Helsinki-based concert producer Charles Gil will be made Chevalier of the French National Order of Merit for his significant contributions to Finno-French jazz culture and furtherance of a lively cultural exchange between the two countries.
Through agency Free Voices, Free Sounds, which coordinates 5 to 6 tours in Finland, France and the Baltic countries annually, Charles Gil has promoted a friendly collaborative atmosphere between the jazz and free improv scenes of these countries for 20 years. Over the years, he has brought more than 400 French jazz musicians to Finland and organised well over a thousand jazz concerts in dozens of Finnish cities. No wonder that Free Voices, Free Sounds has become synonymous with integrity and high quality in music circles. In years 2003-2013 Gil acted as the curator and producer of the respected concert series Ultra Music at the Pori Jazz Festival. Autumn 2014 saw him accept the post of the director of the Raahe-based festival Jazz On the Beach.
In addition to concert production, Free Voices, Free Sounds actively exports Scandinavian jazz to France and continental Europe and assists Finnish musicians in furthering their international careers.
Gil will receive the medal of Chevalier at the French embassy on 15 February. Previous acknowledgements include the so-called Varjo-Yrjö (Shadow Yrjö) prize, awarded by YLE Jazzradio for the promotion of Finnish jazz culture, in 2004, and the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres with which Gil was recognised in 2010.
In the ceremony live music will be heard from one Finnish, one French group. Duo Frozen Gainsbourg, formed by pianist Aki Rissanen and saxophonist Mikko Innanen, will give a taster of the best of contemporary Finnish jazz; while French Théo Ceccaldi Trio will treat us to their intensive, aerial chamber jazz. Composed of violinist Théo Ceccaldi, guitarist Guillaume Akninen and cellist Valentin Ceccaldi, the group will hit the road on an extensive 15-concert Finnish tour with Finnish trio Pepa Päivinen & Good Romans this February. The leader Ceccaldi is also a member of the French National Jazz Orchestra (l’Orchestre National de Jazz).