Bassist Tuomas Talvi (b. 1998) represents a generation of Finnish musicians born in the late 1990s. Talvi works across most styles of African-American music but has specialized particularly in modern jazz. His family background includes notable musicians such as his great-uncle Ilkka Talvi, who played second violin in the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and first violin in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (and also performed on Earth, Wind & Fire’s album I Am), as well as his mother, jazz vocalist and vocal pedagogue Salla Talvi.
Tuomas began his instrumental studies at the age of eight on electric bass at the Kerava Music School, eventually earning a Master’s degree in double bass from the Jazz Department of the Sibelius Academy at the age of 26. He began performing professionally at around age 15. Over the years, he has performed in a wide range of contexts alongside many prominent Finnish jazz musicians, including Mikael Jakobsson, Jukka Eskola, Raoul Björkenheim, Jussi Lehtonen, Heikki Sandrén, Adele Sauros, Mikko Karjalainen, Anna Inginmaa, Aarni Häkkinen, and Markus Niittynen.
Talvi released his debut album as a bandleader, I’m Not A Robot, in January 2026. The album features his quintet consisting of Jesse Vilhomaa (alto saxophone), Sami Leponiemi (soprano & tenor saxophone), Pyry Brandt (piano), and Arttu Huopainen (drums). In his compositions, Talvi highlights musical influences that are personally significant to him, and thematically the album explores the relationship between accelerating technological development and human artistic expression. Musically, the album is strongly inspired by the sound of the post “jazz fusion golden age”, incorporating influences from 1980s R&B, Afro-Cuban music, and select avant-garde elements. The album also includes an arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s composition “Speak No Evil” as a tribute to the late master composer. The result is an acoustically oriented album that contains familiar elements for avid jazz listeners while also presenting surprising combinations of influences.
Other ensembles in which Talvi has also worked as a composer and arranger include the trio TRI-, formed with alto saxophonist Jesse Vilhomaa and drummer Arttu Huopainen, as well as the Markus Niittynen New Trio, led by pianist-composer-pedagogue Markus Niittynen, one of Finland’s leading jazz pianists. In the latter ensemble, drums are also played by Arttu Huopainen. These groups have released the albums Let Loose by TRI- (Bopcat Records, 2023) and New Trio by Markus Niittynen (Bopcat Records, 2024). On the latter, Talvi also served as recording, mixing, and mastering engineer.
Talvi’s first public recording was the trio album Milo & Moses (KHY Suomen Musiikki), released in 2016 and recorded with guitarist Milo Mäkelä and drummer Mooses Kuloniemi. At the time, the group was considered the youngest jazz ensemble in Finland to release a recording. Since then, Talvi has appeared as a double bassist on jazz albums such as My Bird by Emmi U. Quintet (Eclipse Music, 2019), Passage by Casimir Ekman (Bopcat Records, 2023), and Jazz Pops / Pop Swings by the international JM Jazz World Orchestra (JMI Records, 2023), also contributing on electric bass. Talvi has also played on recordings leaning toward pop, rock, prog, fusion jazz, and hip hop, including Välitilaan, Kevääseen by Auringonliitto (Elbae Records, 2019), Chance Encounter by Koti6 (2025), and Audio Currents / Dream Circuits by Elektric Rokband (MR. STEAM, 2025). For the Koti6 album—situated at the intersection of instrumental hip hop and jazz—Talvi assembled and organized the band in collaboration with the producer duo and also contributed in a producer role to the overall project.