News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
Turku Jazz Orchestra’s Big Band School is looking for students! The school runs a periodically and offers big band lessons for amateur musicians of all ages from beginners to advanced-level players. Two orchestras will be formed, of which one is aimed at less-experienced, the other at experienced students. Registration is open until Friday 27 March on Turku Jazz Orchestra’s website.
At a unique concert on Good Friday, big band music will meet viola da gamba for the first time in history.
Application for Music Finland's "Aus Finland" support in the following programs is open until March 31st: Live, Marketing and Visibility.
Published by the British label Edition Records, Verneri Pohjola Quartet's newest album has become one of the definitive releases of the early 2015 in Finnish jazz. The album-launching show, taking place on the main stage of the Finnish National Theatre on 22 March, will no doubt be a memorable event. Pohjola's able crew is composed pianist Aki Rissanen, bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Teppo Mäkynen. The album will be available on vinyl in late April.
UMO Jazz Orchestra has compiled the 40 years of their history onto one website. The site comprises a wide variety of data on UMO, including bios, videos and newspaper articles.
Pianist Joona Toivanen and Finnish jazz quartet Big Blue head Sweden on a double-header tour this March, playing at three venues. The concert programme constitutes of Toivanen’s solo material, "Polarities", and of Big Blue’s quartet set.
Liberty Ship made the waters stir already on their first double release. Now the star quartet, composed of the leader-saxophonist Esa Pietilä, pianist Aki Rissanen, bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Olavi Louhivuori, are bringing out the follower, also a double album. Seascapes continue to be present on the sophomore, too.
In his opening article for the Jazzpresso article series, Professor Jukkis Uotila tackled the current state of jazz and the potential degeneration of jazz music’s original Afro-American tradition. He aimed his text to the next debater, saxophonist Jukka Perko. Perko takes the floor and provides some echoes and alternative angles for Uotila's ideas that proved hot potatoes in the social media.
Trio Aleatoric, composed of the pianist Aki Rissanen, the Belgian saxophonist Robin Verheyen and the drummer Markku Ounaskari, trust the magic of the moment. Impérial Quartet, led by the sax players Damien Sabatier and Gérald Chevillon, belongs to the friskiest newcomers of the French jazz scene. The first stop of the two groups’ double-header tour is at Kanneltalo on 12 March 2015.
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