Jazz Finland Live

Jari Olavi Hongisto trombone and percussion, Teppo Olavi Hauta-aho double bass and percussion and Niilo Olavi Louhivuori drums and percussion

OH, LA VIE!

Although the founding of the Olavi Trio more than ten years ago had absolutely nothing to do with the great Finnish tango singer Olavi Virta (1915-1972) – the name of our trio came from the coincidence of us sharing the same middle name – and our music could be seen by some almost as an antithesis of Olavi Virta’s, we find ourselves releasing, for the second time, an album featuring our own, somewhat different take on a song strongly identified with the late master himself.

We consider this appropriate as, even at its most open and improvisational, our music tends to lean towards strong melodies, just as Olavi Virta’s music did. We also feel that, in its dark tones and occasional melancholy, our music reflects the Finnish mental landscape in much the same way as the Finnish tango does and, as we all know, music does not get much more Finnish than that. Apparently, it is true that no Finn – or at least no Olavi – can escape the great man’s shadow.

In order to celebrate the centennial of Olavi Virta’s birth, we proudly dedicate this recording to the memory of our namesake.

Olavi Trio

Jazz piano trio with guest musicians plays original music and jazz standards.

Mikael Jakobsson, piano

Juuso Rinta, bass

Erik Heikkinen, drums

Free entry!

Open event