Saxophonist Jukka Perko has entered into a recording contract with one of the world’s leading jazz labels, the German ACT. The album, entitled It Takes Two To Tango, is due to be released in April 2015 and made in collaboration with another successful ACT artist, pianist Iiro Rantala.
The album will be composed of new arrangements of pieces that celebrate love in its all forms, shapes and sizes. It will also be a tribute to Finnish music and the uniting spirit of jazz music. The release will involve a tour in Finland from July to September and in Germany in autumn 2015.
ACT is famous as a proponent of contemporary jazz and its influence can be measured in a global scale. In the past 22 years ACT has provided a home for some of the finest jazz artists of the moment, such as Wolfgang Haffner, Nils Landgren, Youn Sun Nah, Michael Wollny and Lars Danielsson.
One of the most successful jazz musicians of our country, Jukka Perko’s international career started early and with panache when Dizzy Gillespie himself recruited the 19-year-old youngster to play in his big band in 1987. He was compared to Charlie Parker and lauded by the press. After his two-year membership under Gillespie’s wings, Perko has led a number of groups and performed in more than 40 countries. His brilliant technique and ability to spice his jazz with something peculiarly Finnish has made Perko one of the greatest Finnish saxophonists of his generation.
JUKKA PERKO & IIRO RANTALA Duo Art
It Takes Two To Tango
ACT 9629-2 / release date April 2015
Jukka Perko, saxophone
Iiro Rantala, piano