{"id":44439,"date":"2025-06-19T09:21:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=44439"},"modified":"2025-06-19T09:21:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:21:07","slug":"on-stage-kaisa-maensivu-making-a-name-for-herself-on-double-bass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=44439","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Kaisa M\u00e4ensivu making a name for herself on double bass"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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Kaisa M\u00e4ensivu<\/p><\/div>\n

The number of female jazz double bass players around the world pales in comparison to that of male players.<\/p><\/div>\n

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But while lacking in quantity, the list of female players holds its own in quality.<\/div>\n
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One of the most famous is Grammy Award winning Esperanza Emily Spalding, an American\u00a0jazz\u00a0bassist, singer, songwriter and composer.<\/div>\n
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Many of the top-rated double bass players are from European nations, especially Scandinavian countries \u2013 Tine Asmundsen from Norway, Patricia Day from Denmark and Ellen Andrea Wang from Norway.<\/div>\n
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Sitting near or at the top of the list of upright bassists from Scandinavia is Kaisa M\u00e4ensivu, a standout double bass player, composer and bandleader from Finland.<\/div>\n
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M\u00e4ensivu was born in Hameenlinna and moved to Helsinki for high school. She spent university time in Helsinki and New York and has been living in New York for almost a decade.<\/div>\n

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Dating back to her days as a student at Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia (Sibelius Academy) in Helsinki, M\u00e4ensivu has had her own band \u2013 Kaisa\u2019s Machine.<\/div>\n
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The band\u2019s latest album \u2013 \u201cMoving Parts\u201d \u2013 was released March 14, 2025 on Greenleaf Music.<\/div>\n
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Kaisa\u2019s Machine will have a \u201cCD Release Celebration\u201d on June 21 at Chris\u2019 Jazz Caf\u00e9 (1421 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, www.chrisjazzcafe.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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\u201cI recorded the album exactly a year ago,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from her home in Uptown Manhattan.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI recorded it at the end of June at Big Orange Sheep in Brooklyn, New York. It was a great studio, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s there anymore.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt was all done analog. I find it helps being in the moment. We recorded it live in the studio. It was mostly in one or two takes \u2013 maybe three.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The personnel on the album were Kaisa M\u00e4ensivu \u2013 Bass; Sasha Berliner \u2013 Vibraphone; Max Light \u2013 Guitar; Eden Ladin \u2013 Piano; and Joe Peri \u2013 Drums.<\/div>\n
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M\u00e4ensivu formed her ensemble Kaisa\u2019s Machine in 2015 while still living in the land of glaciers.<\/div>\n
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Since then, Kaisa\u2019s Machine has released three albums.<\/div>\n
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The band\u2019s debut album was \u201cIn The Key Of K,\u201d which was released in December 2017. The band\u2019s sophomore effort was \u201cTaking Shape,\u201d which came out in July 2023.<\/div>\n
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The first album was made in Finland and the second was her first album as a New Yorker.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen I was a teenager, I had band at Sibelius Academy when I was a student there,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu. \u201cI formed a band with friends, and we played anything but classics.\u201d<\/div>\n
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There was always a piano in M\u00e4ensivu\u2019s home when she was growing up in Finland, and she recalls it was her first instrument.<\/div>\n
According to M\u00e4ensivu, \u201cI would always climb up to the piano and play to entertain myself.\u201d<\/div>\n
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She started lessons early, aged six, but it was seeing a woman play double bass on television that set things in motion.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy mother always listened to a lot of jazz and would take me to jazz concerts when I was young,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu. \u201cI got sold on the sound of bass.\u201d<\/div>\n
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That affinity played a part of her formative years in Helsinki and New York.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI went to high school at Sibelius Academy and also college there where I was a jazz arts major,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI got an opportunity to do an exchange year as a student in New York. I moved to New York in 2016. I graduated with a master\u2019s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 2017.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI played music in the Manhattan School community, but it was not too much a jazz scene. I had to go away from school and get into the club scene.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was definitely intimidated by New York, but I got my first gig after a few weeks. There were jam sessions at the Smoke Jazz Club in Uptown. Then, a jazz vocalist — Lady Leah \u2013 hired me for a weekly club gig.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started networking right away. I didn\u2019t expect it because it was such a high level \u2013 and I was focused on school.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIn New York, I did a lot of work as a session musician and the bandleader part came later on \u2013 even though my first gig as a bandleader was in Finland.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe first New York gig as Kaisa\u2019s Machine was at Hotel Kitano on Park Avenue in 2018. It was my first real opportunity to play my music.\u201d<\/div>\n
Seven years down the road, M\u00e4ensivu has firmly established top credentials as a bass player, bandleader, composer, session musician and appreciated live player here and in Europe.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAt the moment, I just tour a lot,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu, who has won several awards including first prize at the International Riga Jazz Stage contest for bass players in 2018 and the \u201cRising Star\u201d award at the Pori Jazz Festival.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI just did three tours in the spring. Now, I do two or three shows a week at clubs in New York. We have a tour of Spain in July.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re playing at two festivals in Finland \u2013 Pori Jazz in July and Weegee Jazz-piknik in August. In September, I\u2019m playing with a German vocalist \u2013 Sara Decker Expand.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Saturday\u2019s show at Chris\u2019 Jazz Caf\u00e9 will be a return visit to the venue by M\u00e4ensivu.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve (played) Chris\u2019 Jazz Caf\u00e9 a couple of times,\u201d said M\u00e4ensivu. \u201cPhiladelphia is always such a nice atmosphere.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for Kaisa\u2019s Machine \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/AXVMJYs9fT0<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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There will be two shows at Chris\u2019 Jazz Caf\u00e9 on June 21 \u2013 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.<\/div>\n
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General admission tickets are $30 for either show.<\/div>\n
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The Spins<\/p><\/div>\n

