Acclaimed vocalist, composer, and bandleader Saku Mantere has released his ambitious new album, Divine Apology, worldwide on Orchard of Pomegranates. This poetic work weaves together jazz, literature, and philosophy into a profound meditation on memory, grief, resilience, and love. Featuring an all-star Canadian jazz ensemble, the album unfolds as a journey through the liminal space between life and afterlife, inspired in part by poet Norman Cristofoli’s metaphysical play The Pub.
With lyrics drawn from Cristofoli, Dylan Thomas, Finnish folk song, and Mantere’s own pen, Divine Apology invites listeners into a sonic realm where sorrow, resistance, memory, and redemption intertwine. Mantere explains that the title carries a dual meaning—both a gesture of regret and a defense of the human condition—as the music “questions, consoles, and connects,” imagining what a divine apology for the suffering in the world might sound like.