Jazz Finland Live

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Sanni Orasmaa in a solo performance. The program features less performed jewels from Johnny Mandell and Milton Nascimento among other composers.

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AR Quartet (formerly known as Artturi Rönkä Quartet) is a band of four young musicians from Helsinki, Finland. The group’s music is characterized by dynamic and energetic interplay and refined compositions, mostly written by Artturi Rönkä. In May 2012, the band won the first prize in the Finnish final of “Young Nordic Jazz Comets” competition and represented Finland in the international showcase in Copenhagen, Denmark. In September 2012, AR Quartet won the second prize in international “Jazz Hoeilaart” competition for jazz groups in Belgium. Jazz HUG record label released the band’s debut album in March 2014.

The 23-year-old pianist-composer Artturi Rönkä is Pori Jazz’s Artist of the Year in 2013 and had the honour of being the first Rising Star of We Jazz Festival 2013. Rönkä has also been successful in composing competitions. Highlights so far include the first prizes in both Finnish “Esko Linnavalli” (2011, organized by UMO Jazz Orchestra) and international “Jazzverk” (2012 Luleå, Sweden, organized by Norrbotten Big Band) big band composition contests.

The first two weeks, 3 - 13, of September AR Quartet will be touring around Finland for eight concerts. This tour, produced together with Jazz HUG and Finnish Jazz Federation, will take the young jazz lions to perform around Finland, e.g. in Kuopio, Tampere and Turku.

Sampo Kasurinen – soprano & tenor saxophones
Eero Seppä – bass
Artturi Rönkä – piano
Jonatan Sarikoski – drums

Wed 3.9. Tampere, AMC-klubi, Telakka
Thu 4.9. Kajaani, Koutasali, Kaukametsän kulttuurikeskus
Fri 5.9. Kuopio, Jazzklubi, Musiikkikeskus
Sat 6.9. Tallinna, Philly Joe's Jazz Club
Wed 10.9. Turku, Sibelius-museo
Thu 11.9. Helsinki, Malmisali, Malmitalo
Fri 12.9. Savonlinna, Wanha Kasino
Sat 13.9. Oulu, Pikisali, Kaupunginteatteri

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Verneri Pohjola – trumpet
Tuomo Prättälä – piano
Antti Lötjönen – bass
Olavi Louhivuori – drums

Ilmiliekki Quartet, who enjoy a cult status not only in a Finnish but also in an international scale, will return to the stage after several years of low profile. The concert that ends their long break also opens Flame Jazz's autumn season 2014. Like the members, who now stand at the frontline of Finnish music scene, the group has undergone a process of maturation. The return to Ilmiliekki’s coolly Scandinavian sonic landscape has been very inspiring, say the group members. Ilmiliekki’s repertoire comes mainly from the pen of trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, one of the most internationally successful Finnish jazzers, but the concert will feature compositions by drummer Olavi Louhivuori and pianist Tuomo Prättälä, the latter of whom is perhaps the hottest Finnish soul artist of the day. True to their style, they have incorporated some loans as well, this time from Queen and Feist.

Ilmiliekki Quartet’s name became familiar to the audience in 2002 when the group won the Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition. In 2004 the band was selected as the Young Artist by Finland Festivals and trumpeter Pohjola was honoured with the Artist of the Year prize at Pori Jazz Festival. In the same year their debut March of the Alpha Males was nominated in the Emma Awards and the group was granted the Teosto award. Their sophomore, Take It With Me (TUM Records 2006), was noted in international circles and took the group all the way to New York to play at Lincoln Center and to various clubs in London. In autumn 2009 they recorded an album of Swedish folk songs with vocalist Emma Salokoski, which was accompanied by a collaborative tour.

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