Jazz Finland Live

Although the Lowland Jam Band members originally come from the western lowlands of Finland, currently, each is a prominent face in the jazz scene of the Helsinki metropolitan area.

Drummer Markus Ketola has made a long career as a musician and music theoretician. Ketola completed his Doctor of Arts degree in 2007 from the Sibelius Academy. Ketola has been a prominent figure in the Finnish jazz scene since the early 1990s, especially since he was selected as the drummer of UMO Jazz Ochestra in 1993. Among others, Ketola leads his own fusion jazz group, Ketola Rewired, that has estabileshed a reputation as a trusted festival band. He was granted the prestigious Yrjö Jazz award in the year 2012.

Bassist Eero Tikkanen has established himself as a sought-after musician in a short time. A versatile musician, Tikkanen's repertoire ranges from scorching groove jazz to free jazz projects and has made him a familiar face especially in younger generation jazz groups. His main job is as the bassist of Mopo, a newish but already highly popular group whose music is inspired by jazz, the 1970s punk rock and of the Finnish nature. At the Kerava Jazz Festival Tikkanen has previously played with the group Auteur Jazz.

The other exemplar of the younger generation musicians is saxophonist and flutist Petteri Hietamäki. Hietamäki has graduated from the Metropolia polytechnic and is currently a teacher at Pop & Jazz Conservatory. He has been working as a freelance musician since 2001, and is currently most employed by Riku Niemi Orchestra and Finnish Memorial Pancake Breakfast band, a Frank Zappa tribute band.

The keyboard player of the group, Juha Kujanpää, has graduated from Metropolia, like Hietaniemi, and studied music in addition in Trondheim Norway. He is known as a composer whose special interest lies in probing the border area between folk music and jazz. Kujanpää composes music for films, TV documentaries and theatre and dance pruductions. Kujanpää released his first solo album, "Kivenpyörittäjä", in autumn 2013. Kujanpää leads many groups of his own. Juha Kujanpää Ensemble was chosen as the band of the year 2014 at the Kaustinen Folk Festival. Kujanpää plays jazz in a group called Saarikorpi Brom.

Petteri Hietamäki, saxophones
Juha Kujanpää, keyboards
Eero Tikkanen, bass
Markus Ketola, drums 

Free entry!

André Sumelius Trio

André Sumelius Trio, the group that starts the festival's groove night, consists of musicians who are often seen at Helsinki metropolitan area jazz clubs playing "jam" type of jazz. These musicians know the jazz standards by heart. André Sumelius is known as a drummer, whose groove is top class. No wonder - one of his teachers was the legendary Tony Williams! The biggest of the established groups Sumelius is leading is Tonight At Noon, known especially as an active festival band from the Finnish jazz happenings. As the name implies, their music is dedicated to Charles Mingus.

Sami Linna is an expert in the traditional jazz guitar. His playing is grounded in the style of such legends as Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessel and Jim Hall. The sound of his electric guitar is natural, produced without the help of gadgets. Linna is also an experienced music teacher and is currently finishing his doctoral thesis in Sibelius Academy.

Hammond organ has always been the cornerstone in groove jazz, represented by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Lonnie Smith ja Jimmy McGriff. The same tradition is followed by the organist of the group, Mikko Helevä, whose playing ranks among the cream of hammond players, even in an international scale. It is always a pleasure to hear Helevä's swinging improvisations. Like Linna, Helevä is working on his doctoral thesis in Sibelius Academy.

André Sumelius, drums
Mikko Helevä, organ
Sami Linna, guitar

Ben Bay plays Cannonball

The name Ben Bay goes back a long way. It is a direct translation of Pentti Lahti, one of the best-known Finnish saxophone players. The English nickname has emerged from time to time in Lahti's history and now it pops up again when Lahti is tot take the Kerava-sali stage with his septet to play to the music of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. In Finland no introductions are in order when it come sto Lahti. Nearly fifty years' professional career from dance bands to the leader of the saxophone section in UMO Jazz Orchestra, the cornerstone of Finnish big band music, guarantees that Cannonball's hit songs "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", "Work Song" ja "Jive Samba" will be rolling with grooving virtuosity.

Cannonball played often with singer Nancy Wilson. Lahti's choice to Nancy's boots is Eeppi Ursin, whose lyrical vocals have been heard in the Club For Five acapella band and also in the groups of New York -based pianist, Mika Pohjola.

Cannonball's pianist and trusted composer was Joe Zawinul. Lahti's trusted pianist is his band mate from UMO, Seppo Kantonen. Kantonen is the leader of his own group, Kantonen Camping, and is kept busy by Innkvisitio, a hilarious free jazz group led by saxophonist Mikko Innanen.

Cannonball's brother, cornetist Nat, played an important role in his group. In Lahti's band Nat's seat is reserved for Mikko "Gunu" Karjalainen, well-known especially as a jam session trumpeter. Cannonball's pair on woodwind instruments was the legendary Yusef Lateef, but here Lahti has diverged from the original line-up in a refreshing way and chosen a young and skillful trombone player Kasperi Sarikoski to occupy Yusef's seat. Both Karjalainen and Sarikoski are familiar from the popular big band, Ricky-Tick Big Band.

The double bass player Sam Jones's place is taken by is Tuure Koski, a musician whose elegant bass lines and warm aura delights audiences frequently in Helsinki area jazz clubs. Finally, on the drummer's seat of maestro Louis Hayes sits Tommi Vainikainen, a Kerava -born musician who has lately been busy as a producer. Fortunately he now picks up the drum sticks again, and we can be sure that the outcome does not lack groove.

Ben Bay a.k.a Pentti Lahti, saxophone
Eeppi Ursin, vocals
Seppo Kantonen, piano
Mikko "Gunu" Karjalainen, trumpet
Kasperi Sarikoski, trombone
Tuure Koski, bass
Tommi Vainikainen, drums

Tickets: 20/15 €

Open event