TUM RECORDS

TUM Records is a new Finnish record company that released its first recordings in May 2003. TUM Records aims to produce high-quality music recordings and selectively organize concerts and events. The focus of TUM Records is on improvised, jazz-based music, placing particular emphasis on free expression and the performing artists’ own music. In addition to providing younger musicians with exposure and a musical platform, TUM Records also intends to promote more experienced musicians whose work is not favored by the commercial trends of our time, despite the fact that these musicians have a lot to offer musically.

Although TUM Records operates on ordinary commercial principles, profit is not its goal. TUM Records’ objective is to use the proceeds from the sale of music recordings and organizing concerts for the production and publishing of new music. For this reason, TUM Records’ operations are mostly based on volunteer work and the company intends to make good use of various entities interested in advancing and fostering the production and recording of improvised music. Accordingly, TUM Records will collaborate with, for example, the Finnish Jazz Federation and other similar non-profit associations and festival organizers. Further, as the commercial potential of its records is limited, TUM Records’ operations shall, in part, be based on funding from public sources, including foundations such as the Finnish Music Promotion Center (ESEK) and the Foundation of Finnish Music (LUSES), and prospective corporate sponsors.

The first two records from TUM Records, Suhkan Uhka: Suhka (TUM CD 001) and Juhani Aaltonen Trio: Mother Tongue (TUM CD 002), were released in May 2003. Following these initial releases, Juhani Aaltonen & Henrik Otto Donner with Avanti!: Strings Revisited (TUM CD 003), Iro Haarla & Ulf Krokfors: Heart of a Bird ( TUM CD 004), Ilmiliekki Quartet: March of the Alpha Males (TUM CD 005) and Raoul Björkenheim & Lukas Ligeti: Shadowglow (TUM CD 006) were also released in 2003. Juhani Aaltonen, Reggie Workman & Andrew Cyrille: Reflections (TUM CD 007) and Triot with John Tchicai: Sudden Happiness (TUM CD 008) were released in 2004. All of these records primarily contain new original music created by the participating musicians.

In the future, in addition to productions by Finnish musicians, TUM Records intends to release performances by non-Finnish musicians as well. “Strings Revisited”, the recording by Juhani Aaltonen and Avanti! Chamber Orchestra of music composed by Henrik Otto Donner, served as the first example of a TUM Records production involving non-Finnish musicians as it features Reggie Workman on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. “Reflections” by Juhani Aaltonen, Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille was also recorded in the same connection. In addition, “Shadowglow” features Austrian born drummer/composer Lukas Ligeti in a duo recording with Finnish-American Raoul Björkenheim. Including non-Finnish musicians in TUM Records’ releases is intended to play a part in adding to the international attractiveness of the company’s music offering and, thus, indirectly enhancing the international sales of potential Finnish musicians’ recordings.

TUM Records uses works of Finnish artists in the covers of its records in order to visually distinguish TUM Records releases. In its first four releases, TUM Records has used professor Juhani Linkovaara’s paintings, which were chosen in collaboration with the artist himself. The following four releases will feature works by Lars-Gunnar Nordström, another internationally renowned Finnish modern painter.

Siboney Oy/Universal act as the Finnish distributor of TUM Records. In addition, TUM Records has distribution in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Japan. In 2004, TUM Records shall seek to secure distribution agreements at least for the other Nordic countries and other key European markets, with full international distribution as the ultimate goal. TUM Records’ aim is to become an internationally renowned publisher of improvised music, comparable with such labels as ECM, FMP and Winter & Winter of Germany; Hat Hut of Switzerland; Incus, Leo and Ogun of the United Kingdom; and Black Saint and Soul Note of Italy.