Organized on 9 to 14 December, We Jazz 2013 showcases both domestic and international jazz artists in its week-long run of concerts. Acts featured in the bill include Tomasz Stanko Quintet, Timo Lassy Band, Andrew Cyrille & Mikko Innanen, Jukka Eskola Orquesta Bossa, Black Motor & Verneri Pohjola and Klima Kalima. The event spreads itself across town, touching down on various different venues ranging from the Savoy Theatre to the intimate surroundings at Teatteri Kallio. In addition to concerts, We Jazz 2013 features a jazz-themed gallery exhibition.
The Helsinki-based creative office We Jazz will host a new multifaceted jazz event We Jazz 2013 in Helsinki on December 9 to 14. The event’s line up includes a cast of both Finnish and international acts ranging stylistically across the field of jazz. Some of the concerts take a new approach in creating a unique context for the performance, and there will also be a jazz-themed gallery exhibition which is available for a total of two weeks. All concerts will be on sale on September 13, 10:00 (GMT +3) at Tiketti outlets.
”I would say it’s more of a jazz-installation than a traditional festival”, says Matti Nives, the Managing Director of We Jazz and the Artistic Director of We Jazz 2013. ”We imaged the best possible version of Helsinki as a jazz town, and tried to create a program which for the duration of a week includes interesting concerts each night in exciting locations in and around the Helsinki city centre.”
International stars from Stanko to Osby
One of the international acts at We Jazz 2013 is the Polish trumpeter, Tomasz Stanko, an undisputed legend of European jazz. Stanko will present his ”European quintet” first time in Helsinki. The band also includes the Finnish jazz talent of pianist Alexi Tuomarila and drummer Olavi Louhivuori. The quintet released the acclaimed album ”Dark Eyes” in 2009 via the highly-regarded ECM Records.
Other guests arriving in Helsinki for the week of jazz include the charismatic American vocalist Joyce Elaine Yuille, backed by the top billing Finnish sax man Timo Lassy and his combo, the pianist Roy Assaf from New York, who will perform with the NYConnection quartet, co-led by drummer Jaska Lukkarinen, and the Berlin-based Finnish guitarist Kalle Kalima, whose German/Finnish Klima Kalima trio will make their eagerly-awaited return to Helsinki.
The opening concert on Monday 9 December at the atmospheric Aleksanterin teatteri will present the legendary American drummer Andrew Cyrille performing as a duo with the hard-hitting Finnish saxophone player Mikko Innanen, the Blue Note recording American saxophonist Greg Osby, who will join forces with the Swiss trio VEIN, and the Jukka Eskola Orquesta Bossa, whose new album is rated as one of the top releases this year in the Finnish scene. The evening will also include a very special ”jazz essay” by the multifunctional Finnish artist M.A. Numminen.
A wide variety of top quality Finnish jazz
Many Finnish jazz artists are currently gaining more and more of a foothold on the international jazz circuit and We Jazz 2013 is happy to present a solid line up of local jazz talent. Artists featured include the Timo Lassy Band, who recently sold out a 1,500 capacity show at the Helsinki Festival, the energetic trio Mopo, whose debut album is currently making waves especially in the UK, Black Motor & Verneri Pohjola, a unity of one of the most original trio formations on the scene and the ACT-recording trumpet comet, and the far-reaching duo Kahden miehen galaksi, whose music is self-described as ”freebassjazzhoplounge”.
Some of the Finnish artists taking part also boldly go into the challenging domain of a solo performance. These include the double bass player Antti Lötjönen, the pianist Joona Toivanen, who will also release his new solo piano album at We Jazz 2013, and the vibes man Panu Savolainen from HERD.
The We Jazz DJs, best known from their celebtrated club night at Kuudes Linja will host the closing party on their home turf, where their no-nonsense selections of high-octane jazz for the dancefloor will keep pumping until late.
Visual experimentations
A part of the idea of We Jazz 2013 is to challenge the very concept of performance by taking both the artists and their audience onto uncarted territories. The #1 drummer in Finland, Teppo Mäkynen, will take his We Jazz Loft Sessions collective into the world of 3D at Kuudes Linja. The ”loft jazz” setting envelops both the band and their audience within layers of color in a unique way.
At another end of the visual scale is the concert organized at the intimate Teatteri Kallio, where saxophonist Jukka Perko along with his band will perform an improvised concert in complete darkness.