Like Kaisa\u2019s Machine, The Spins are musicians who got their start as a band a decade ago. They released their first recording in 2017 and have an album release show for the new LP in Philadelphia this weekend.<\/p><\/div>\n

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That\u2019s where the similarity comes to a halt.<\/div>\n
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The Spins are an indie\/pop\/punk\/emo alternative rock band from the Appalachian Mountains of New Jersey featuring Nick Coombs on rhythm guitar\/vocals, Freddy Smith on drums, Jimmy Barr on lead guitar, and Phil Dunphy on bass.<\/div>\n
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On June 9, The Spins announced their new album \u201cLeft Behind\u201d would be released July 25. As a preview, The Spins have released their third single from the album — \u201cOne More.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The celebration show in Philly will be on June 20 at Ruba Club (416 Green Street, Philadelphia, rubaclub.org<\/a>)<\/div>\n
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Since their inception in 2016, the band has incorporated their wide range of influences into their music, while still managing to have a distinctly unique sound that is wholly their own.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe started in August 2016,\u201d said Smith, during a band phone interview Tuesday evening from Dunphy\u2019s home in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur first EP \u2013 \u201cTank\u2019d\u201d \u2013 was a six-song record that came out in June 2017. The songs were ones Nick had written in high school. We had them on Soundcloud at first and then we put them out on an EP.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI write the lyrics, but I get help from the rest of the guys,\u201d said Coombs.<\/div>\n
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In 2019, The Spins released an EP titled \u201c4 Day Stay.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cIn 2020, we recorded our first full-length \u2013 Not If, But When?\u201d,\u201d said Barr.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThen, we did another EP releasing three singles one at a time \u2013 \u201cReach Out,\u201d \u201cCan\u2019t Be Waiting\u201d and \u201cDream Pop\u201d \u2013 and then grouping them together.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The four band members grew up in the same region of northwest New Jersey \u2013 an area that rarely comes to mind when people think of New Jersey \u2013 and area with mountains, lakes, lush forests and even fluorescent mineral mines\/museums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cJimmy and I went to school together at Sussex Tech,\u201d said Coombs. \u201cFred and I met working at a waterpark. Then, we met Phil when he was going to Montclair State.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur first EP was mostly Nick\u2019s songs. The second was more of us together. We jam out and then Nick writes the lyrics.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Coombs said, \u201cMusic is first and then the hook. I never write lyrics first. We get the song first and then the melodies and then the lyrics.\u201d<\/div>\n
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When the band was getting ready to make \u201cLeft Behind,\u201d they enlisted the services of highly respected producer\/engineer Ayad Al Adhamy.<\/div>\n
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Al Adhamy is a multi-instrumentalist music producer, mixer, engineer and owner of world class recording complex, Diamond City Studio in Brooklyn, New York.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe went to Diamond City with Ayad in summer 2023,\u201d said Coombs. \u201cWe had already played a lot of shows with the new songs out live \u2013 including Happy Fest in Montclair.<\/div>\n
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\u201c\u2018It\u2019s Me, \u2019Rain or Shine\u2019 and the new one, \u2018One More\u2019 are the three singles from the album that we\u2019ve already released. One of the songs is based off a sound design and another is a solo acoustic.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cOne More,\u201d the electrifying third single from the band this year, is a high-octane, dancefloor-ready banger, propelled by a syncopated guitar riff lace with a slick chorus effect. The song is pure kinetic energy.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Lyrically, \u201cOne More\u201d dives into the push-and-pull of temptation, wrestling with the urge to return to something toxic while bargaining for \u201cjust one more\u201d before breaking free.<\/div>\n
