Birds have played an important role in human history in stories and myths that describe the creation of the world, the birth of life, the creation of fire, the changing of the seasons, and the messengers of omens. The spark for the Soul Bird suite originally came from the stories of the Siberian Jay, also known in Finland as ‘kuukkeli’, which is found throughout the Arctic regions of the world. In Finland, as well as in other Finno-Ugric cultural myths, this small, brave and charismatic bird is considered to be the carrier of human souls to and from the afterlife of Manala (the Underworld).

The art of the story has always had a deep and profound effect on Rent Romus’ musical endeavors. The first of many musical presentations based on fiction and poetry began in the late 1990s, collaborating with local musicians, dancers, and poets to create original works inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, Philip K Dick, HP Lovecraft, and Frank Herbert. After reading several editions of the Kalevala (The Finnish National Epic) and other Finno-Ugric/Uralic literature, he began composing music inspired by these stories. Later he discovered this was a path towards understanding the Finnish cultural heritage and a way towards a deeper understanding of those lost Finnish roots. Working with mentor and fellow composer Heikki Koskinen, the creation of Soul Bird is a representation of the growth and development of their ongoing cultural rediscovery through the lens of music. Heikki is a native of Finland and is a key musical figure in the Bay Area and Finnish music communities who was awarded jazz legend status in 2019 by the Music Archive Finland institute. His insights and partnership have provided a guiding resource in Romus’ research of the Finnish traditions in music, culture, and myths. In addition to Heikki’s contribution the Otherworld Ensemble plays a key role in the presentation of these compositions. Their collaborative musical work have contributed to the creation of previous albums exploring the Finnish and American cultural interplay including titles such as Live at Malmitalo, Northern Fire, Manala, Return to Manala, Itkuja Suite, Lament to Joy, and Elegies.

Soul Bird is an important milestone in Rent & Heikki’s collective careers culminating over decades of in-practice fieldwork and research of Finnish and Finno-Ugric culture and traditions, creating something new and original to share with listeners. In popular culture very little is still understood by the general US population about the impact and contributions of the Finnish diaspora in the United States. The orchestration focuses on the use of a wide range of flutes and horns as well as traditional folk rhythms interconnected with a jazz sensibility.

Research for this project began on tour in 2023 in Finnish Karelia and continued with documentation collected from the Nordic University post-doctoral research repository, the Kalevala, and
ornithology books on nordic birds. In addition, both Romus and Koskinen share their family roots in the Western Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia. The close voicings on Soul Bird reflect
this cultural body of knowledge bringing to light the culture and traditions of Finno-Ugric music.