News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
The 40th anniversary of UMO Jazz Orchestra will be opened with style. In January 2015 composer Iro Haarla and UMO collaborate in three concerts, and in January celebrated Paquito D’Rivera will front the big band for the first time in 27 years.
HERD and guests charmed the audience four times this autumn.
Young Nordic Jazz Comets is an annual showcase for the most talented, young jazz acts of the Nordic countries. Finland selects their national representative at a band competition in May.
Frank Zappa Memorial Pancake Breakfast, founded in 2004, celebrates their 10th anniversary with a five-concert tour before and after Christmas. The nine-piece that pays homage to the inimitable Frank Zappa will play at Tampere Student House, Poppari in Jyväskylä, Kerubi in Joensuu and Morton in Rautalampi in December. The last gig will take place the day before Epiphany at Tavastia, Helsinki, where the band is joined by a number of special guests.
Mopo24 sees the jazz-punk trio Mopo play 24 gigs in 24 hours on Friday 12 December, some venues including Radio Helsinki, the main office of Teosto, mbar, Tavastia, the Parliament House, the cab stop of Eliel Square, Sörnäinen tube station and ABC petrol station. The concept is one of the several commissioned works to take place at the We Jazz 2014 festival.
Saxophonist Jukka Perko has entered into a recording contract with one of the world’s leading jazz labels, the German ACT. The album, entitled It Takes Two To Tango, is due to be released in April 2015 and made in collaboration with another successful ACT artist, pianist Iiro Rantala.
The Rising Star prize is to aid a promising group in releasing their debut album and grant an opportunity to play live at the We Jazz 2014 event. The prize is now granted for the second time.
Existence is a concept album that takes its listener on a journey into the wonders of the human experience. Louhivuori's music combines progressive and ambient electronic music with powerful drumming.
Jyväskylä Big Band with the guest conductor Jussi Lampela and guest vocalists Emma Salokoski and Yona (a.k.a Johanna Pitkänen) will give a Christmas concert at Jyväskylä Theatre on 14 December 2014.
A very special guest, the award-winning singer Vieno Kekkonen, will join the crew this December, too.
