Jazz Finland Live

Tickets Ravintola Raatihuone
E-mail: ravintola@raatihuone.fi
phone 050 408 6009

Highly renowned Finnish pianist-moogist-composer Kari Ikonen (b.1973) brings out his new solo piano repertoire Impressions, Improvisations and Compositions that will be released soon on CD & LP by German label Ozella Music.

As its name suggests, the album consists of Ikonen’s compositions and improvised passages: ”Wassily Kandinsky, one of my favorite painters, divided his paintings in three categories: impressions, improvisations and compositions. ”Improvisations” were spontaneous expressions of an internal mood or feeling, directly from the artist’s soul. ”Impressions” were improvisations as well, but with external influences, such as music or the nature. ”Compositions” were also expressions of inner visions, but more consciously designed… What a perfect analogy with my music! Some of the pieces in my solo repertoire are impressions, inspired by a scale/maqam, a painting or a story. Some pieces are ”pure” improvisations and some are written compositions.”

An array of unusual preparations and special techinques are used, most notably the revolutionary Maqiano, Ikonen’s own invention, a totally unique install-and-remove device that allows him to play the Maqamat (≈Arabic scales) and other micro-intervals on grand piano. For the last 20 years Ikonen has been into Arabic, Middle Eastern and Turkish music, and now he’s able to extend his melodic vocabulary beyond the conventional tunings.

Besides playing the piano alone, Kari is also active with the critically acclaimed Kari Ikonen Trio, Orchestra Nazionale della Luna, Quartet Ajaton and Trio Toffa – and different projects with i.a. Juhani Aaltonen, Louis Sclavis, Bob Moses and Tony Malaby. He has won several international awards for his compositions, and in 2001 his first album Karikko won the Jazz Emma Award. In 2013 he received the Yrjö Award as the Finnish Jazz Musician of the Year.