Jazz Finland Live

Vibeist Arttu Takalo has never confined himself to one genre, but adapts like a chameleon to different musical contexts. In recent years, though, he has performed jazz increasingly to our joy.

Standards Live is a celebration of jazz standards closest to Takalo's heart. Takalo and the Koko Jazz Club residents, Hirvonen and Lehtonen, will be joined by virtuoso saxist Pope Puolitaival.

Arttu Takalo, vibes
Pope Puolitaival, sax
Timo Hirvonen, bass
Jussi Lehtonen, drums

Tickets 15/10 €

Open event

Tickets 15/10/8 €

Mikko Innanen – baritone and alto saxophones
Joakim Berghäll – tenor and alto saxophones
Aki Rissanen – piano
Jori Huhtala – double bass, compositions
Ville Pynssi – drums
jorihuhtala.bandcamp.com

While having jazz as the red thread and bedrock of their music, Jori Huhtala 5 is not afraid of enriching their sound with some elements of pop and film music. The group’s style ranges from lyrical to cacophonic, traditional to avant-garde and rhythm-driven to pulselessly lingering. At the core, however, lie bassist Huhtala's finely crafted compositions and the band members' outstanding skills of improvisation.

The band’s debut album was released in January on Fredriksson Music. Since the first steps taken together as a group, Jori Huhtala 5 have been followed with interest, and in 2014 they performed at Tampere Jazz Happening, for instance. All the members belong to the new generation of Finnish jazz musicians, whose artistic vision and professionalism are taking them rapidly to the bigger leagues.

The Jyväskylä native Jori Huhtala (b. 1984) graduated from his hometown’s local conservatory as a pop-jazz musician in 2004. He completed his MA degree at the jazz department of the Sibelius Academy in 2014. The academic year 2010-2011was spent studying at Stockholm’s Kungliga Musikhögskolan. Huhtala is involvd in the groups Kvalda, Big Blue, Raoul Björkenheim Ecstasy, Panu Savolainen Toivo and Jussi Fredriksson Jazz Wars.

Open event

Next spring, the 15-year old Club For Five vocal ensemble and 40-year old UMO will be touring some of the largest concert venues in Finland. The collaboration gives a tour of tango with a difference: evergreens by Unto Mononen and Toivo Kärki in new, innovative and entertaining versions. A New Take On Tango is a tribute to two legendary Finnish songwriters and will present a new perspective on their music as a highly unconventional tango ensemble – a big band with a five-part vocal ensemble – combine Finnish tangos with anything from bebop to 1960’s Motown soul. The arrangements for 16-piece big band and vocal ensemble were written by Mikko Hassinen, Marzi Nyman and Pessi Levanto, among others. UMO’s 40th and Club For Five’s 15th anniversary year coincides also with the 100th anniversary of the birth of late Toivo Kärki.

Open event