"Jorma Tapio - Although hailing from the South Eastern city of Mikkeli, Jorma Tapio (b. 1957) spent his childhood in Tikkurila near Helsinki where he began studying music theory and playing the piano and the violin. However, the discovery of bebop changed everything. At fifteen, the budding musician picked up the alto saxophone and began an ongoing exploration into the world of flutes, pipes and whistles. Tapio's career as a professional musician began concurrently with his relocation to Turku at the age of 21. Soon after moving he began making waves within the local art community by working with prog rock group AD, poet Markku Into and various jazz groups. The first band Jorma could call his own was Lauantairyhmä, co-founded in 1980 with cellist Tuomas Airola and pianist Ismo Laakso. A watershed moment came as the reedsman was 27. The hunger for new experiences brought him to Helsinki and the attention of composer/drummer Edward Vesala. The experimental Sound & Fury workshops spawned a band of the same name with which Tapio would perform and record arduously. Aside from playing a prominent role on the group's releases beginning with the 1987 classic Lumi, he also appears on related key albums like 1988's Ritual, the debut offering by guitarist Raoul Björkenheim's Krakatau. The four-man horn section of Sound & Fury stayed together for a decade providing Vesala and his arranger and wife Iro Haarla ample opportunity to research and develop a unique timber. During that time, the working relationship between the altist and the drummer was so strong that Tapio could be seen as something of a Sancho Panza to Vesala's Don Quixote. After the mentor passed away in 1999, he became one of the instigators of keeping the spirit alive and Sound & Fury functioning. Simultaneously with the Vesala escapades, Tapio ran the robust and versatile Hugry Tribal Marching Band and collaborated with leading Finnish rock bands and artists like Tuomari Nurmio and Sielun Veljet as well as improvising masters such as trombonist Jari Hongisto, saxophonist Pepa Päivinen and bassist Sampo Lassila. As the new Millennium loomed on the horizon, the reedsman commenced working more with international talent, e.g. percussionist Terje Isungset and trumpter Arve Henriksen (both from Norway), trombonist Conny Bauer (from Germany), flautist James Newton (from the USA) and guitarist Keiji Haino (from Japan). In addition, he rekindled his interest of combining movement and sound through collaborations with dancers Kirsi Heimonen, Masaki Iwana and others. With recent bands like Rollin' Thunder, the Päivinen-Tapio Quartet, Frio, the Pyörre-kvartetti, Lekkujad and Sarastus, the alto saxophonist has perfected his style almost as in preparation for two new projects that will help him reclaim his rightful place among top Nordic improvisers. Tapio's long musical bond with drummer Janne Tuomi yields a haunting and deep duo album whereas the eponymous debut of Jorma Tapio & Kaski pairs the man with the muscular yet agile rhythm section of bassist Ville Rauhala and drummer Simo Laihonen."-Petri Silas, November 2015

"Ville Rauhala (b. 1976) is probably known best as the bass player of Black Motor, the experimental jazz trio from Tampere, but he is working with several other projects as well. Rauhala released his debut solo album in 2010 and has also recorded and performed with saxophonist Masa Orpana, saxophonist Petrio Nieminen, trombonist/accordeonist Kusti Vuorinen, Rakka and Olmari Unioni. He also frequently performs as a theatre musician in Tampere and as a studio musician in the field of popular music, having recorded with vocalists Ville Leinonen, Pate Mustajärvi and M. A. Numminen, among others. He has also collaborated with singer/songwriter Janne Laurila and guitarist/vocalist Pauli Hanhiniemi."

"Janne Tuomi was born in 1973 in Tampere, Finland. Coming from a family of musicians and music educators, it was only natural that this first-born began playing the piano at the age of six. But the infatuation was not to last as percussion soon lured him away from the ebonies and ivories.

Tuomi commenced studying at the Conservatory of Tampere in 1995 and further honed his skills at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense, Denmark. After undertaking a study trip to New York City, Tuomi graduated from the Conservatory in 2000 with honours.

In 2001 he travelled to Los Angeles to take private lessons from John Bergamo and Brad Dutz. Five years later, Tuomi passed his degree examination with honours with a solo concert at the contemporary music festival Tampere Biennale.

During his professional career Tuomi has acted as a free jazz drummer, classical percussionist and everything in between. He has performed with guitarists Antti Kotikoski, Raymond Boni, Sakari Luoma and Marzi Nyman, saxophonists John Zorn, Daunik Lazro, Jone Takamäki and Jorma Tapio, pianists Iro Haarla and Seppo Kantonen, bass players Ulf Krokfors, Sampo Lassila and Claude Tchamitchian and numerous others.

Apart from recording and performing various styles of music with a burning passion, Tuomi teaches percussion both privately and at the Palmgren Conservatory in Pori. He is also experienced as a theater musician.

Janne Tuomi's critically acclaimed debut solo cd 'Approaching' was released in 2004 by Ektro Records (Pori). His sophomore effort 'elg' came out in 2008 by Muzik Zaman (San Francisco).

The third album, 'Resonance', was released also in 2008 by Future Music Records (UK)."