Jazz Finland Live

Over the last forty years, many of the most respected jazz musicians in Finland have played with UMO. Jukkis Uotila, a drummer, pianist and teacher, is one of them.

The third concert in UMO’s anniversary concert series concentrates on Uotila’s own recent big band arrangements and compositions. Most of the material is from the The Music Of Jukkis Uotila album, which he recorded with the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra in 2013.

– I’ve composed a lot of music, but I hadn’t written anything for a large orchestra in a couple of decades. The Music Of Jukkis Uotila is the first record I’ve made that consists solely of my own big band pieces, Uotila explains.

Uotila started playing in big bands at the age of 14, when he was a founding member of the Oulunkylä Pop & Jazz Conservatory’s orchestra. Since then he has played with big bands at home and abroad, from UMO and the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Taback big band to several radio orchestras in Central Europe.

Uotila’s versatile background and his long career in music are both apparent in his compositions. He writes music that draws heavily from his personal esthetics, independent of musical trends and fashion. Uotila’s music is a kind of antithesis to the broad, painterly strokes used by most European big bands at the moment.

– The songs and arrangements are based on the traditions of jazz, but the sound is all mine: strong melodies underscored by polymorphous harmonies backed by groovy rhythms.

Open event

Fifth Avenue:
Ville Vannemaa, sax / Olli Hirvonen, guitar / Tuomas J. Turunen, piano / Teemu Åkerblom, bass / Mikko Arlin, drums

Fifth Avenue is a young Finnish quintet bursting with talent, started in 2011. The group draws heavily from the urban pulse of New York City and, indeed, the city’s buzz, cultural richness and versatility are firmly present in the band’s music. The compositions are penned by the three founding members: pianist Tuomas J. Turunen, U.S.-based guitarist Olli Hirvonen and saxophonist Ville Vannemaa, each of whom have built strong ties to the New York scene either through studies or gigging. The group’s nimble rhythm section is composed of bassist Teemu Åkerblom and drummer Mikko Arlin. Fifth Avenue will hit the road at the time of the album launch, performing in Tallinn, Helsinki and Turku.

Tickets 4 €

Open event