50-year-old Jazz Federation invited its member communities again to get together and celebrate yet one more year of Finnish jazz culture.
The Finnish Jazz Convention is as old of a tradition as the federation itself, and for the past three years the event has found its home by the side of Tampere Jazz Happening festival during the All Saints Day weekend. Like every year, the General Assembly of the federation took place in Tampere, as well as the annual Yrjö award ceremony. In addition to wonderful musical experiences, and relaxed atmosphere, the anniversary year’s Jazz Convention echoed with history and new inspiration.
Friday, November 4th: Yrjö Award and Yrjö Orchestra
The Yrjö Jazz Award is an annual recognition given to a Finnish jazz artist in acknowledgement of his or her outstanding contribution to Finnish jazz music. Awarded by the Finnish Jazz Federation, the umbrella organisation of Finnish jazz, the Yrjö was launched in 1967, the year that the Federation was founded. This year’s winning artist was saxophonist Esa Pietilä (b. 1964), whose original, genre-defying work in the field of avant-garde jazz recommended him as the Yrjö awardee 2016.
– Pietilä is known as a fearless improviser and musical visionary. His repertory is extremely versatile, including collaborations with classical orchestras. Moreover, he has brought not only Finnish but also international critics to their knees: the influential jazz magazine New York City Jazz Record shortlisted the debut album of Pietilä’s group Liberty Ship among the albums of 2013, explains Petteri Klintrup, the Chair of the Finnish Jazz Federation board.
The prize itself is a work of art created by a different artist each year. This year, the Yrjö is a art piece from the pen of Tampere-based visual artist Ville Pirinen. The piece, entitled “Snake Charmer”, was commissioned specifically for Pietilä. Pirinen – also a musician himself – has become known for his comic character Ornette Birks Makkonen, whose adventures have appeared as comic books and on the pages of music magazine Soundi.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio’s Varjo-Yrjö prize was rewarded for notable contribution to the Finnish jazz culture at the same event. The recipient was long-standing photographer Maarit Kytöharju.
– Having started her career as a professional photographer at Tampere Jazz Happening, Kytöharju has captured countless memorable Finnish jazz moments for almost three decades. Her photographs convey the essence of jazz – the living and improvising in the fleeting now – in a remarkable way, describes Markus Partanen, journalist and the host of the Yle Jazzradio.
The year 2016 has seen the Finnish Jazz Federation celebrate its 50 th anniversary. This has meant that the Yrjö Jazz Prize, too, has been awarded for half a century, and as a part of the anniversary celebrations the Yrjö’s have been touring Finland this year. The exhibition Noin 50 Yrjöä (Roughly 50 Yrjö’s), which tells the story of the Yrjö prize, was dispalyed at Tampere’s Telakka during Tampere Jazz Happening, on 3 - 6 November, and will travel to its final destination at Helsinki’s Library 10 on 28 November - 18 December.
After the award-winning Esa Pietilä's solo concert, it was time for the final show of the 'Juhlaorkesteri'. Saxophonist, also Yrjö-awarded, Mikko Innanen was invited to assemble an orchestra combining Yrjö-awarded musicians of the past years, to perform their original music at festivals throughout the year. The orchestra has seen many formations, from a cavalcade of soloists to a solid quintet play. This time the band was as tight as ever: Mikko Innanen on sax, Teemu Viinikainen on guitar, Teppo Mäkynen on drums, Kari Ikonen on keys, Ulf Krokfors on bass and a guest performance by the Yrjö 2016 Pietilä on sax.
Saturday, November 5th: General Assembly and lunch with the Guests of Honour
On Saturday the day began with the General Assembly of the Finnish Jazz Federation. The spirit in the assembly was strong and upbeat: All the 44 member organizations seemed to have a lot going on, and the floor was taken by many. The Annual Plan and Budget for 2017 was confirmed, and the new Chairperson and Board of 8 people were elected. Petteri Klintrup was given the vote of confidence to continue as Chair, and as to point out the new enthusiasm in the Finnish jazz field, there were more candidates than seats to the Board. After the election the Board saw two new members, both concert/club promoters.
In 2017 the Federation will continue producing national tours and supporting externally producs tours: 9 in total next year. In the summer the Jazz Federation will produce the Jazz-Espa concert series in Helsinki for the 18th time, and its side festival Jazzjatkot for the second time. The next Jazz Convention will also take place in Tampere in November 2017, with the same concept. The international, already established projects, like the Young Nordic Jazz Comets showcase, the French-Finnish Vapaat Äänet collaboration, the Heimojazz exchange with the Estonians and the annual Jazzahead participation will go on and will be developed further.
The newer projects of the Federation include Jazz Finland website, which will be developed into a more updated and readable format in 2017, and there will be more editorial content added to the concept. The Jazz Finland concept has expanded to a variety of projects, such as Jazz Finland LIVE, a national support system for jazz concert series and club promoters, and Jazz Finland International, an export/exchange network for Finnish companies.
After the GA the happy crowd was joined by some of the remarkable people who have influenced the Finnish jazz culture in the past decades. The luncheon included the founders of Pop&Jazz Conservatory, Seija and Klaus Järvinen, the former Chairman of the Jazz Federation, York von Willebrand and ex-Executive Manager Timo Vähäsilta, and long-term journalists Matti Laipio and Hannu Lahtonen. The bubbly discussion about the past and the present of Finnish jazz concluded in Matti Laipio's words:
"The level of Finnish jazz musicians has elevated so much in the past 20 years. The professionalism has overall high standards and it can be seen in the international success of many contemporary artists, instead of just a handful of individuals."
Text: Raisa Siivola/Anna Innanen
Photos: Maarit Kytöharju/Katariina Uusitupa