Album out now

Piip is a band led by saxophonist and composer Laura Helander, whose instrumental music explores grief over the vanishing nature. Their album, released on November 8, 2024, is a cohesive piece that centers on themes of nature conservation, improvisation, and strong compositions.

Helander's direct nature-inspired Finnish jazz draws influences from Finnish progressive rock, folk music, and pop. The album's intense emotional charge stems from Helander's climate anxiety as she watches a burning world where no one is ready to put out the fire. The album is a cry of distress from the artists.

In addition to Helander, the members of Piip include Mikko Antila, Tatu Back, and Benjamin Nylund, who together bring the composer's works to life in a compelling way. The compositions allow space for each player's personality, which results in a sound that reflects the artists' strong and free expression. The album is produced by Aapo Lankinen and Helander. The cover art is by Tiiu Hyyryläinen, and the album is published by Eclipse Music Finland.

Listen to the album: https://open.spotify.com/album/0mn0Iv9tVzOSusaCaqAFpU?si=qSZFm_3QT1eEFBwcoJSRgQ

https://musicfinland.com/en/news/staff-picks-2024

"The undoubtedly most positive newcomer and surprise of the year is Piip, led by saxophonist Laura Helander. Their debut album, Pienet ihmiset isot puut (Small People, Big Trees), is an utterly captivating record full of strong melodic jazz with plenty of hooks."

https://jazzpossu.fi/2024/12/30/jazzpossun-top-5-15-kotimaiset-jazzlevyt-2024/

Soundi 9/2024

"The debut album begins with the highly impressive Minne meni linnut (Where Did the Birds Go), with a tight and clear piano riff that is almost foreboding in tone, immediately grabbing the listener and signaling that this album will not be indifferent."

(Löytöretkellä / Lotta Savolainen)

Laura Helander is a Finnish saxophonist, composer, arranger, musician, and educator. Many of her compositions address climate change, the loss of nature, and the anxiety caused by environmental crises. She especially values activism concerning Finnish forests. She leads a quartet called Piip.

As a saxophonist, she is an expressive improviser who enjoys using a variety of sounds and draws from her knowledge of several different music genres. Musically, Laura finds inspiration for her compositions in jazz, progressive rock, Finnish folk music, and schlager.

Laura creates her own art and is also known as a versatile musician. She has worked as a musician in theaters, in the studio, and in various function bands, ranging from jazz to dance music. In addition to the saxophone, her secondary instruments—vocals, keyboards, and flute—have provided her with numerous performance opportunities. She has experience in writing commissioned compositions and arrangements and often serves as an arranger in ensembles.

I hope that people experience my playing as a form of singing, painting words in their minds through my melodies. I feel peace and freedom in the natural forest as well as when I play the saxophone. Both have served as sanctuaries, sources of strength, and inspiration in my life. In my art, I want to merge these two elements together.