Jazz Finland Live

Turning 35 this year, Espoo Big Band (EBB) is one of the very best jazz big bands in Finland. At the anniversary concert, the EBB ensemble will be taken to new heights by the diverse English trumpeter Gerard Presencer, whose previous employers include Ray Charles, James Brown and Incognito. The concert will feature premiere performances of new pieces by Jukka Linkola and Marzi Nyman, along with Mikko Innanen’s piece dedicated to Juhani ”Junnu” Aaltonen, with the nearly 80-year-old maestro himself as the soloist. In addition to this, a foreign surprise guest will take a turn on stage.

EBB has been ambitious and determined in their efforts to PROMOTE Finnish jazz music, and they are especially known for their productions of new Finnish music. The band has reared many Finnish top-tier musicians, such as Iiro Rantala, Lenni-Kalle Taipale, Jukka Eskola, Jarmo Saari and Marzi Nyman, who currently helms the orchestra.

Diane Schuur, considered one of the best female vocalists of modern jazz, returns to April Jazz for the first time in 25 years. The two-time Grammy winner’s new album “I Remember you” (2014) is a homage to two of Schuur’s heroes – Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra.

Open event