Young Nordic Jazz Comets is an annual showcase for Nordic jazz bands. This year's Finnish representative will be chosen out of four talented ensembles in a YNJC band contest at Koko Jazz Club on the 17th of May.
The Finnish Jazz Federation has chosen the following four up-and-coming jazz groups to perform in the Finnish YNJC contest at the Koko Jazz Club in Helsinki on Saturday, the 17th of May:
Adele Sauros Quartet
(Adele Sauros - tenor and soprano sax, Vili Itäpelto - piano, Kaisa Mäensivu - double bass, Ville Luukkonen - drums)
Elena & The Rom Ensemble
(Elena Mindru - voc, Sampo Hiukkanen - violin, Tuomas J. Turunen - piano, Eero Seppä - bass, Anssi Tirkkonen - drums)
Johannes Sarjasto Quartet
(Johannes Sarjasto - alto sax, Artturi Rönkä - piano, Janne Tuovinen - bass, Joonas Leppänen - drums)
Grantstand Quartet
(Lauri Vihro – guitar, Samuli Rautiainen – piano, Mikael Saastamoinen – double bass, Sami Nummela – drums)
The bands play a 15-minute set each, and the professional jury reviews their performance. In addition to the YNJC showcase in September, the winner gets a grant of 1.000 €, a concert at the Jazz-Espa festival, mentoring for international careers and a concert at the next year’s Finnish YNJC competition. The runner-up gets a grant of 700 euros, and the jury has also an optional prize of 300 € to hand out to an outstanding band or soloist. All the bands also get personal feedback after their performance.
The YNJC evening tops with a concert by the wonderful Kadi Quartet, the Finnish YNJC band for 2013!
The fifteenth Nordic Young Nordic Jazz Comets showcase takes place during the Jazz Finland festival in Helsinki on the 18th of September. The YNJC showcase is a part of the programme of the Europe Jazz Network General Assembly weekend, and there will also be plenty of international jazz media reps in the audience. In general, the YNJC showcase is the perfect opportunity for a young band to present themselves to the industry and the wide audience.
Read more about YNJC: www.youngnordicjazzcomets.com