News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
Vapaat äänet (Free Voices & Sounds) agency has animated the Finnish jazz scene with a French touch since 1996, when manager Charles Gil first started the Finnish-French culture exchange by bringing French bands to perform in Finland and vice versa. In 2016 Vapaat äänet celebrates its 20th anniversary. In the peak of the festivities are two concerts in Malmitalo the 1st of November and in Sellosali the 3rd of the month.
The project Jazz Finland Live was launched to enliven Finnish jazz clubs and increase the live jazz offerings around the country. Eight Finnish jazz clubs participated in the project with the support of the Cities of Helsinki, Iisalmi, Kotka, Oulu, Salo, Tampere and Turku. The project brought as many as 80 jazz concerts to these cities, with the total number of visitors topping 8 000 people. Jazz Finland Live aims at setting up a new funding model that sees Finnish cities and local concert organisers co-operate, thus establishing more sustainable preconditions for professional concert activity around the country.
Application to perform live music at schools and daycare centers/kindergartens is open now, until November 30th at 4.00pm. Apply on the website http://www.konserttikeskus.fi/ohjelmahaku2016
Jazz City Turku and food festival Food & Fun join forces and serve you international treats and great jazz on 5 - 8 October.
Turku Jazz Orchestra's autumn programme kicks off in October with five different concerts being produced this autumn. We will be in for the premiere of a new piece by Vellu Halkosalmi; an launch show for the orchestra's new album and top-class entertainment on the cruise ship Viking Grace. The season closes in a concert that stars A-listing drummer Teppo Mäkynen.
Top names of suomijazz, singer Mirja Mäkelä, guitarrist Teemu Viinikainen and double bassist Juho Kivivuori tour Finland in ten consecutive concerts in October-November turn. The ten-year anniversary tour is produced by the Finnish Jazz Federation and Jazz HUG.
The Porvoo Jazz Festival comes again! Organised now for the fourth time, the festival has a new crew behind it: drummer Jaska Lukkarinen has been chosen as the new Artistic Director, while Elina Brooks will be acting as the producer. Other key team members include the founder of the festival, Antti Ansas, the graphic designer Hash Varsani and the Porvoo-based cultural handyman, Thomas Törnroos. Headlining acts of this year's festival include Viktoria Tolstoy, the Finnish Jazz Federation Jubilee Orchestra and Jukkis Uotila Quartet feat. Billy Hart.
The Road is Long – Live at Savoy Theatre is the third album by the Finno-Beninese funk-jazz-afrobeat combo. The group aims at funding the new album with the help of crowdfunding. You can contribute on the crowdfunding platform Mesenaatti.
The Finnish Jazz Federation will organize two tours and two co-produced tours in the fall of 2017. Application for the Jazz-Espa Festival 2017, taking place in July, can be completed with the same application form. Application closes on the 16th of October 2016. The Finnish Jazz Federation will complete the selection process before the year’s end.
Oddarrang, known for their inimitable cocktail of electronic soundscapes, jazz and post-rock, release their long-awaited fourth album, Agartha, on British Edition Records this September. The release will be followed by live shows at, for example, the Flame Jazz Cruise and We Jazz Festival 2016.
