News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
The Lars-Gunnar Nordström Fund has donated Nordström’s extensive collection of jazz music to the Finnish National Library. The collection comprises 15 000 recordings, literature and music players that represent jazz culture from the 1940s to the 21st century, amassed by painter, sculptor and graphic artist Lars-Gunnar Nordström.
Due to a huge demand, the 20-piece gives two album-launching concerts on Saturday 10 October.
Savitaipale soi festival comes again this June – now jazzier than ever. The three-day event features pianist Iiro Rantala, trumpeter Mikko Pettinen & Happy People, saxophonist Timo Lassy with vocalist Johanna Försti, salsa group Tiempo Habana, the definitive group of Finnish funk, The Northern Governors, young stellar vibeist Panu Savolainen and the acclaimed Ilmiliekki Quartet with Emma Salokoski.
Part of the music Foundation JAPA, Erik Lindström Fund has bestowed its annual grant upon drummer Sami Nummela this year. The prize sum of 2500 euros is directed to support Nummela in his studies in the United States.
Timo Lassy, one of the most acclaimed of Finnish jazz artists, has released a music video for the title track of his new album, Love Bullet. The video features Finnish actress Katariina Kaitue and actor Jussi Nikkilä. Both the album and the video came out on 29 May. The sax man launches his fourth studio album on 3 June at club Dubrovnik in Helsinki. The concert is sold out.
"Live in Helsinki 1995", a live recording by UMO Jazz Orchestra and saxophone legend Michael Brecker (1949-2007) is set for release this coming autumn. The concert was recorded at the recently opened Royal Cotton Club in Helsinki in October 1995. The recording was produced by Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE and the release is UMO’s first from YLE’s archives to feature an international soloist. It is also Brecker’s first posthumous live album.
Turku Jazz Orchestra arranges a big band composition competition for composers hailing from or based in South-West Finland. Organised now for the first time, the contest aims at putting South-Western Finnish jazz composers on the map and presenting them to a larger audience.
Summer Jazz Club brings once again young jazz talents to Poppari club monthly from May to August.
Pulsating in the heart of Kallio, Koko Jazz Club has brought us jazz concerts on a regular basis already for five years. This summer will see the popular Koko kesä Kalliossa concert series return to the club already for the fourth time with the best Finnish pop and rock stars. They will perform their best-loved songs with a twist: namely, accompanied by a jazz orchestra. The able Koko Jazz Club house band is conducted by vibraphone player Arttu Takalo.
Celebrating their 40th anniversary, UMO Jazz Orchestra plays around ten live concerts both in Finland and abroad in the upcoming summer. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lenny Pickett and Junnu Aaltonen front UMO Jazz Orchestra at Hamburg’s Elbjazz Festival this May.
