Biography

Django Collective Helsinki have completed their anticipated debut. Friends of swing jazz and the Gypsy Jazz scene will be delighted to hear the album "Do Standards", which will be released on March 12, 2020. It features the band's insightful and original arrangements of genre standards and more rarely heard works from the golden era of swing. Also, giving a surprising and appealing addition to the music, a string quartet is also featured.

For nearly ten years, Django Collective Helsinki, led by Aki Hauru, have tirelessly been creating a new, open and positive culture of live music in their hometown. With live clubs featuring top-notch guests and warm-hearted open jams, the energetic jazz genre developed by guitarist Django Reinhardt has finally gained a foothold in the field of urban culture in Helsinki, Finland. Rooted and cheerful Gypsy Swing in the styles on Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli from the ’30-’50s. When performing live, the group is also merging tradition with contemporary, creative qualities of jazz expression with their own original compositions, bringing into being the possible future for this type of music in a fresh way.

Founded in 2011, the band is made up of professional musicians cooked in many broths. The line-up includes violinist and arranger Laura Airola (Riku Niemi Orchestra) who's played on hundreds of records, Finland's top gypsy-guitar squad Tomi Kettunen, Aki Hauru and Kimmo Iltanen. On the bass, a player probably most highly acquainted in the country to the proper style of slapping jazzy gut-strings like the old masters, Tero Tuovinen.