Iiro Rantala, Lars Danielsson, Peter Erskine How Long Is Now? (2016) {act 9823 2}

After the album "My Working Class Hero," dedicated to John Lennon and “Tears for Esbjörn,” a homage to the influential Swedish pianist, "How Long Is Now?" puts the spotlight fairly and squarely back on to the Finnish pianist, composer and life-force Iiro Rantala. This new trio album with Peter Erskine (drums) and Lars Danielsson (bass) constitutes a many-faceted summing-up of a happy and resoundingly creative phase of Rantala’s life.
Seven of the thirteen compositions here are by Rantala himself, three tracks by the other players in the trio, and three more are by others who, in their different ways, have helped to construct Rantala’s appealing musical personality. The guest composers on the album are certainly an eclectic bunch: Jimi Hendrix, Kenny Barron and Johann Sebastian Bach. Hendrix’s "Little Wing" is a reminder that Rantala has very strong roots well outside the jazz tradition.