Track-by-Track: Saku Mantere Sums Up His Record ‘Divine Apology’

There’s a certain musical freedom to jazz music, unlike other genres, and Saku Mantere has fully indulged in that freedom on his new record Divine Apology. Released in September, Mantere committed to a free-flowing, unconventional approach in the recording of the album. Jazz is a genre that can be heavy on tradition, and while he doesn’t eschew that tradition, he wanted to have a little more fun with it.

Much of the inspiration for Divine Apology came from both literature and philosophy. The work of poet Norman Cristofoli was crucial in the lyric writing process. Cristofoli’s metaphysical play The Pub inspired the larger structure of Divine Apology. The songs take on serious topics, reflections on issues such as grief, childhood, resistance, and redemption. Mantere takes a good, hard look at life and its quality, while entrenching it within jazz tradition. It’s not exactly an anything goes approach. But it’s very open-minded, where everything is on the table. Mantere worked with a very impressive lineup of musicians who helped him bring this all to fruition. Some of the musicians featured on this record include drummer Jim Doxas, pianist Kate Wyatt, trumpeter Lex French, and bassist Adrian Vedady.

Joining us today for an exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of Divine Apology is Saku Mantere himself. He discusses the background behind each song and what inspired these impressive new songs.

“Join me on a journey through poetry, philosophy, and jazz, where stories of love, loss, and hope unfold in nine original songs and one reimagined song.

“On Divine Apology, my second album, poetry meets personal memory and intertwines with the jazz tradition. In today’s world, every morning’s news confronts us with suffering, and the idea of a ‘divine apology’ feels overdue. Such an apology could be as much an expression of regret about the state of the world as it could be a defence of the merits of the human condition. Featuring a stellar band of Canadian jazz musicians, the record reflects on grief, childhood, romance, mortality, and the possibility of compassion—even divine compassion. Below, I will ask you to accompany me through the album, track by track.”

1. “Meditation”

“The album opens with Norman Cristofoli’s poem ‘Meditation,’ a gentle yet insistent call to let go of memory, pride, and desire and experience the swell of time. Over Jim Doxas’ hypnotic groove, the song unfolds as an invitation to surrender and expand. The line ‘Listen to the colour, watch the sound dance on the wind’ captures the spirit of the album as a whole: music as a doorway into a different way of being.”

Saku Mantere ‘Divine Apology’ album artwork

2. “Sorrow”

“Loss takes center stage on ‘Sorrow,’ a ballad where Cristofoli’s lyrics describe a home hollowed out by grief. The track is shaped by the mood of Sting’s most intimate ballads: spare, atmospheric, and quietly devastating. My vocal entwines with Lex French’s muted trumpet; Lex evokes Miles Davis’ musical journey to the gallows, while Kate Wyatt adds reflective piano commentary.”

3. “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”

“Dylan Thomas’ ode to mortality urges us to ‘rage against the dying of the light.’ I gave it a Lied treatment, inspired by Schubert’s ‘Winterreise,’ interpreted in the language of jazz harmony. I wrote the tune with Kate Wyatt in mind, and she delivers both defiance and tenderness in her accompaniment and solo. The tune is at once a meditation on mortality and a call to live fully until the end.”

4. “Lapin Äidin Kehtolaulu”

“In my favourite Finnish lullaby, we meet a mother rocking her child beneath the northern lights. In our reimagining, the cradle rocks too hard: comfort tips into mounting terror. What begins with tender familiarity evolves into one of the album’s most jazz-driven moments, with a sequence of solos.”

5. “Not Fair”

“I wrote a text in reference to Alice Miller’s The Drama of the Gifted Child. The song is a dialogue between the voice of an adult and the wordless voice of the child, sung hauntingly by Bohdanna Novak. The counterpoint section captures the turmoil of reconciling childhood memories with adult responsibility. The song becomes a meditation on intergenerational trauma and the fragile hope of breaking such cycles.”

6. “Velvet”

“‘Velvet’ is inspired by my love for my fiancée, Maryam, whose artwork graces the album cover. The lyrics draw on the metaphor of classic red Bordeaux wine for her passion and depth. Musically, the track glows with intimacy: Kate Wyatt at the piano, supporting her husband Adrian Vedady, offering a thoughtful, lyrical bass solo. It’s a song of second chances and the miracle of love found and held.”

7. “The Last Romantic”

“Norman Cristofoli’s sly, apocalyptic poem imagines the world unravelling on the day romance dies with the last romantic. Jim Doxas’ restless 5/4 time signature drives the track like adolescent hormones, a pulse that tips the hat to Rush, my childhood heroes. The song attempts to channel teenage intensity—part self-aware parody, part genuine heartbreak.”

8. “Ensin Toinen”

“I wrote this song in high school on a lyric by my friend Teemu Laajasalo. Sung in Finnish, it tells of grief and recovery: the tears of an old woman weeping on her porch, the slow rebuilding of life after the loss of a partner. Erik Hove’s searching alto saxophone graces a new solo section toward the end of the tune.”

9. “Emerald Angel”

“Cristofoli’s ‘Emerald Angel’ tells of an angel found adrift, carried to shore, and slipping away despite every effort to save her. The song captures the heartbreak of not being able to rescue another. Musically, the track draws inspiration from Peter Gabriel’s ballads, with their balance of intimacy and grandeur.”

10. “Marty’s Song”

“The album closes with ‘Marty’s Song,’ taken from Norman Cristofoli’s play The Pub, where souls gather in purgatory. In one scene, Queen Victoria commands philosopher Martin Heidegger—nicknamed Marty—to entertain her, and he responds with a song, which he performs with a tap dance. The lyric asks the fundamental question: what makes a good life, one worth a song? The band closes ranks here, with Lex French and Erik Hove sparring in a New Orleans–style improvisation. I hope the finale leaves us both smiling and pondering.”