News -page consists of current topics and interesting articles about jazz in Finland.
November, the fifth album by Joona Toivanen Trio, will come out in September on the acclaimed Italian label CAM Jazz. Formed by Joona Toivanen, Tapani Toivanen and Olavi Louhivuori, the outfit’s music is characterised by tranquil serenity and strong melodicity.
Artturi Rönkä’s award-winning quartet will perform in September in Tampere, Tallinn, Kajaani and Helsinki, among other cities.
Elena Mindru will celebrate the new album by going on a tour in Finland and Estonia with her quintet. The Finland-based vocalist has Romanian roots.
The Finnish Jazz Federation is proud to present the freshest and most exciting jazz night in town, and reveal the five bands that are performing live at the fifteenth edition of the Young Nordic Jazz Comets showcase on September 18 at Koko Jazz Club! This year the YNJC showcase takes place at the Jazz Finland festival, which is a one-of-a-kind jazz export event with nearly two hundred music professionals exploring Finnish jazz.
The soundtrack for the Finnish blockbuster film Tavarataivas was released in Japan in a digital format jointly with the film premiere on 6 August. Tavarataivas is directed by Petri Luukkainen and the score was composed by Finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy. The music was released at the insistence of the audience.
Produced by the OK Study Centre and tailored by Oskari Mänttäri, tuOKio Club concert series has approached social and political questions through music already for three years. Each year the OK Study Centre has commissioned new music from some of the best topical Finnish artists, and this year the turn is Ville Leinonen’s and Mopo's to take action and go on a tour.
The fifteenth edition of the annual Jazz-Espa concert series drew over 1,500 people to the Espa stage last week. The free open air concerts portrayed six topical, Finnish jazz acts from Monday to Saturday and ended with a huge success of the JazzPiknik mini festival on Sunday at the restaurant mbar's terrace on Lasipalatsi square. The Jazz-Espa audience was matched by the JazzPiknik audience and there was even something described as a "jazz riot"...
Contemporary dance meets jazz on Åbo Svenska Teater stage on Saturday 9 August in the premiere of "Pohjola - Nordic Roots" – a piece that portrays the history, nature and mentality of the North by the languages of movement and music.
Down Beat magazine, one of the biggest jazz medias, chose Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen as one of the Rising Stars of the baritone saxophone.
The Helsinki-based duo Good Romans will host a new club series once in August and twice in September in the capital. The club will focus on improvised music and feature a guest artist each time. The Free Club takes place at Ravintola Allotria on Friday the 15th in August and Friday the 5th and the 19th in September. Good Romans will be joined by pianist Kari Ikonen, drummer Mika Kallio and trombonist Jari Hongisto, respectively. Expect intriguing, distorted musical images and sporadic visions from the future and the dark side of the mind. The club series is co-organised by Teatteri Kapsäkki, The Finnish Music Foundation and Finnish Explosions.
