The Kerava Jazz Festival, taking place at the turn of August and September, consists of nine concert and club events. The main concert on September 2nd will feature two charismatic female musicians leading their quintets: Elin Forkelid with "Plays For Trane" and the Sun-Mi Hong Quintet. The third group to take the stage will be PLOP, together with the eternally charismatic Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen.
Saxophonist Elin Forkelid, along with some of Sweden's finest jazz musicians, succeeds in adding her own touch to John Coltrane's avant-garde music while maintaining a firm grip on its spirituality.
Drummer Sun-Mi Hong, coming from Amsterdam, relies on her own compositions, which reflect the influence of American traditions but also bring an interesting addition from Hong's Korean background. The ensemble, formed with young top European musicians, creates a dynamic and vibrant soundscape that captivates the listener. The band has been noticed at several major European festivals.
Equally radiant is the band Signe, who will kick off the festival with their concert. The group, consisting of three colorful female vocalists, takes the audience to the realms of Nordic jazz, contemporary music, and poetry. The beautiful and original harmonies make the listeners pause for a moment. Representing more traditional jazz vocals is Mirja Mäkelä, who will perform at the Aurinkomäki free concert. At Kerava Hall, the audience will be treated to the groovy interpretations of rock and pop music gems by the soul queen Johanna Försti.
The Aurinkomäki free concert showcases a strong local presence. Saxophonist Janne Huttunen, who received his basic education at the local music institute, brings a true Finnish jazz dream team to the stage, including elite trumpeter Jukka Eskola. The music to be played comes from Huttunen's brand-new album Two Shadows of You. As the cherry on top, the "most famous Kerava resident," Pentti Lahti, interprets saxophonist David Sanborn's music in his eternally charismatic style. A powerful blend of jazz, funk, and R&B awaits at Aurinkomäki!
More information: www.keravajazz.fi
Sun-Mi Hong © Petra Beckers