Jyväskylä-born bassist and composer Jori Huhtala's quintet kicks off their tour on Wednesday, April 8th, at Jyväskylä's one and only jazz club Poppari.
While having jazz as the red thread and bedrock of their music, Jori Huhtala 5 is not afraid of enriching their sound with some elements of pop and film music. The group’s style ranges from lyrical to cacophonic, traditional to avant-garde and rhythm-driven to pulselessly lingering. At the core, however, lie bassist Huhtala's finely crafted compositions and the band members' outstanding skills of improvisation. The band’s debut album was released in January on Fredriksson Music, just before they hit the road this spring. Since the first steps taken together as a group, Jori Huhtala 5 have been followed with interest, and in 2014 they performed at Tampere Jazz Happening, for instance. All the members belong to the new generation of Finnish jazz musicians, whose artistic vision and professionalism are taking them rapidly to the bigger leagues.
The Jyväskylä native Jori Huhtala (b. 1984) graduated from his hometown’s local conservatory as a pop-jazz musician in 2004. He completed his MA degree at the jazz department of the Sibelius Academy in 2014. The academic year 2010-2011was spent studying at Stockholm’s Kungliga Musikhögskolan. Huhtala is involvd in the groups Kvalda, Big Blue, Raoul Björkenheim Ecstasy, Panu Savolainen Toivo and Jussi Fredriksson Jazz Wars.
Jori Huhtala 5 on tour:
Mikko Innanen – baritone and alto saxophones
Joakim Berghäll – tenor and alto saxophonist
Aki Rissanen – piano
Jori Huhtala – double bass, compositions
Ville Pynssi – drums
Wed 8.4. Jyväskylä, Poppari, at 9.30pm, tickets 8/6€
Thu 9.4. Lappeenranta, Ravintola Kolme Lyhtyä, at 8pm, tickets 10/5€
Fri 10.4. Kuopio, Musiikkikeskus, Jazzklubi, at 9.30pm, tickets 15/10€
Sat 11.4. Joensuu, Teatteriravintolan terassi, 9.30pm, tickets 15/10€
Thu 16.4. Helsinki, Ravintola Laulumiehet, at 7pm, tickets 12/8€
Fri 17.4. Turku, Åbo Svenska Teater, Café Tiljan, at 9pm, tickets 15/10€
Sat 18.4. Raahe, Kruununmakasiini, at 7pm, tickets 15/10/5€