The 12 Points festival brings twelve emerging jazz artists from twelve different European countries to Finland. The festival will take place from September 25th to 28th at G Livelab in Tampere. The event is organized by the Irish music promotion company Improvised Music Company and the music club G Livelab Tampere.
The bands performing at the festival include Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui (Finland), Fixity (Ireland), Emmeluth’s Amoeba (Norway), Beyond (Lithuania), Invisible Painters (Italy), Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet (Denmark), Pawky (Sweden), Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi (Iceland), Inui (France), /kry (Austria), Sc’ööf (Switzerland), and TamTam (Estonia). Each evening of the four-day festival will feature performances by three different bands. The festival will be hosted by Verneri Pohjola, who gained international recognition for his career after performing at the 12 Points festival.
The festival nights at G Livelab on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will conclude with free late-night jam sessions, where in previous years many new musical friendships and even new jazz ensembles have emerged. The jam sessions will be hosted by local musicians Markus Pajakkala and Juho Kanervo, with guest performances by Tampere-based bands Kielo Kärkkäinen & Friend Soup, Hot Heros, and !imouS.
In connection with the festival, the Jazz Futures conference will also take place in Tampere, in collaboration with the Better Live EU project and Tampere City Library. The free conference, held at Metso, Tampere’s main library, will focus on the current state of jazz and, most importantly, its future. This year’s discussions will emphasize the future of jazz in relation to environmental issues, responsibility, and accessibility.
Originally from Dublin, the 12 Points festival alternates yearly between Ireland and a different European city. Previous host cities have included Stavanger, Porto, Amsterdam, and Umeå.
“We are proud of this collaboration with 12 Points. Throughout its existence, the festival has served as an important launching pad for numerous young jazz stars to build international careers. It's wonderful to welcome European partners and jazz audiences to Tampere for both 12 Points and the Jazz Futures conference,” says Annamaija Saarela, CEO of G Livelab Tampere.
One of the artists performing at the 12 Points festival will be chosen to receive the prestigious Zenith Award from the Europe Jazz Network. The award is selected by a jury of professionals from the Europe Jazz Network’s membership.
Finnish jazz bands that have previously performed at the 12 Points festival include Virta, HERD, Mopo, Ilmiliekki Quartet, and Elifantree.
Tampere’s 12 Points festival receives support from the City of Tampere, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. The event is also partnered with Operaatio Pirkanmaa.
In the photo: Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui. Photo: Severi Uusitalo