Pianist Joona Toivanen and Finnish jazz quartet Big Blue head Sweden on a double-header tour this March, playing at three venues. The concert programme constitutes of Toivanen’s solo material, "Polarities", and of Big Blue’s quartet set.
Finnish pianist Joona Toivanen released his first solo recording, Polarities, last year. Combining prepared piano with electronic effects, Toivanen creates intriguing soundscapes, which he presented to the audiences on tour organised by the Finnish Jazz Federation in autumn 2014, for instance. Toivanen is recognised especially as a leader of his trio, with which he has released a number of albums internationally. Joona Toivanen Trio's latest album was an Emma-nominee for the best jazz recording in this year’s Emma Gala. Toivanen has resided in Sweden for more than ten years now.
Big Blue performs modern jazz with many an original twist, exploring the whole stylistic realm of jazz freely and boldly. This democratic brotherhood evades all generic pitfalls, keeping all doors open on their musical journey. The quartet has released two acclaimed recordings on the Italian-American label CAM Jazz, toured extensively and participated in the Young Nordic Jazz Comets Finnish semi-finals and the prestigious Spanish Getxo Jazz Competition. Recognised both in the Finnish and international jazz scene, all the members are not only accomplished musicians but composers, too, contributing material to Big Blue and their own ensembles. Most of the members have strong ties to other Scandinavian countries: drummer Joonas Leppänen has studied in Göteborg, bassist Jori Huhtala spent a year as an exchange student in Stockholm and pianist Antti Kujanpää in Trondheim, Norway. A strong Nordic connection definitely exists, then, and the group is eagerly awaiting their upcoming gigs on the other side of the Gulf of Bothnia.
Joona Toivanen Polarities
Joona Toivanen – piano, prepared piano
Big Blue
Kalevi Louhivuori – trumpet
Antti Kujanpää – piano
Jori Huhtala – bass
Joonas Leppänen – rummut
10 Mar Halmstad, Jazzklubb
11 Mar Göteborg, Brötz
14 Mar Stockholm, Glenn Miller Café
www.joonatoivanen.com
http://bigbluegroup.bandcamp.com