Tahmela Six – Alight out now!
Last August, Tahmela Six set up in the yard of Palmutsaari farm in Kiikala, on the open ground where the field meets the forest. No studio, no walls, no isolation booths — six players, an August afternoon, and whatever the day brought with it. The wind, the insects, the warmth, the distances across an open field: all of it is on the record, not edited around it.
That recording is Alight, the second Tahmela Six album, and it’s out on 21 May — on vinyl and digital.
You may already have heard “Ground VI,” the single we put out at the end of April. It opens the B-side. Around it sit three more pieces, from the “Endless Summer Sun” to the fifteen-minute title track that carries the whole arc of the day. The music moves between near-silence and full collective surge, with the place itself acting as a co-improviser.
Otto Eskelinen, alto sax, flute, shakuhachi
Sami Sippola, tenor sax
Eero Tikkanen, double bass
Eero Savela, trumpet
Janne Tuomi, drums, vibraphone
Topias Tiheäsalo, guitar
We’re celebrating the release live on 27 May at G Livelab, Tampere, Finland, with Lauri Kallio’s group sharing the night.
Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital & vinyl at: Bandcamp
A note on the vinyl: our test presses arrived in good time and we listened — just not loud enough to catch a background noise running through the pressing. That one is on us. The vinyl is delayed while we sort out a proper fix with our pressing plant. Digital is out 21 May as planned; we’ll write the moment the vinyl meets the Mustik Motel mark.
Album: Tahmela Six – Alight
Otto Eskelinen, alto sax, flute, shakuhachi
Sami Sippola, tenor sax
Eero Tikkanen, double bass
Eero Savela, trumpet
Janne Tuomi, drums, vibraphone
Topias Tiheäsalo, guitar
Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp
Tahmela Six single Ground VI is here!
Otto Eskelinen, alto sax, flute, shakuhachi
Sami Sippola, tenor sax
Eero Tikkanen, double bass
Eero Savela, trumpet
Janne Tuomi, drums, vibraphone
Topias Tiheäsalo, guitar
Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp
Single: Tahmela Six – Ground VI
Otto Eskelinen, alto sax, flute, shakuhachi
Sami Sippola, tenor sax
Eero Tikkanen, double bass
Eero Savela, trumpet
Janne Tuomi, drums, vibraphone
Topias Tiheäsalo, guitar
Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp
Latest Mustik Motel features in Media
Recent press round-up: reviews and features for Mustik Motel artists across print various media.
SuomiJazz — Pentti Ronkanen
- Tahmela Six: Mount – SuomiJazz
- 4.5/5 stars
- English translation by google: here
“It doesn’t take many minutes of listening before the feeling arrives: this is my kind of music.”
“They know how to build compelling musical narratives — the tension holds throughout these stories.”
Happy to receive review of Tahmela Six debut album review just before the second one is coming! Here’s another by Pentti who been busy listening to our releases.
- Eero Savela: Way To – SuomiJazz
- 4/5 stars
- English translation by google: here
“This quartet has its own sound — and it’s a good one.”
“Savela and his partners have crafted a record’s worth of really excellent contemporary jazz.”
“Clear structures and catchy melodic elements blend enjoyably with the music’s freer currents.”
UK Vibe — Andy Hazell
“Oresme is a triumph of close listening.”
“The music prioritises the extension of tone over the moment of impact.”
“Percussion that feels richer and more melodic as a consequence.”
One Man’s Jazz — Maurice Hogue
One Man’s Jazz featuring Mika Kallio & Janne Tuomi around 1h 44mins time.
Tampere Jazz Happening 2025
The 44th International Jazz Happening took place last weekend, filled with joy, reunions with old and new friends, and plenty of great music. This year, we had the incredible honor of both opening and closing the festival with performances by Mustik Motel artists.
See Maarit Kytöharju Tahmela Six photos here: Instagram
Marita Nyrhinen had a good impression on Tahmela Six, read in Finnish here:
Tampere Jazz Happening 2025 soitettiin uusissa mutta väliaikaisissa tiloissa – Kulttuuritoimitus
Ville Kurki took photos of Lauri Kallio and his band: Instagram
Tahmela Six – Ground VI – Kiikala Live
Mid August of this year Tahmela Six gathered at Lauri Kallio’s recording studio complex and ranch at Kiikala. First album was recorded inside during mid of the winter so it was only right ding to do to set the second album recording outside. Weather was pleasant warm and the group squeezed something good on the tape. Listen your self!
Second album is coming out closer to summer 2026!
Album: Tahmela Six – Mount
Tahmela Six:
Otto Eskelinen (alto sax, flute, shakuhachi)
Sami Sippola (tenor sax)
Janne Tuomi (drums)
Topias Tiheäsalo (guitar)
Eero Savela (trumpet)
Eero Tikkanen (bass)
Mount
The musicians gathered on 29.12.2023, after Christmas, from Helsinki, Turku and Tampere to Tahmela´s Villa, Tampere. The session was recorded full live. The whole group was in the same room all at once improvising and reacting with each other. The session was produced and engineered by Jarno Alho. All compositions by Tahmela Six. The heart of the album is without a question title track Mount, but side two turns the other cheek of the group for the listener´s to dismay. This is a full world and excursion to go through.
Tahmela Six – Mount / Released: 17.6.2024
Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy vinyl at: Mustik Motel Webshop & Bandcamp
Buy digital at: Bandcamp
Single: Tahmela Six – Cat of The Paju
Tahmela Six – Cat of The Paju / Released: 31.5.2024
Check the whole album at: Album: Tahmela Six – Mount – Mustik Motel Music