The Jazz Department of the University of the Arts Helsinki organises the annual DIG. jazz festival at the Music Centre, Helsinki, on 4 - 6 October. The line-up includes such groups as the Swedish-Norwegian Atomic, Finno-German-Danish Carl Winther Trio with Timo Lassy, Finno-Swedish duo Sten Sandell & Aki Rissanen and Kalle Kalima Pentasonic.
The 15th annual DIG. Festival, organised by the Jazz Department of the University of the Arts Helsinki, gets its new name from this year’s focus: Nordic jazz. Taking place at the Music Centre, Helsinki, on 4-6 October, norDIG. Festival explores the wide range of Scandinavian jazz, questioning the traditional regional conceptions of jazz. What is American jazz? What is Scandinavian jazz? What is Finnish jazz? The event seeks to answer these questions by delivering a number of A-listers of the Nordic jazz scene. The line-up comprises such names as Sten Sandell & Aki Rissanen Duo (SE/FI), Atomic (NO/SE), Carl Winther Trio with Timo Lassy (DK/SE/FI), Saumur: Arve Henriksen, Hilmar Jensson & Skúli Sverrisson (IS/NO), Antti Lötjönen Quintet East and Berlin-based Finnish guitarist Kalle Kalima’s solo project Pentasonic. Tickets are now available for purchase at Ticketmaster ticket shops and the box office of the Music Centre.
norDIG. kicks off on Wednesday 4 October when the Swede Sten Sandell, known for his long career in the field of improvised music, joins forces with Finnish pianist Aki Rissanen, 20 years his junior. The duo will play both artists’ electro-acoustic material with a strong emphasis on improvisation. After Rissanen and Sandell, the stage will be taken by Norwegian-Swedish group Atomic, an ambitious constellation always searching for new ways of expression. The quintet declares that their show will be “half an academic lecture, half a joyful night on the town”.
Thursday night will be opened by Finns with one of the leading Finnish jazzers, Antti Lötjönen, presenting his regenerated outfit Antti Lötjönen Quintet East. Since last, the group has grown from a quartet to a quintet with the addition of saxophonist Mikko Innanen. Next up will be Danish pianist-composer Carl Winther, who counts among the most important Scandinavian musicians of his generation. He and his trio will be joined by Finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy for this show.
Friday, the closing night of the festival, will be dedicated to adventurous sounds. Finnish guitarist Kalle Kalima has been based in Berlin for some time, but norDIG. will see him give a rare solo show performing music for electric guitar and electronics. Topping off the night will be Saumur, a trio composed of Norwegian Arve Henriksen and Icelandic Hilmar Jensson and Skúli Sverrisson. Exploring the borderlines of experimental, ambient and jazz, they received an honourable mention at the influential Nordic Music Prize for their 2016 self-titled album.
“Often the term ‘Nordic jazz’ suggests ethereal free jazz expression inspired by mountainous landscapes, fjords or wintry lake views, but Nordic jazz is a lot of other stuff, too,” says the Artistic Director Jussi Kannaste. “It is this ‘other stuff’ that this year’s programme is all about.”
It is a tradition that the festival guests also teach the students of the Jazz Department during their stay. Thus, DIG. is not only a high-standard festival but also an important opportunity for the rising jazz Finnish generation to meet some of the most influential artists of the day.
norDIG. 2017
4–6 Oct Black Box, Music Centre (Mannerheimintie 13 A, Helsinki)
Wed 4 Oct at 19.00
Atomic (NO/SE)
Sten Sandell & Aki Rissanen Duo (SE/FI)
Atomic
Fredrik Ljungkvist, tenor sax, clarinet / Magnus Broo, trumpet / Håvard Wiik, piano / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, bass / Hans Hulbækmo, drums
Sten Sandell, piano / Aki Rissanen, piano
Thu 5 Oct at 19.00
Carl Winther Trio with Timo Lassy (DK/SE/FI)
Antti Lötjönen Quintet East
Carl Winther Trio with Timo Lassy
Carl Winther, piano / Johnny Åman, bass / Anders Mogensen, drums / Timo Lassy, tenor sax
Antti Lötjönen Quartet East
Antti Lötjönen, double bass / Joonas Riippa, drums / Verneri Pohjola, trumpet / Jussi Kannaste and Mikko Innanen, saxophones
Pe 6 Oct at 19.00
Saumur: Arve Henriksen, Hilmar Jensson & Skúli Sverrisson (IS/NO)
Kalle Kalima Pentasonic
Kalle Kalima Pentasonic
Kalle Kalima, guitar and electronics
Saumur
Arve Henriksen, trumpet, vocals, electronics / Hilmar Jensson, guitar / Skúli Sverrisson, bass
Tickets: 28/22,50/17,50 € (Ticketmaster), 25/20/15 € (Music Centre), festival pass 63 € (Ticketmaster), 59 € (Music Centre)
http://facebook.com/digfestivaali
Photo: Karolina Thorarensen.