Dalindèo

In 2003 the Finnish jazz sextet Dalindèo came together under guitarist and composer Valtteri Pöyhönen. Their first album, Open Scenes, appeared in 2007 on Ricky-Tick; Tuomas Kallio of Five Corners Quintet produced the sessions, which included guest vocalist Michiko and signaled the group’s blend of reverence for Duke Ellington with contemporary sensibilities.

The 2010 follow-up, Soundtrack for the Sound Eye, earned the description “cinematic jazz” through both its title and its atmosphere, which echoed the films of Finnish cult director Aki Kaurismäki, and it featured vocals by Berlin-based artist Bajka.

Wider recognition arrived with the third album, 2013’s Kallio, which received the Jazz Album of the Year prize at Helsinki’s annual Emma-Gaala and prompted extensive touring that included appearances at Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Helsinki Festival, Pori Jazz, and Tampere Happening.

Their fourth studio release, Slavic Souls, emerged in 2016 and, consistent with its name, folded Slavic roots into the sextet’s jazz framework while adding Finnish tango and further traditional ingredients to their steadily expanding sound.