Clarinetist Antti Sarpila and saxophonist Pekka Toivanen were awarded the Finnish Jazz Legend prizes on June 27, 2024, in Imatra. The award can be given to a musician who has made a significant career as a jazz performer, composer, arranger, or conductor and is still actively performing.
Antti Sarpila (b. 1964) is one of the few internationally recognized Finnish jazz musicians. Though his home base remains Finland, his stage spans the entire globe. He is a sought-after soloist in jazz circles worldwide.
Sarpila received his first lessons from his father, saxophonist Kari Sarpila, one of the founding members of the Pori Jazz Festival. At this festival, Antti met world-renowned jazz clarinetist Bob Wilber, becoming his student in the 1980s. Wilber himself had studied under the early jazz pioneer Sidney Bechet. This heritage sparked Sarpila’s deep respect and interest in jazz traditions.
Sarpila aims to blend influences from the masters of early jazz in his unique style, with the motto of his music being: "From Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker."
Since 2009, Pekka Toivanen (b. 1961) has been a lecturer at Savonia University of Applied Sciences, teaching saxophone, music theory, and aural skills. He was among the first five students to enter the jazz department of the Sibelius Academy, graduating with a Master of Music degree in 1995.
For over 40 years, Toivanen has been a significant figure in Finnish traditional jazz as a musician, composer, arranger, and conductor. He has played in several orchestras, including the Espoo Big Band, Uuden Musiikin Orkesteri (UMO), and the Pentti Lasanen Big Swing Orchestra. Toivanen has also released around ten CDs.
Both Sarpila and Toivanen have been members of the Classic Jazz Society All Stars and Quintet, the flagship orchestras of the Finnish Traditional Jazz Society (Suomen PerinneJazz ry) since its founding in 2012. The CJSQ also performed at the Imatra Big Band Festival, featuring Seppo Hovi on piano, Antti Sarpila on clarinet, Pekka Toivanen on saxophone, Wade Mikkola on bass, and Jartsa Karvonen on drums.
The Finnish Jazz Legend Award
Since 2001, the Finnish Jazz Legend awards have been granted. From 2001 to 2014, the Finnish Big Band Association, the Finnish Jazz & Pop Archive, and the Imatra Big Band Festival selected a total of 28 Jazz Legends. From 2017 to 2023, the awards were managed by the Music Archive (awarding numbers 29 to 42).
In 2024, the Imatra Big Band Festival resumed the administration of the Finnish Jazz Legend award in collaboration with the Finnish Traditional Jazz Society and the Finnish Big Band Association.
Source: Jazzrytmit.fi, Martti Koljonen
Photo: Santeri Tynkkynen