Jazz Finland Live

Juhani Aaltonen is unarguably one of the cornerstones of Finnish jazz with his lush and soulful tenor sax sound. “Junnu” will reach the honourable age of 80 this year; however, his instrument sings more movingly than ever before. On the Finnish tour, Aaltonen will be leading his quartet, composed of his bandmates from over the years. Drummer Reiska Laine is Aaltonen’s enduring partner in music and another grand old man of Finnish jazz. The bass is in the able hands of Ulf Krokfors, who is as much at home performing solo as with a big band, while Iro Haarla, who has earned her spurs in, for example, Edward Vesala’s Sound & Fury, occupies the pianist’s seat. The couple Krokfors/Haarla are also known for their excellent compositions.

Juhani Aaltonen Quartet has released one album, “Conclusions”, in 2010 on the label TUM Records. The title, indeed, is reflective of the maestro’s long career. However, room is left for the present too, represented by free improvisation, which the group embraces both live and on the recording. By the means of improvisation, meditation upon past is rendered relevant in the now.

Juhani Aaltonen – tenor saxophone and flute
Iro Haarla - piano
Ulf Krokfors – double bass
Reiska Laine – drums

Production: Culture Center Poleeni