The cinematic quintet, led by drummer Olavi Louhivuori, tours Finland in December 2014 and February 2015.
Oddarrang, an unusual outfit in the field of Finnish popular music, will go on a tour co-produced by Annamaija Music Company and the Finnish Jazz Federation this December and in February next year. The group plays its leading figure Olavi Louhivuori’s compositions, hybridising jazz with post rock and art music, having received plenty of praise for their subtlety of expression and extended soundscapes that draw the listener in from head to toe. Oddarrang released their third album, In Cinema, in autumn 2013, and, fittingly, they have performed the music accompanied by four short silent films in recent years. In fact, it was for these films that Louhivuori originally created the music. In February 2015 the group will revisit the same concept by fitting the four short films with music live in Kuhmo and Tampere. In addition, the tour will take Louhivuori and his crew to Helsinki, Savonlinna, Jyväskylä and Turku, the last mentioned being the first stop, on 5 December.
Oddarrang is a tough one to pigeonhole. Founded in 2006, they have evaded categories from the start, creating their own sound from such varied building blocks as jazz, classical music, world music and the dreamy and frail strain of postmodern rock, represented by the likes of the Icelandic artists Björk and Sigur Rós. The unusual instrumentation – trombone, cello, guitar, double bass and drums – offers an intriguing starting point for the composer Louhivuori to work with.
Oddarrang released their debut in 2007, and it was selected as the Jazz Album of the Year in Finnish Emma Music Awards. Oddarrang has also toured Europe extensively, playing at Paris Jazz Festival, at 12 Points festival in Doublin, at the Jazzahead event in Bremen and at Glasgow Jazz Festival. In 2008 the group headed to Japan, returning there in December 2011 to perform material from their second album.
In Cinema, the third album by Oddarrang, came out last year in November on the British Edition Records. The event was coupled with live shows in the UK – many of them sold out. They also played to a full house in Finland, or full cinema, more like, since the We Jazz 2013 event saw the group paint their deep and spiralling soundscapes at cinema Andorra in Helsinki. The web media Marlbrank recently chose the album as the European Jazz Album of the Year. In Cinema was also nominated for a Teosto Prize earlier this year.
Watch the official video "Self Portrait" by Oddarrang.
ODDARRANG
Olavi Louhivuori, drums / Ilmari Pohjola, trombone / Lasse Lindgren, bass / Lasse Sakara, guitar / Osmo Ikonen, cello
ODDARRANG ON TOUR 2014-2015
Fri 5 Dec at 9:00PM Turku, Flame Jazz / Cafe Tiljan
Wed 10 Dec at 9:00PM Savonlinna, Wanha Kasino
Thu 11 Dec at 9:30PM Jyväskylä, Poppari
Wed 25 Feb at 9:00PM Helsinki, Kuudes linja
Fri 27 Feb at 7:00PM Kuhmo, Lentua Sali (cinema concert)
Sat 28 Feb at 7:00PM Tampere, Tampere-Talo, pieni sali (cinema concert)
http://www.olavilouhivuori.com/oddarrang
http://www.facebook.com/Oddarrang
http://www.editionrecords.com/artists/oddarrang