News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
On Friday 14 August Turku Jazz time travels back 30 years; while on Saturday 15 August it will be all about jazz – Finnish jazz, to be precise – and the Turku Jazz Artist of the Year, Ilpo Murtojärvi. The festival closes on Sunday 16 August with Turku Jazz Orchestra playing the great Quincy Jones.
Finnish Jazz Federation is looking for a new director.
Timo Lassy has announced a live show at Helsinki’s Aleksanterin teatteri. The two launch-shows of the new album, Love Bullet, this June sold out in advance. The album continues to win critics over in international jazz media.
As their name suggests, Teddy’s West Coasters, led by drummer-composer-producer Teppo Mäkynen, make a nod to the sound of the 1950s and 1960s West Coast jazz. The first disc of their two-volume debut album comes out at the time of the Pori Jazz Festival.
Recently chosen as the eco-friendliest cruise ship of the world, Viking Grace casts off to the rhythm of great jazz tunes already for the seventh time this September. The popular jazz cruise takes jazz enthusiasts to enjoy live performances from the most topical Finnish jazz groups of the moment on a swinging voyage on the Baltic Sea
SBBY (Finnish Big Band Association) organises a course in big band conduction at Oulun Elojazzit. The course takes place from 28 July to 1 August and it is instructed by Tapio Maunuvaara (OASBB), Marjo Riihimäki and Antti Rissanen.
Jazz enthusiasts of Jyväskylä area will be treated to some great original tunes by two different trios this Tuesday, 23 June, when the June edition of the Summer Club Series invades Ravintola Poppari. The venue has been as good as a home to the members of Tuomas Paukku Trio, the first performer, for over ten years, while the young jazzers of Helsinki-based Valkia are now seen on the Poppari stage for the first time.
Verneri Pohjola, the fourth contributor to the Jazzpresso article series, shares the twists and turns of his career as an international jazz artist. Pohjola highlights that especially in the 2010s it is impossible to give definitive steps to international success. Instead, he believes that a key to success may lie in two skills: the ability to count on one's artistic vision and the readiness to adapt to the changing nature of a jazz musician's profession.
The second night of the fresh club series run by We Jazz invades the cosy milieu of mbar terrace on Tuesday 16 June. This edition features duo Jaska Lukkarinen and Antti Lötjönen reinforced by organist Seppo Kantonen and sax player Mikko Innanen. Visuals will be provided by National RGB VJs and records will be spun by the brotherhood of We Jazz Djs.
Haavisto, who was bestowed upon the honorary title of musiikkineuvos by the President of Finland in 2007, turned 85 on 5 June.
