The
Rent Romus Trio presents Manala
Heikki "Mike" Koskinen - tenor recorder, e-trumpet
David Samas - voice, percussion
Rent Romus - flutes, alto saxophone, percussion
Manala, which means netherworld in the Finnish language, is a journey representing a deep cultural rediscovery through the lens of music. Co-written and produced by composers
Rent Romus and
Heikki Koskinen, this original suite of music weaves the elements of jazz, neo-traditional Finnish music, and free improvisation inspired by the mythic prose, rune poetry, and songs of cultural liberation and identity found in the Finnish epic known as the Kalevala and folklore of Finno-Ugric cultural shamanic traditions.
Like most ethnic Finnish who migrated to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century fleeing the impact of the crumbling Russian Empire, Romus' family was strongly encouraged to shed their identity through name, language and/or cultural practices. Research, mentoring, and music has given him the tools needed to reclaim a larger portion of his lost identity culminating within the last thirty years and manifesting into an ongoing research project of which Manala is part.
http://romus.net/manala.html
Cost: Free
Videos featuring musicians playing at this event
A montage of the free music group the Lords of Outland from their live presented as part of The Tenderloin Museum’s Sounds of the Tenderloin live music series at the Tenderloin National Forest in San Francisco July of 2022
Featuring Rent Romus on alto/soprano saxophones, Ray Schaeffer on bass, Anthony Flores on drums, and Philip Everett on