Drummer-composer Jussi Lehtonen leads his star-studded group on a Finnish Jazz Federation tour around Finland on 20 February – 9 March. The quintet will be playing at Oulu's Vanha Paloasema, Helsinki's Malmitalo and Salo's Veturitalli, among other venues.
Jussi Lehtonen Band will kick off the Finnish Jazz Federation's spring tour season. The tour takes place on 20 February – 9 March, comprising as many as 11 different Finnish cities. In addition to the leader, the quintet is formed by four heavyweights of Finnish jazz: pianist Aki Rissanen, saxophonist Joonatan Rautio, guitarist Teemu Viinikainen and bassist Jori Huhtala. The tour will see them stop at Jyväskylä, Oulu and Salo, among others, and is as such the very first extensive tour for them.
Jussi Lehtonen counts among the finest Finnish drummers. Known as a versatile musician who has a knack for marrying tradition with a sovereign command of his instrument, he has plenty of experience in working with bands of different sizes. He has also performed with numerous Finnish and international jazz stars, including American saxophonist Dave Liebman, who featured in Lehtonen, Aki Rissanen and Jori Huhtala’s quartet project in 2014. Lehtonen also wrote compositions and arrangements for the quartet’s album, as well as for the Finnish Koko Jazz Orchestra, whose debut album came out the same year. In addition to his own groups, Lehtonen plays alongside the likes of Eero Koivistoinen, Jukkis Uotila and Severi Pyysalo.
Lehtonen is an active composer whose discography comprises three solo albums: the 2009 Firstborn, the 2013 This Time and the 2017 Move On. For his latest album, Move On, released in late 2017, Lehtonen reassembled the trusted crew of his debut album and, indeed, the material was written with these musicians in mind. This stellar quintet paints with strong colours and high intensity which allows each player’s strengths come to the fore beautifully.
Jussi Lehtonen Band
Jussi Lehtonen, drums and compositions / Joonatan Rautio, tenor saxohpone / Teemu Viinikainen, guitar / Aki Rissanen, piano / Jori Huhtala, double bass
Jussi Lehtonen Band on Finnish Jazz Federation Tour:
Tue 20 Feb at 19 Kangasala, Kangasala-talo
Wed 21 Feb at 19 Seinäjoki, Hotelli Alma
Thu 22 Feb at 20 Jyväskylä, Poppari
Fri 23 Feb at 20 Oulu, Vanha Paloasema
Sat 24 Feb at 21:30 Joensuu, Teatteriravintolan terassi
Sun 25 Feb at 18 Savonlinna, Wanha Kasino NOTE new time!
Tue 27 Feb at 19 Helsinki, Malmitalo
Wed 28 Feb at 20 Kuopio, King's Crown
Thu 1 Mar at 19 Salo, Veturitallit
Fri 2 Mar at 19 Espoo, Tapiola Garden
Thu 8 Mar at 19 Helsinki, Koko Jazz Club
Fri 9 Mar at 19 Turku Jazz Festival, Logomo
Founded in 1966, the Finnish Jazz Federation is the umbrella organisation of Finnish jazz and the largest body to promote the interests of Finnish jazz culture in Finland and to represent Finnish jazz in national cultural and political debates. It hosts the website Jazz Finland, Finland’s most significant jazz medium, database and concert calendar. In spring 2018 Jussi Lehtonen Band, Njet Njet 9, Kaisa’s Machine, Jukka Perko Tritone will hit the road on Jazz Finland tours. Njet Njet 9 and Jukka Perko Tritone tours will be co-produced with other agencies. In addition to these, the Finnish Jazz Federation co-produces a double-header tour with Free Voices, Free Sounds. By tour production, the Federation aims at spreading the joy of jazz around Finland.