Kaisa's Machine

"Mäensivu also has three strong originals on the disc, saving the best for last: closing tune The Lemur is also the perfect showcase for her bass playing, scampering agilely as a lemur up a tree."

In a sun-drenched town only 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, jazz connoisseurs mixed with locals to enjoy their 31st festival of music, at the Jazz on the Beach in Raahe, Finland.

Kaisa Mäensivu studied double bass at the Sibelius Academy and continued her jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She is now creating a career in various ensembles in the USA and Finland. How did she end up becoming a jazz professional? And how would she compare her experiences of the jazz scene in Helsinki and New York?