Celebrating their upcoming, self-titled album, Jukka Eskola Soul Trio hits the road on an album launch tour on 5-20 May.
The star-studded Jukka Eskola Soul Trio bring out their first full-length album, Soul Trio, on 5 May. Nodding to the rootsy tradition of soul jazz, the trio’s music is classy and swinging modern jazz at its best.
Leading bands Soul Trio and Orquesta Bossa and being an important presence in such groups as Teddy’s West Coasters, Ricky-Tick Big Band, and Five Corners Quintet, trumpeter Jukka Eskola is one of the most defining voices of Finnish contemporary jazz. He is also a veritable genre-chameleon: in addition to his career in jazz, Eskola plays in the house bands of a number of popular entertainment shows, writes horn arrangements and collaborates with some of Finland’s best-known pop stars, including Vesa-Matti Loiri, Juha Tapio and rapper Elastinen.
Soul Trio, Eskola’s newest band, features two colleagues, each leading masters in their instruments: whereas Mikko Helevä has been dubbed Finland’s number one jazz organist, is the dizzyingly swinging Teppo Mäkynen unarguably Finland’s number one jazz drummer. When the trio performs with a full rhythm section, they are joined by the astonishingly versatile bassist Ville Herrala. For the upcoming concert in Espoo, then again, they take the stage with a special guest, the long-standing saxophonist Jukka Perko.
While the majority of the album’s material is by Eskola and Mäkynen, the disc also includes new renditions of “Sweet Honey Bee” by Duke Pearson, “Jumpin’ Punkins” by Mercer Ellington and “More”, the theme song from the documentary Mondo Cane.
“Key in Soul Trio’s music is swing. A strong dose of swing and soul – those have been the two red threads guiding us from the beginning”, describes Eskola. “Another of our strengths is a versatile use of dynamics: this small but ambitious team is capable of both minimalism and maximalism. Stylistically, the trio nods to the sound of the 1960s, but not exclusively; I’m sure every decade is present in our music in some way. I am very pleased that our debut reflects all this, and that is what the upcoming album launch tour will be about!”
The album will come out on acclaimed Helsinki-based record label, Timmion Records.
Jukka Eskola, trumpet / Teppo Mäkynen, drums / Mikko Helevä, organ / Ville Herrala, double bass
Watch the video for track "Introducing the Soul Trio" below.
Jukka Eskola Soul Trio on tour:
Fri 5 May at 20 Porvoo, Vanha Studio 123, WSOY-Talo
Thu 11 May at 19 Helsinki, G Livelab
Fri 12 May at 19 Espoo, Sellosali (feat. Jukka Perko)
Sat 13 May at 21 Salo, Hometown
Wed 17 May at 20, Oulu, Voimala 1889
Thu 18 May at 20 Lappeenranta, Kolme Lyhtyä
Fri 19 May at 19 Pieksämäki, Poleeni
Sat 20 May at 21 Turku, Monk
The tour is supported by the Finnish Jazz Federation.
http://ww.jukkaeskola.com
http://facebook.com/jukkaeskolajazz
http://instagram.com/jukkaeskolaofficial
Photo: Sissi Vuorjoki.