Helsinki Jazz organizes the first jaZZanti event, where top Swedish and Finnish musicians will meet in the spirit of free improvisation.
What happens when many top musicians meet each other for the first time and playing free improvisations? Come and experience a unique concert experience during the weekend 13-14.11.2021!
jaZZanti will feature visits from Swedish saxophonist Linen Rylander Löve, pianist Sten Sandell, trombone player Mats Äleklint and double bassist Torbjörn Zetterberg. They will be playing together with trumpet player Verneri Pohjola, cellist Aino Juutilainen, accordionist Veli Kujala and drummer Mika Kallio. During the weekend, we will hear a variety of groups from solos to an octet.
jaZZanti event
Balder Hall (Aleksanterinkatu 12, 00170 Helsinki)
Saturday 13th Nov and Sunday 14th Nov
19.00-19.45 and 20.15-21.00
The café is open before the concert and during interval. Doors open on each day at 18.30. Records of Swedish musicians will also be available, payment by credit card.
Programme changes are possible.
Supporters: City of Helsinki, The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) and The Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation.
The event follows the current official guidelines for the coronavirus epidemic, as well as the health safety measures required by the Communicable Diseases Act.
Further details about Swedish musicians
Lisen Rylander Löve is a musician and composer whose music covers jazz, electronic music, experimental pop and free improvisation. She started with classical piano at the age of six and at the age of 14 she formed her first pop band as a singer and saxophonist. Eventually, saxophone, improvisation, and a more liberal approach to music became increasingly important. Lisen has released numerous albums and performed around the world and collaborated with several well-known musicians.
Sten Sandell (born 1958) is a skilful improviser, composer, pianist and sound artist. Sandell has gained his music influences very extensively. He has been inspired for example by free improvisation, contemporary music (Cage, Feldman, Xenakis) and various ethnic musicians from Swedish folk music to Indian classical music.
Sandell has been involved in a wide range of projects between improvisation and contemporary music, acoustic music and electronic music, together with many major European musicians. In his record production, there are over 40 recording from solos for different configurations. He has also written his doctoral thesis on music at University of Gothenburg 2013.
Torbjörn Zetterberg (b. 1976) is an internationally acclaimed composer and double bassist. With his double bass and compositions, he creates soulful, ingenious and fascinating worlds of music. His band “Och Den Stora Frågan” has made four excellent records as an example of his composing style and playing. Torbjörn has also collaborated a lot with his life partner Susana Santos Silva in various bands and this spring their second highly rated duo album “Tomorrow” was released.
Mats Äleklint (b. 1979) is a well-known versatile trombonist, playing mainly in free improvisation and jazz, but he also plays blues, soul, theatre music, pop and rock. He has toured extensively in Europe in various bands, such as Paal Nilsen-Loven Large Unit and Angels 9, and he has also visited Finland several times. His playing can be heard in several different records.
Further details about Finnish musicians
Aino Juutilainen is a cellist improviser based in Helsinki. She has a classical education, but her main focus is in creating and improvising. Her extensive network of contacts includes both classical, jazz and pop musicians, choreographers, dancers, actors, theatre directors and puppet theatre artists. She is currently working on a series of sound art pieces called Jälkiä, which received funding from the Kone Foundation for the years 2019-2021.
Mika Kallio (b. 1974) knew from an early age that he wanted to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become a professional drummer. His uncle Roope Koistinen gave Mika his first drumsticks when he was 10 years old. Kallio began his music studies at the Joensuu Conservatory and ended them at the Jazz Department of the Sibelius Academy, where he graduated in 2002. Mika Kallio has collaborated with almost all major Finnish jazz musicians, such as Mikko Innanen, Kari Ikonen, Pauli Lyytinen, Raoul Björkenheim and especially with Verneri Pohjola and they released on 2018 acclaimed duo album Animal Image.
Veli Kujala (b. 1976) has gained a solid reputation as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music on the accordion. In 2010 he completed his Doctor of Music -degree with distinction from the Sibelius-Academy. He has been awarded several times in international competitions as both an accordionist and a composer. His diverse compositional output extends from electro-acoustic works to orchestral works. His composer portrait CD ‘Hyperorganism’ (Alba Records) was nominated for the best Finnish classical album of the year 2016. He was given “The Contemporary Composer of the Year” -award by the Finnish Music Publishers Association in 2020. Since 2005 Veli Kujala has been a teacher of concert accordion and improvisation at the Sibelius Academy and since autumn 2020 he is working as the head of the classical accordion department at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.
The unique sound and style of trumpeter and composer Verneri Pohjola (b. 1977) is immediately recognizable. His work communicates particular depth, warmth and humanness through eloquent improvisation. Or as described in Helsingin Sanomat, Verneri Pohjola is ”The most human-voiced trumpet player in the country.” Pohjola has had continuous success in making improvisation and jazz music approachable for audiences across genres, while never losing integrity or will to explore and surprise.
Photos: Lisen Rylander Löve – Kerstin Ehrnlund, others: Sakari Puhakka