Esa Onttonen Labra’s debut album, to be released on October 3, 2025, moves in the little-known territory between improvisation and composition, which Onttonen explores on the album together with top Finnish musicians Jarmo Saari, Antti Kujanpää, Mikael Myrskog, and Joonas Riippa. The album was created using an application developed by Onttonen that enables live composition, i.e., composing while playing.

Over twenty pieces were recorded for Esa Onttonen Labra’s album, of which four were selected for the record. Despite their different styles, these four pieces form a cohesive whole. The rocking “Consequences,” the avant-garde “They Are Here,” the mystical atmosphere of “For All Of Us,” and the serene “To Be Felt” are united by the soundscape of electric instruments, the musicians’ jazz background — and live composition combining improvisation and composition.

During the recording of the album, an application developed by Onttonen was used, which musicians use on tablet computers. The application can be described as an instant messaging application with music features. It allows musicians to compose future musical events live during a performance and communicate them to other musicians. Although this way of making music is relatively unique, it is comparable in some respects to earlier non-digital methods such as Lawrence “Butch” Morris’s Conduction or John Zorn’s game pieces such as “Cobra.” “With Morris’s or Zorn’s systems, or with my own rather different approach, it is possible to make music that would otherwise be challenging, if not impossible, to achieve,” Onttonen assesses.

In addition to Onttonen, who plays electric guitar and bass, the album features guitarist Jarmo Saari, Hammond organist Antti Kujanpää, keyboardist Mikael Myrskog, and drummer Joonas Riippa. “I wanted to have versatile and daring musicians on the album who are capable of creating fascinating music together in such an unusual field of music-making,” Onttonen explains.

Esa Onttonen (born 1975) is a guitarist, composer, and arranger who works primarily in the fields of jazz and improvised music. He is conducting doctoral research at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, focusing on live composition. Onttonen’s latest album featuring his playing and compositions is Symposium by the band Gourmet, released in May 2025.

More details such as tracklist, musician and other credits can be found on the album page.

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