biography

Vibraphonist Severi Pyysalo (b. 1967) has been on the very top of the Finnish jazz scene for three decades now, having made his breakthrough at Pori Jazz 1984. Both Sarah Vaughan and Paquito D’Rivera were so impressed by Pyysalo at the festival, that they requested he perform with them in their own concerts. Ever since then Pyysalo has toured and played in different line-ups both domestically and abroad – the best known of these being arguably Perko-Pyysalo Poppoo. Aside from jazz, Pyysalo has also composed for the Radio symphony orchestra and the Turku Philharmonic, as well as for the brothers Grimm fairy tales. Pyysalo received the Yrjö-award in 1988, and he was honoured as European jazz soloist of the year in 1993.

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