Trumpeter Martti Vesala takes his quintet around Finland on an extensive tour on 12 - 27 January next year, opening Finnish Jazz Federation’s spring season tours. The outfit issued their debut in September on the German label Ozella.
Captained by the eponymous younger generation trumpeter, Martti Vesala Soundpost Quintet take it to the road on 12 - 27 January 2017, kicking off the Finnish Jazz Federation's spring season with a bang. Their debut, Helsinki Soundpost, came out only in September, and now the tour will take them to Koli Jazz in Joensuu, Kouta Hall in Kajaani and Koko Jazz Club in Helsinki, among others.
Comprising some of the finest Finnish jazzers of their generation – saxophonist Pope Puolitaival, pianist Joonas Haavisto, drummer Ville Pynssi and double bassist Juho Kivivuori – the group imbibes inspiration from the rich heritage of the 1960s: the dynamic groove of Miles Davis’s quintet; the experimental American jazz of the era; and saxophonist-composer Wayne Shorter’s elegant musical language list among their major influences. The debut effort was released by the renowned German label Ozella Music whose previous Finnish signees include pianist Kari Ikonen.
Founded in 2011, this stellar quintet performs Vesala’s original music that falls into the loose category of modern jazz. Helsinki Soundpost records a tight-knit unit that tackles their leader’s compositions with a flare for nuanced use of dynamics. Vesala knew before he started writing that he wished to work with a classic jazz quintet with a tenor saxophone and a trumpet: “I wanted to challenge myself as a composer and see what I could produce for this line-up – how to bring out different nuances, for example,” Vesala describes the gestation of the album. Instead of leaning on the so-called Scandinavian sound, Vesala has gone to the urban American jazz tradition for inspiration. On the album, his special aim has been to pen such arrangements that make the most of the classic jazz quintet – the basic unit of modern jazz.
Martti Vesala (b. 1981) belongs to the most sought-after names of the rising Finnish jazz generation. A graduate of Sibelius Academy’s MA programme, Nordic Master in Jazz, he has established himself not only as a trumpeter but a skilled composer, arranger and conductor. Vesala studied under the tutelage of such notable trumpeters as Tim Hagans, Gerard Presencer, Laurie Frink and Peter Asplund, and as his biggest influences he cites Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis and Woody Shaw. In addition to the Soundpost Quintet, he leads and composes for Maratone Quartet – a group that nods strongly to the Scandinavian jazz tradition.
The Finnish Jazz Federation, the umbrella organisation of Finnish jazz music, has celebrated its 50th anniversary this passing year. One the core activities of the Federation is tour production for Finnish jazz acts, and, indeed, four groups – Plop, Kalevi Louhivuori Quintet and Raoul Björkenheim Triad – will be touring under its patronage in 2017 in addition to Vesala's group. Next year will also see the organisation co-produce five tours with other Finnish jazz agencies.
MARTTI VESALA SOUNDPOST QUINTET ON FINNISH JAZZ FEDERATION TOUR
Thu 12 Jan at 19 BoomBox, Jyväskylä, NB: Changed showtime!
Fri 13 Jan at 19 Kaukametsän Kouta Hall, Kajaani
Sat 14 Jan at 19 Teatterikuoppa, Haukipudas
Wed 18 Jan at 20 Wanha Kasino, Savonlinna
Thu 19 Jan at 19 King's Crown, Kuopio, NB: Changed showtime!
Fri 20 Jan at 21 Koli Jazz, Joensuu
Sat 21 Jan at Koko Jazz Club, Helsinki
Fri 27 Jan at 21 Ylläs Jazz & Blues
Martti Vesala Soundpost Quintet
Martti Vesala, trumpet & flugelhorn / Petri "Pope" Puolitaival, tenor saxophone & flute / Joonas Haavisto, piano & rhodes / Juho Kivivuori, double bass / Ville Pynssi, drums & percussion
www.marttivesala.com
www.jazzliitto.fi/
www.facebook.com/soundpostquintet/
www.facebook.com/suomenjazzliitto
Photo: Carl Bergman.