In the first Jazzkynä article of the Jazz in Finland 100 anniversary year, music journalist Matti Laipio takes the reader on a hundred-year journey through Finnish jazz. The story begins in 1926 and moves through the wartime years, the formation of institutional structures, and on to the present day. At the same time, the article offers a preview of the themes of the Jazz in Finland 100 website, which will be launched on 4 June.
Almost one hundred years ago, on 4 June 1926, a crowd of ten thousand people led by the mayor gathered at Helsinki’s South Harbour to welcome the ship Andania, which had brought 700 Finnish Americans to visit Finland. In the midst of the celebrations, it surely went unnoticed that the ship also brought jazz to Finland – at least in a symbolic sense. Jazz-like music had been played in Finland before, of course, but according to contemporary accounts it was more a matter of wildly fast, noisy playing referred to as jazz – so-called “noise jazz.”
The arrival in Helsinki of the Andania’s dance band, the Andania Yankees, gave young Finnish musicians the opportunity to hear authentic American jazz, whose essential elements included improvised solos and rhythmic concepts that differed greatly from noise jazz. Since the lessons learned from the Andania musicians had a significant impact on the development of Finnish jazz, it is justified to celebrate the ship’s arrival as the birthday of Finnish jazz.
The most significant of the Andania musicians was saxophonist Wilfred “Tommy” Tuomikoski, who stayed in Finland for several years and played in the most important orchestras of the 1930s, Ramblers and Dallapé. Unfortunately, despite their high level of jazz performance, little of their music was recorded due to the narrow-mindedness of record companies at the time. A third leading jazz orchestra of the 1930s was Rytmi-Pojat, founded by Cecil Backmansson, who in 1934 also launched Rytmi, one of the world’s oldest jazz magazines.
The promising development of the late 1930s was cut short by the wars, as most musicians were sent either to the front or to entertainment units. After the wars, however, orchestral activity revived surprisingly quickly in a Finland suffering from material scarcity. Professional musicians found plenty of work, especially in restaurants, which employed even large ensembles for long engagements. Dance music dominated, but jazz could still be played.
As early as 1945, orchestra competitions began for both professional and amateur ensembles. The main emphasis of the music performed in these competitions was jazz, as they were organized by jazz enthusiast associations The Jive Club and The Federation of Rhythm Clubs ("Rytmikerhojen Liitto"). These competitions brought to prominence many musicians who would go on to have long-lasting influence on Finnish jazz, such as Erik Lindström, Herbert Katz and Teuvo Suojärvi.
As Finland gradually became more prosperous in the 1950s, work opportunities for orchestras in restaurants declined. At the same time, ensembles became smaller and the role of vocal soloists such as Brita Koivunen and Laila Kinnunen grew. Jazz was often limited to the first hour of performances at dance venues. Jazz thus became primarily a hobby for dance musicians, yet it retained a strong following among school-aged youth in larger cities – listeners who were not interested in the popular music of the time.
Jazz recordings did increase compared to earlier decades, but the quality of most Finnish jazz recordings of the 1950s was not particularly high when compared, for example, with the achievements of Sweden's many world-class musicians.
The 1960s were a decade of major change for Finnish jazz. During that period, many young musicians emerged, including Heikki Sarmanto, Juhani Aaltonen, Eero Koivistoinen, Seppo “Paroni” Paakkunainen, Pekka Pöyry, Reino Laine and Edward Vesala.
In 1965, the first Finnish jazz LP was released: Modern Sounds of Finland by Esa Pethman. A year later, the Finnish Jazz Federation was founded, and in the same year, 1966, the first Pori Jazz Festival was held. The cherry on top of the decade was the victory of Eero Koivistoinen Quartet at the EBU jazz ensemble competition in Montreux in 1969. Finnish jazz had thus risen to an internationally comparable level.
In the 1970s, an increasing number of Finnish musicians were able to play jazz professionally, and international connections strengthened as Finnish musicians expanded their collaboration with foreign artists. Musicians who emerged during that decade and remain active today include Olli Ahvenlahti, Sakari Kukko and Jukka Linkola.
In 1975, the Uuden Musiikin Orkesteri (UMO) was founded. Since then, it has provided an important performance platform for Finnish jazz composers and numerous opportunities to work with world-class conductors and soloists.
For a long time, jazz education in Finland was largely self-directed. This changed in 1972 with the founding of the Oulunkylä Pop/Jazz Music Institute, now known as the Pop & Jazz Conservatory. Among those who received early training there are internationally acclaimed artists such as Iiro Rantala and Verneri Pohjola.
Regular higher-education-level jazz instruction began at the Sibelius Academy in 1983. Starting with just five students, the academy’s jazz department has since produced several generations of leading Finnish jazz musicians. In addition to master’s degrees, several doctorates in jazz have also been completed at the Sibelius Academy, the first by Jari Perkiömäki.
Later, many Finnish jazz musicians have also studied at music academies abroad, thereby creating valuable international contacts and expanding their professional opportunities outside Finland.
Over the past couple of decades, the proportion of female instrumentalists in Finnish jazz has grown. A pioneer in this development has been Iro Haarla, who began her career in the 1970s and remains creatively active. She has been followed by accomplished musicians such as Riitta Paakki, Kaisa Mäensivu, Linda Fredriksson and Adele Sauros.
In terms of quality, Finnish jazz today is internationally competitive. Concrete evidence of this can be seen in the recordings many Finnish musicians have released on major international labels. Therefore, during the anniversary year, more attention should be drawn to jazz, which is currently overshadowed in the media by more mainstream music. Now more than ever, the message of jazz must be amplified.
One of the anniversary projects is the Jazz in Finland 100 ("Jazz Suomi 100") online platform being created by Eero Koivistoinen, Janne Mäkelä and Matti Laipio, which examines the centenarian subject from many perspectives. Alongside the chronological narrative, the platform includes dedicated sections on jazz education, the development of jazz composition, media and jazz, big bands, record labels, festivals, and, of course, the Finnish Jazz Federation, which is also celebrating its anniversary.
The website, hosted on the Music Archive Finland platform and open to the public, will offer not only texts but also interviews with dozens of musicians and other jazz professionals from different generations, an abundance of images, and naturally music – both recordings and live performances by ensembles representing many different eras.
Happy jazz anniversary year!
Matti Laipio
Music journalist