The visual theme is further extended at the film theatre Andorra, where the quintet Oddarrang, currently selling out shows in the UK, will present their new album ”In Cinema”.
Future stars
During their new event, We Jazz will also present the first ”We Jazz Rising Star” award to a promising up-and-coming ensemble. The band will perform at the event, and receive a much-needed push into the right direction from We Jazz, also actively working within the realms of production and PR. The award will be released during the fall.
There’s a solid chance that some future jazz stars will also be in the audience at the Children’s Concert organized at the legendary club venue Tavastia on Saturday 14 December. The concert features Mopo & Friends plus a variety of workshops for children with the suggested age of 3 to 10 years. The aim of the concert is to create an approachable access into several different aspects of creating and releasing jazz music.
Jazz gallery exhibition in Kluuvi
Already a week before the actual We Jazz 2013 event begins, a gallery exhibition related to the visual side of jazz will open at the gallery on the 3rd floor of the Kluuvi centre right at the heart of Helsinki. The exhibition will bring together Finnish jazz vinyl cover art, jazz-themed visual art and photography, plus films.
The films featured will include ”See the Music” by Theo Kotulla, a rarely seen archive film from late 1960’s previously presented at the ECM Records’ exhibition in Münich this year. Additionally, the first ten episodes of ”Live at We Jazz” by We Jazz and Unifilm will be showcased. The audience will have a free entry to the exhibition.
The Opening concert is already on sale at Tiketti, and all remaining concerts will be available on Friday, September 13 at 10:00 (GMT +3).
There will also be a joint ticket available, including all the We Jazz 2013 events announced.
http://www.wejazz.fi/2013
http://www.facebook.com/events/217098445122004/
Ticket sales: Tiketti, http://www.tiketti.fi/tapahtuma/22035 (available 13 September 10:00, Opening concert already available), ticket prices do not include seller commission.
WE JAZZ 2013
Mon 9.12. Aleksanterin teatteri 7:00 pm
Andrew Cyrille & Mikko Innanen (US/FI), VEIN feat Greg Osby (CH/US), Jukka Eskola Orquesta Bossa, M.A. Nummisnen: ”Jazz”
Tickets 39 € (on sale)
Tue 10.12. Kuudes Linja 6:30 pm
3D Concert / We Jazz Loft Sessions (Teppo Mäkynen & co)
25 €
Tue 10.12. Koko Jazz Club 9:00 pm
Klima Kalima (GER/FI), Panu Savolainen solo
15 € / 9 € (standard/student)
Wed 11.12. Film Theatre Andorra 7:00 pm
Oddarrang "In Cinema"
15 €*
Wed 11.12. Dubrovnik 9:00 pm
Timo Lassy presents Joyce Elaine Yuille (US), Antti Lötjönen solo, We Jazz DJs
25 €*
*Wednesday combo ticket 32 €
Thu 12.12. Teatteri Kallio 6:30 pm
Concert in complete darkness / Jukka Perko & co
25 €
Thu 12.12. Koko Jazz Club 9:00 pm
Roy Assaf – Jaska Lukkarinen NYConnection (US/FI), ”We Jazz Rising Star 2013” Award Winner
*15 € / 9€ (standard/student)
Fri 13.12. Koko Jazz Club 9:00 pm
Mopo, Black Motor & Verneri Pohjola
15 € / 9€ (standard/student)
Sat 14.12. Siltanen 11 am to 4 pm
Jazz Brunch (program TBA)
free entry
Sat 14.12. Tavastia 12noon
Lastenkonsertti / Mopo ystävineen, työpajoja
15 € / 25 € / 40 € / 50 € / 60 € (1 hlö / 2 hlö / 3 hlö / 4 hlö / 5 hlö)
* Lastenkonsertin ryhmäliput saatavilla ainoastaan ennakkoon.
Sat 14.12. Savoy-teatteri 6:30 pm
Tomasz Stanko Quintet (PL/FI), Timo Lassy Band, Joona Toivanen solo
49 €*
la 14.12. Kuudes Linja 10 pm to 4 am
Dalindèo, Kahden miehen galaksi, We Jazz DJs
19 €*
* Savoy + Kuudes Linja combo ticket 59 € only on presale.
** We Jazz 2013 Full Pass 150 € (strictly limited, only available at presale, 111 € with the 9 DEC ticket 111 €)
+ 2.-14.12. ”We Jazz 2013” Gallery exhibtion