Aurora Hentunen Little Further

Aurora Hentunen's Little Further blends apocalyptic themes with hope, featuring a duet with GRAMMY-winner Linda May Han Oh.

Aurora Hentunen's third album, Little Further, is a reflective and emotionally layered work shaped by global uncertainty and a strange sense of collective loneliness. Tracks like The Last Ones and Letter explore apocalyptic themes--Letter includes text co-written with ChatGPT--yet the album's title suggests resilience and cautious hope for a better tomorrow.

A highlight is Gray Waves, a duo track featuring GRAMMY-winning bassist Linda May Han Oh (Pat Metheny Group, Vijay Iyer Trio). The collaboration began during Oh's 2021 Jazz Finland residency. "Linda was really enthusiastic when I asked if she'd like to collaborate," says Hentunen. "I had some early ideas, but once she agreed, I composed the piece with her style in mind. We recorded it in one day at Hollywood Houses Studio in Vallila with Branislav Vlaisavljevic, who also co-produced and mixed the album. We ended up using the first take. Linda was inspiring, professional, and a perfect duo partner."

Six tracks were recorded with Hentunen's quintet at E-studio in Sipoo in fall 2022. The Last Ones and Letter were recorded later in Hentunen's home studio in Helsinki. "They emerged through spontaneous keyboard improvisation. Their mood surprised me, and I felt they brought a new texture and pushed the sound closer to pop production," she explains. "With Letter, I preserved all natural sounds--no edits--to keep the emotional immediacy."

In recent years, as the world has felt increasingly unstable, Little Further doesn't shy away from darker emotions but offers space for reflection and forward motion. A music video for The Last Ones by Amsterdam-based 3D artist Nina Kay visually extends the album's themes.

Aurora Hentunen is a Finnish composer and pianist known for her sensitive, skillful work. She formed the Aurora Hentunen Quintet (formerly Quartet) in 2017 while studying in Amsterdam. Her earlier albums, Second Spring (2018) and Frost (2019), established her as a rising voice in Finnish jazz.

Track Listing

One Room Pressured Speech The Last Ones Little Further Only For Now But I'm Here Gray Waves Less Than Always Letter