Jazz Finland Live

Nordic Trinity celebrates 80-year-old Juhani "Junnu" Aaltonenwith with its January 2016 tour. Aaltonen (b. 1935) is one of the most outstanding tenor saxophone and flute players in Finnish jazz.

Nordic Trinity is an interactive and freewheeling group of three generations of musicians who explores inventive melodic themes and rhythms found not only in the traditions of contemporary music and improvisation but also in the complexity of modern composition. The bands philosophy is based on paradoxes and extremes being a necessity prerequisite in order to achieve balance. The variety of their work discovers contrasts in the weight of sound. Nordic Trinity digs into a place where people live not only out of necessity, but because they want to be part of a future that invites surprise and welcomes spontaneity.

Juhani Aaltonen (b.1935) is a world-class saxophonist, who has a strong storytelling sound. This living legend of Finnish Jazz has worked with such modernists as Edward Vesala, Arild Anderssen, Heikki Sarmanto, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille, and Tomsz Stanko. In 1968 he was awarded with a George Award as the musician of the year from Finnish Jazz Federation. Juhani was one of the original members of the famous UMO big band. He has been creating music for over four decades and feels that he is now at the top of his career.

Klaus Suonsaari (b.1959) is one of the rare Finnish jazz musicians, who has enjoyed a multifaceted, star-studded international career as a performer and composer. He has extensive performing experience with such greats as Joe Henderson, Bob Berg, Jerry Bergonzi, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Ray Drummond, Diana Krall, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Joe Lovano, and many others. This Artist of the Year Award recipient’s numerous recordings include LaVerne Butler’s No Looking Back with Joe Henderson, Doky Brothers’ Doky Brothers with Curtis Stigers and Randy Brecker, Klaus Suonsaari’s With Every Breath I Take with Geri Allen, and Something Special with Toots Thielemans and David Sanborn. His composition “Big Foot” is featured on critically acclaimed pianist/singer Diana Krall’s Stepping Out and Niels Lan Doky Trio Montmartre’s Scandinavian Reminiscence CDs.

Mikko Iivanainen (b.1975) is the founding member of Nordic Trinity and has also played with Free Control, Loco Motife, Kurkirku and Johanna Iivanainen Band. Mikko's compositions can be heard on such records as Free Control and Free Control II. He has performed and recorded with Anders Bergcrantz, Ulf Krokfors, Iro Haarla and Tom Nekljudov. He plays in Johanna Iivanainen's self titled CD, which was nominated for the Emma Award as one of the best Finnish jazz recordings in 2004. Mikko’s talents can also be heard on Loco Motife's Penguin Beguine. Their CD received the Emma Award for the Best Finnish Jazz Recording in 2005. Mikko has performed in Marocco and in Austria with an international group called Tales.

The concert is supported by City of Helsinki Cultural Office and The Finnish Music Foundation (MES).

Tickets (only cash): Adults 15€, pensioner, unemployed, members of Helsinki Jazz ry: 10€, couples: 10+10€, students: 8€. Tickets in advance from Digelius Music (www.digelius.com) of from liveto.fi, where ticket prices are: 16,5/11/8,8 €.

Open event

Eero ”Koippa” Koivistoinen turns 70 in January and kicks the year off with a series of concerts with UMO. The celebrations of his amazing career in jazz will take place at Kanneltalo, Malmitalo and Vuotalo during the last week of the month.

Open event

Led by the eponymous trombonist, Kasperi Sarikoski & Nuance is one of the most interesting newcomers of the Finnish jazz scene.
Despite drawing from as far and wide as indie rock and electronic music, this young group does not hold eclecticism as a value in itself but rather as a springboard to original, distinctive sound. Acoustic and electric instruments and effects are used to create a sonic palette that incorporates a wide variety of different tones and timbres. It is into these musical primary colours that the leader Kasperi Sarikoski then dips his pen when writing music for the group.
Their 2015 debut Essence (Fredriksson Music) gained them larger-scale attention and was praised by both critics and listeners alike.

Kasperi Sarikoski, trombone
Jere Haakana, guitar
Artturi Rönkä, keys
Vesa Ojaniemi, bass
Jonatan Sarikoski, drums

www.ksnuance.com

Tickets 15€, members 10€, students 6€, pre-sale at Levy-Eskot

Open event

Il Mondo Di Karri -jazz nights continue in 2016 with Italian musicians Stefano Preziosi ja Dario Panza. Now Organ Trio breaks musical boundaries by combining rock classics and jazz standards from the likes of Herbie Hancock, The Rolling Stones, The Policen and Duke Ellingtonin.

Stefano Preziosi - saxophone
Karri Luhtala - organ
Dario Panza - drums

Tickets 10€

Open event