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The band says, \u201cWe wrote this one with the intention of keeping it purposely ambiguous and able to be applied to many different subjects in the realm of addiction and the inability to kick a habit.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhether it\u2019s a drug, a toxic relationship you can\u2019t seem to leave behind, or a bad habit in general, we\u2019ve all experienced that struggle of being unable to leave something behind once you\u2019ve experienced its thrill and intoxication.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI think everyone has universally had the experience of telling themselves \u2013 \u2018This is the last time, I swear.\u2019 This is about that struggle of eliminating that temptation to go back to what\u2019s comfortable, comforting, or captivating to you, even when you know it\u2019s not good for you.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Spins are no strangers to the Philadelphia indie-rock scene.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve played Philly a couple times in recent years,\u201d said Barr. \u201cWe played the Grape Room, Philamoca, Fire \u2013 and a lot of house parties at Philly colleges like Drexel.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe play the Mercury Lounge in New York in July. At that show and this weekend\u2019s show at Ruba Club, we\u2019ll play at least four songs from the new album and a lot of our older stuff.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for The Spins \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/z7_GPscm5Qw<\/a>.<\/div>\n
The show at Ruba Club will start at 9 p.m. on June 20.<\/div>\n
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Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will present Bryan Parr and the Blind Date Band on June 20 and Elevate Dance Company on June 21.<\/div>\n
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On June 22, <\/i>\u201cKarin Wren\u2019s Taylor Swift Experience\u201d will perform at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center\u2019s free \u201cSummer Pop-Up Beer Garden Series,\u201d an open-air celebration of community, live music, food, and fun.<\/div>\n
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These vibrant pre-show gatherings are perfect for all ages and totally free to attend. Sunday\u2019s event will start at 1:30 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a><\/i><\/b>) is presenting DEAD LETTER OFFICE: A Tribute to R.E.M. on June 20, and \u201cThe 2025 New Summer Sounds Series (ROUND 1)\u201d featuring:\u00a0Being Malleable, Randy Way, Ripe Enough,\u00a0and\u00a0Ride the Line on June 22.<\/div>\n
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On June 21, Kennett Flash will present \u201cLegion of Prog: Prog Rock Tribute!\u201d as a \u201cKennett Flash Rooftop Concert.\u201d<\/div>\n
Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a><\/i><\/b>) will host the Billy Price Band on June 20 and the Dirk Quinn Band on June 21.<\/div>\n
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Jamey\u2019s will present The Philly Blues Kings with Clarence Spady at its \u201cSunday Blues Brunch & Jam\u201d on June 22<\/div>\n
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The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. with the featured band playing a set from noon-1 p.m. Admission is free.<\/div>\n
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The Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com<\/a>) will host The Hackensaw Boys w\/ The High & Wides on June 19, Total Mass Retain – Yes Tribute on June 20, Steal Your Peach: The Allman Brothers & The Dead on June 21, John Nemeth Band w\/ Blues Reincarnation Project on June 24 and Davy Knowles on June 25.<\/div>\n
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2025 Concerts Under the Stars series at the scenic Upper\u00a0Merion\u00a0Township Building Park (175 West Valley Forge Road, King of\u00a0 Prussia, www.concertsunderthestarskop.com<\/a>) offers Spafford and Jimkata on June 20 and Jealousy Curve with Love Me My Alien and Laura Shay on June 21.<\/div>\n
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Bryn\u00a0Mawr\u00a0Twilight Concerts (9 South\u00a0Bryn\u00a0Mawr\u00a0Avenue,\u00a0Bryn\u00a0Mawr, brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com<\/a>) has Livingston Taylor with Becca Stevens on June 20 and Chris Smither with Cabin Dogs on June 21.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The number of female jazz double bass players around the world pales in comparison to that of male players. But while lacking in quantity, the list of female players holds its own in quality. One of the most famous is Grammy Award winning Esperanza Emily Spalding, an American\u00a0jazz\u00a0bassist, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,15185,15186],"class_list":["post-44439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-kaisa-maensivu","tag-the-spins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44440,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44439\/revisions\/44440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}