'Itkuja Suite, Invocations on Lament' is a modern take on traditional Finnish Lament, with Heikki Laitinen taking on the vocal duties both sung and spoken, all in Finnish, of course. Rent Romus (alto & soprano saxophones, c-fliute, ling flute, voice, melodica) and Heikki "Mike" Koskinen (tenor recorder, e-trumpet, kantele) composed the music and lead the Life's Blood Ensemble, consisting of Joshua Marshall (tenor and soprano saxophones. c-flute); Erika Oba (c-flute, piccolo); Ann McChesney-Young (accordion); Max Judelson (cello); Mark Clifford (vibraphone); Safa Shokrai (double bass); Cory Combs (double bass); Timothy Orr (drumset, hand drum, percussion). These are mostly historical laments informed by The National Archives of Finland's Ancient Poems of the Finnish People, with reference to the historic refugees of Finno-Ugric people across Northern Europe, and also to Romus and Kosdkinen's longing for their heritage. The result is an audible balance between sadness and joy, inherent to itkuja. "We're expressing the feeling of lamentation in a way that's universal," says Romus, "and putting the life-affirming elements of jazz in with the lament structure." The itjuka conventions of alliteration and parallel exposition are channeled in both lyrics and music.

For the casual and uninformed listener, 'Itkuja Suite' is going to be a rough ride. Heikki Laitinen's voice is certainly perfect for Finnish lament, but you really need a high tolerance for it. To me, it doesn't matter that I can't understand the language; I certainly get the drift. While important culturally and ethnically, I really didn't care for it at all. The jazz, on other hand, is excellent. It is not free-form but eloquently structured with room for intelligent solos, expertly done. A good deal of the music is uplifting and energetic, kind of contrary to what you might expect in a Lament. The most abstract track on the album "Suurimaa" ("Grand Country") isn't nearly as strange as you might expect, but it has its moments. The rest (excepting the lamentations) is quite accessible and should appeal to modern jazz enthusiasts.