactive. I really enjoy that energy. It’s funny how you might have the quietest audience back home and after the show they might tell you it was the most beautiful night of their lives.
In terms of stylistic preferences, I don’t see a difference! It seems like in both places people are open and appreciative to hearing all the different influences of the music and artist.
OS: What helps you stay grounded in the NYC jazz scene?
KM: My frequent visits to Europe help for sure and I think my nordic upbringing also helps me stay grounded. Finnish people aren’t necessarily always taught to make a big number of themselves, in good and bad. I also travel a lot, which heIps me keep a healthy distance from the hustle and bustle of the scene. It always feels great to leave the city for a moment, and it’s also really exciting getting back in there, too! I’m lucky to be playing a lot outside NYC so I get that experience quite regularly.
OS: Listening across the three Kaisa’s Machine albums, the steps of your journey from the back of the ensemble to the front are almost audible. Talk a little about this. Was this a natural outcome of what you were writing? Your maturation as a player? A necessary change to support what you wanted to write?
KM: It’s been partially a conscious effect. When I first started playing and listening to jazz, I really took on the traditional role of a bass player as an accompanying and supporting musician in the band. I think after developing my musicianship further, experiencing wider musical influences in New York, and hearing so many incredible players I became interested in exploring the possibilities of the acoustic bass further. The dark sound and the low range of the instrument set a specific tone, and that requires a certain type of surrounding to really shine. That’s what I’ve been enjoying exploring and I will be continuing that journey.
OS: In an interview with Finnish Music Quarterly in August 2018, you said, “It’s much easier to be a sidewoman… I have no need to perform my own music in New York.” What changed?
KM: I can’t believe I said that, actually. [laughs] There are obvious challenges but also so much reward! But yes, I do remember thinking like that. I think it came down to the challenges of the industry and the financial difficulties of leading one’s own ensemble more than a musical hardship. At the time, I was feeling fully artistically content working and performing as a sideperson, so was uninterested in facing those challenges.
Nowadays, I feel that writing and performing my own music has been one of the best ways to find my own voice and to push the genre in the direction I would like to hear it go. I love being a band leader, getting to do my thing and playing the music with people who I see as best fitting it. I think it’s a beautiful way to leave my own mark on the music. I still love playing other people’s music—and obviously the challenges of the industry have not disappeared—but there are so many wonderful things about being able to share my own music and finding international audiences for it that it’s all worth it!
OS: In that same FMQ interview you said, “I’m not so worried about [jazz] languishing in the margins, because [it] will always go on, one way or another.” Seven years later, do you agree with yourself?
KM: It really seems like young talented musicians keep popping up and kids still get into jazz and want to learn to play an instrument. It makes me so happy! My worry is that there’s barely any jazz industry left. We have to find new ways to bring the music to the people who love it and appreciate it, and we also need new ways for musicians to have sustainable careers. But the music not being in the mainstream is not a problem, as long as we find each other and have a flourishing community.
Jazz can be a really fascinating style of music to any listener as long as it’s represented in an approachable way. My own music is complex, but I always try to find a way to keep it more approachable, whether it’s not focusing too much on long solos or making sure to change textures and sounds to keep it interesting. Live jazz shows in somewhat intimate settings are where I think the music is at its best and most exciting, and I think that’s where the future is too. I don’t think those experiences can ever be replaced.