Esa Pietilä Trio

Formed originally in 2001, the Esa Pietilä Trio (often stylized as Esa Pietilä 3) stands as one of the most foundational and influential ensembles in the Finnish and wider European avant-garde jazz scenes. Conceived by award-winning saxophonist and composer Esa Pietilä, the trio is built to explore absolute improvisational freedom, deep interpersonal group interaction, and the uncharted spaces between written composition and spontaneous creation.

The trio’s history is defined by two remarkable, powerhouse eras:

• The First Generation (2001–2009): Featuring the legendary rhythm section of bassist Ulf “Uffe” Krokfors and drummer Markku Ounaskari. This legendary lineup toured extensively across Europe and released landmark albums, most notably Direct (2003) and Travel of Fulica atra (2007) via Fiasko Records. This era established the group’s “wordless connection,” moving away from traditional melodic patterns toward collective, textured soundscapes.

• The Second Generation (Esa Pietilä 3): Re-emerging with an updated line-up featuring bassist Ville Herrala and drummer Mika Kallio (and occasionally transforming into a guitar-trio variant featuring Estonian guitar virtuoso Jaak Sooäär). This incarnation famously served as the core soloist unit for Pietilä’s groundbreaking symphonic jazz concerto, Graffiti Play (2014), performed alongside the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra under the baton of legendary conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.