Espoo-based April Jazz and Turku-based Flame Jazz bring the distinguished American jazz pianist Brad Mehldau to Finland in February 2016. A five-time Grammy-nominee, Mehldau released his latest album – a compilation of solo pieces recorded live in Europe over a ten-year period – only in last October. He will be seen on stage at Turku’s Sigyn hall on Friday 12 February and at Espoo’s Sello Hall on the following day.
Mehldau’s last visit to Finland took place fifteen years ago. In addition to his own projects, he has performed with and appeared on the albums of the likes of Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter and John Scofield. The readers of Down Beat have voted Mehldau as the best jazz pianist as many as seven times since the year 1999.
His solo concerts have met with acclaim all over the globe. He is known for his virtuosic touch on the piano and his dazzlingly eclectic programmes where Thelonius Monk, The Beatles and Johannes Brahms meet Nirvana and Radiohead. A masterful composer, Mehldau also includes his original pieces in his solo concerts, without forgetting a generous dose of free improvisation.
Jussi Fredriksson, the artistic director of Flame Jazz on the background of the pianist’s visit: “Brad Mehldau is no doubt the most remarkable jazz pianist of his generation. It is a dream come true to finally have him to Finland. It is only with the help of the collaborative spirit between different Finnish jazz festivals that international jazz stars of this league can be brought to these longitudes.”
“Collaboration with European jazz festivals has been of momentous importance to April Jazz over the years. Thanks to the tightening networks within the Finnish jazz field, Finland is finally emerging as a country worth notice on the map of European jazz”, says Matti Lappalainen, the executive director of April Jazz.
www.apriljazz.fi
www.facebook.com/apriljazzfestival
www.twitter.com/AprilJazzFest