Return from Manala continues a musical journey that started with the Otherworld Cycle. The music was created near the end of a three week tour presenting Rent Romus and Heikki Koskinen's suite of music entitled Manala. The group gathered in Finland in 2019 and recorded live at Kaapelitehdas (The Cable Factory) in the heart of Helsinki. Manala is the ancient spiritual underworld of the Finno-Ugric cultures, the opposite of the land of the living a place of great mystery, danger and knowledge. In cultures that respected the role of the shaman, returning from the underworld with knowledge to help their community was paramount. Return from Manala represents a series of group improvisations and written structures within the theme of Manala and features master musician/improvisers Mikko Innanen and Rent Romus, the voice of ethnomusicologist Dr. Heikki Laitinen, and Finnish Jazz legends Teppo Hauta-aho and Heikki "Mike" Koskinen.

Heikki Laitinen - voice, shaman drum, small percussion
Teppo Hauta-aho - cello, double bass*, percussion
Heikki "Mike" Kosikinen - tenor recorder, e-trumpet
Mikko Innanen - alto, sopranino, baritone saxophones, percussion
Rent Romus - alto saxophone, flutes, percussion



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"‘Return from Manala’ is an album that demands repeat listens, offering melodic nooks and cranny’s to get lost in while finding your away out from the underworld." Vital Weekly