Launched in 2016, Jazz Finland LIVE, a new support form to boost live jazz in Finland, is to be continued this year. During its pilot period, the grant exceeded all expectations in establishing new concert activity around the country and applications flowed in to participate in this year’s grant scheme. Exceptionally, the Finnish Music Foundation made the decision to give the grant to applicants in two parts this year.
Jazz Finland LIVE is a three-year project that aims at establishing a new sustaining support system in the field of jazz, a system that is applicable to other musical genres, too. The grant is to aid professional clubs and concert organisers in covering the costs of a regular concert activity. As a precondition, a local player should receive support from the local city, and the grant sum can be at maximum double the amount received from the city. Here, a regular concert activity means at least one concert per month in at least ten months per year.
This first stage saw the Finnish Music Foundation allocate 13 players the total of 70 000 euros in Jazz Finland LIVE grants. Ministry of Education and Culture will decide on participating in the scheme in late March, and, thus, another round of grants may be given later this year. So far the grant sums have varied between 14 100 euros and 2 700 euros.
This year the grant was received by the following players:
Espoo Big Band ry
Flame Jazz ry, Turku
Helsinki Jazz ry
Jazzkerho -76, Joensuu ry
Koko Jazzin Kannatusyhdistys ry
Kotka Jazz ry
Krapin Paja, Tuusula
Validi Karkia, Pori
Oulun musiikkijuhlasäätiö rs.
Porvoo Jazz Festival
Ravintola Ylhäinen Oy, Iisalmi
SaloJazz ry
TTT-Teatteripalvelut Oy, Tampere
Jazz Finland LIVE is a project coordinated by the Finnish Jazz Federation, Finnish Musicians’ Union and Finnish Music Foundation. For further information, contact the Finnish Jazz Federation Executive Director Ami Vuorinen, ami.vuorinen@jazzliitto.fi, tel. +358 40 742 2524.