Nordic jazz trio led by Latvian drummer Pauls Pokratnieks with Swedish pianist Fabian Kallerdahl and Finnish bassist Olli Rantala. The trio's work is based on improvisation, which draws on Pokratnieks' original compositions and incorporates elements of classical and contemporary jazz. This is the drummer's lead piano trio's debut on Jersika Records.
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"There are moments when music says more than words ever could. This album began in a time of turmoil - a world at war, hearts breaking from afar. The opening piece was born out of sadness and solidarity, a quiet tribute to the people of Ukraine and the pain they continue to carry. I wanted to capture that heaviness without losing our humanity — a melody that mourns, but also reaches for light.
As the record unfolds, the darkness slowly gives way. The second and third pieces breathe again - fragile at first, then full of warmth. They are small acts of hope, reminders that even after deep loss, there’s still beauty that insists on being heard.
The title track is our statement to ourselves and to anyone listening: that we spend so much of life worrying about what has been or what might be, forgetting the simple miracle of now. The rhythm of breath, the vibration of strings, the shared space between musicians and listeners - all of it is fleeting, yet it’s all we truly have.
The last two pieces speak of love - falling into it, and then learning to let it go as life moves in its own mysterious way. There’s tenderness in that release, a quiet understanding that some answers belong only to higher powers.
Now Is All We Have is not just an album title; it’s an invitation. To pause. To listen. To feel grateful. For the present moment, and for each other." - Pauls Pokratnieks
| Recorded live direct to analog tape using a Studer A 80 1/4” two-track tape recorder without any editing or overdubbing. |
Pulse Trio - Now Is All We Have was released on April 17, 2026
Pauls Pokratnieks - drums
Fabian Kallerdahl - piano
Olli Rantala - double bass
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All music composed by Pauls Pokratnieks.
Recorded on August 26 2024 at the Jersika Records Studios, Riga, Latvia.
Recording Engineer: Mārtiņš Krastiņš.
Assistant Recording and Tape Engineer: Mareks Ameriks.
Tapes prepared for vinyl release by Mārtiņš Krastiņš.
Vinyl lacquers were cut on a Neumann VMS70 cutting lathe using a Neumann SX74 cutting head.
Lacquers cut at duophonic by Moritz Illner.
Produced by Mareks Ameriks.
Piano tuned by Arnis Mūrmanis.
Jersika Records is an independent jazz and improvised music record label founded by Mareks Ameriks in Riga, Latvia, in 2017. Most of the recordings on Jersika Records are made completely analogue – recorded live reel-to-reel to tape and cut directly to lacquer, but even those that went through the digital domain are carefully mastered to preserve the warmth of the sound.
