Jazz City Turku and food festival Food & Fun join forces and serve you international treats and great jazz on 5 - 8 October.
The delicious jazz week kicks off on Wednesday at the cafe-bar Tiirikkala’s intimate milieu with the internationally recognised Finno-Swedish trio Elifantree’s show. Combining jazz, experimental pop and electro, they are bound to charm the audience with their irrepressible energy. On Thursday, the jazz and prog elder statesman Juka Gustavson hits the stage. Known from the pioneering outfit Wigwam, the Hammond master will bring his star-studded quintet to Tiirikkala. They will be joined by a very special guest, one of the founding members of UMO Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Pentti Lahti, who has recently retired from his post to become an independent artist.
The weekend will be started with style at Börs Night Club, which will be playing host to the sweltering swing of Timo Lassy Band. This will be the first time for the sax man’s hot quintet to take to the stage in Turku after the release of the acclaimed album Love Bullet, shortlisted by the British Sunday Times among the top ten jazz albums of 2015. You should expect nothing less than a fireworks of energy and captivating stage presence from this A-listing combo! The stage will be warmed up by a union of young jazz lions, organ trio Buba Wii Aa. Their recently-released debut cassette Taco Taco Taco! brims with the atmosphere of the sunny beach boulevards of the 1960s San Francisco. What a perfect start to the evening!
Saturday 8 October will see an anticipated premiere. The local big band, Turku Jazz Orchestra, will be performing composer Vellu Halkosalmi’s new composition “Playing Reality”, written specifically for the orchestra and soloist, vibraphonist Panu Savolainen. As the title hints, the piece tackles the idea of play and learning through fun and games, and each part of the composition represent a different phase in the development of the human psyche during the great adventure of childhood: trial, error, play and growth. The vibraphone will act as the voice of the human in the making, while the orchestra represents the challenges of the outer world.
Before the concerts, the audience has a unique chance to enjoy the offerings of the Food and Fun festival. Turku-based restaurants will be setting their tables with flavours from around the world, prepared by international chefs. Book your table on: www.foodandfunfinland.fi.
Food & Fun 2016 / Jazz City Turku
Wed 5 Oct at 20 Food & Fun: Elifantree (SWE/FIN), Tiirikkala
Thu 6 Oct at 20 Food & Fun: Jukka Gustavson Organ Fusion Band, Tiirikkala
Fri 7 Oct at 21 Food & Fun: Timo Lassy Band + Buba Wii Aa, Börs Night Club
Sat 8 Oct at 20 Food & Fun: Turku Jazz Orchestra & Panu Savolainen: Playing Reality, Logomo, Logi 3