Biography

Pianist Jussi Fredriksson's new album Jazz Wars is a jazz epic centering around the themes of power and warfare.
 
The album is made up of two four-part compositions where the mood shifts from high-flown battle episodes to more subtle tones. The album sees the absolute cream of Finnish jazz battle it out, with Joonatan Rautio on saxophone, Jukka Eskola on trumpet, Marzi Nyman on guitar, Jori Huhtala on bass and Jukkis Uotila, a long-standing, influential figure on the Finnish jazz scene and currently also Professor at the Sibelius Academy's Department of Jazz, on drums.
 
Jazz War’s approximately 30-minute compositions form a whole that references different jazz traditions while also showcasing each musician's individual musical language and improvisation skills. The album opens with a musical battle, that has a cinematic, grandiose feel to it, almost to the point of being naive at times. The second composition has a more philosophical tone and deals with the power of communities and authorities over individuals, and the role of an individual in relation to these two.
 
The dramatic tension carries through the battle episodes' almost overblown proportions to the peaceful ending that leaves more room for free-form improvisation.

“Top work by top musicians. *****” 
- Hämeen Sanomat

Tracklist

1. Jazz Wars I: HomeJussi Fredriksson
2. Jazz Wars I: JourneyJussi Fredriksson
3. Jazz Wars I: BattleJussi Fredriksson
4. Jazz Wars I: ReturnJussi Fredriksson
5. Jazz Wars II: No DoubtsJussi Fredriksson
6. Jazz Wars II: HesitationJussi Fredriksson
7. Jazz Wars II: PeaceJussi Fredriksson
8. Jazz Wars II: FreedomJussi Fredriksson