Jazz Finland Live

American composer and arranger Bill Holman (b. 1927) will be in the spotlight of UMO Jazz Orchestra’s second jazz matinee of spring 2014. The concert, which is conducted by Vellu Halkosalmi, features for example the music of Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich and Bill Holman orchestras.

Figures like Bill Holman are easily left in the shadows of great conductors, even though their contribution has been significant on the sound of the orchestras they have worked for. In the course of his long career, Holman has composed music for Count Basie, Woody Herman and Gerry Mulligan to name a few. He has had the greatest influence – apart from his own orchestras of course – perhaps on the Stan Kenton Orchestra, whose chief arranger he was from the 50’s to the 60’s and 70’s.

“Holman is one of the few arrangers, who have managed to create very distinctive, recognizable style”, conductor Vellu Halkosalmi explains and continues: ”The way that Holman incorporates counterpoint, exciting dissonant chords, clear songs structures and combines them with tight, groovy rhythms, is still thrilling musicians and audiences everywhere around the world.”

Conductor: Vellu Halkosalmi

Concert duration: c. 60 min, no intermission

Note! A pre-concert talk will be held in the café at the concert venue at 13.15 before each concert. Conductor Vellu Halkosalmi will be discussing with the audience.

Open event

We Jazz Rising Star 2013 AR Quartet's record release concert!

Tickets: 15/10€

Artturi Rönkä – piano
Sampo Kasurinen – saxophone
Eero Seppä – bass
Jonatan Sarikoski – drums

www.jazzhug.com 

Open event

LightBoxer to tour Finland and Estonia

Saxophonist Markus Holkko’s and guitarist Aki Haarala’s LightBoxer release their second album for a tour in Japan next fall. The Finnish and Estonian fans get to hear the new material first when the band goes on a nine-concert tour between April 2 and May 2. The tour is supported by the Finnish and Estonian Jazz Federations.

LightBoxer is an instrumental quintet, riding on an improvised wakeboard on top of the Afro wave. Tight grooves and deep ambiances, a hint of Morriconean vibes and plenty of film influences fuel the tow boat to the sunset and back. Their self-titled debut album got raving reviews and it was nominated for the Finnish Emma Award for the Best Jazz Album in 2012. The new LightBoxer album comes out in the fall of 2014, and it reveals the new, bombastic and retro-punkish side of the five-piece. Holkko’s and Haarala’s compositions take the surfer band on a giant wave also to the darker shades of jazz, and the album is definitely going to be one of the most talked-about recordings of the year.

The musicians can be tagged to numerous jazz and soul ensembles, such as rapper Paleface's band, Tuomo, Emma Salokoski, U-Street All Stars and Jukka Perko. Aside from the Helsinki club-scene, the band has performed in Flame Jazz club in Turku in February, Tampere Jazz Happening in 2013 and the JazzPiknik festival in Helsinki in 2013.

Aki Haarala - guitar
Markus Holkko - saxophone
Emil Luukkonen - Hammond
Ville Herrala - bass
Mikko Pöyhönen - drums

www.lightboxer.fi

Tour dates:

Wed 2.4. Pori, KulttuuriKulma, at 9pm
Thu 3.4. Savonlinna, Wanha Kasino, at 8pm
Fri 4.4. Kuopio, Jazzklubi, at 9pm
Sat 5.4. Joensuu, Teatteriravintolan terassi, at 9pm
Thu 10.4. Jyväskylä, Poppari, at 9pm
Fri 11.4. Raahe, 3” Kuppila, at 9pm
Sat 12.4. Tampere, TTT-Klubi, at 10pm
Fri 1.5. Tarto, Tartu Jazz Club
Sat 2.5. Tallinna, Teater NO99

The Finnish Jazz Federation produces six tours in spring 2014. Three of the tours are co-produced with independent agencies/managers, and three are Jazz Federation’s own productions. Our partners this spring are E.H.N. Productions, Fredriksson Music and Free Voices and Sounds Agency. The tours are supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Finnish Music Foundation MES. The Free Voices and Sounds tour is co-funded by the French Culture Institute.

Open event