Oulu Music Festival's Jazz & Etno series for the spring of 2024 will feature a total of four concerts. The series has been designed by the Artistic Director of Oulu Music Festival, composer, Moogist, and pianist Kari Ikonen.
The series opens in January with the legendary pianist Seppo Kantonen and his trio. The band, formed in 2023 with bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Markku Ounaskari, will tour extensively in Finland in January and February 2024 as part of a Vapaat äänet tour.
"The ensemble started rehearsals for my new compositional material at the beginning of 2023. The band's expressive language is somewhat free but based on composition. Markku Ounaskari's beautiful drum sound and Antti Lötjönen's rhythmically strong bass support the mood of my songs, both being sensitive and quick to react to new situations. All in all, the trio's aim for clear expression is, in my opinion, the most fitting description." – Seppo Kantonen
After jazz, the series moves on to folk music when the group Polenta performs at Haukipudas Teatterikuoppa in February. In their second album release concert, Polenta, consisting of three violinists and one guitarist, plays their own compositions as well as traditional folk music. The group's new program highlights Polenta's sound through the players' own compositions, not forgetting the living core of folk music.
In April, Tuba Food & Lounge will host a solo concert by folk musician Susanna Leppänen. Susanna Leppänen's music traverses the landscape of traditional poems, the threats of everyday life, ridiculous existence, and inevitable death. Leppänen's voice is folk music, death gospel, and accordion playfulness. Like Polenta, Leppänen also comes to Oulu as part of the Finnish folk music association's tour.
The spring 2024 Jazz & Etno concert series concludes with Mikko Sarvanne Garden, part of the Jazz Federation's tour. The concert at RioLive takes the listener to a parallel reality, a garden where echoes of current vocal and percussion music, Nordic jazz, and sound art resonate in the scents. The band's music offers the listener an otherworldly experience – a synthesizer glowing like a rising sun, deep-rooted low strings rumbling, and the flexible cathedrals of bright singing voices envelop the listener in a gentle embrace.
Spring 2024 Jazz & Etno Concerts:
January 17, 2024, at 7:00 PM, Tulindberg Hall: Seppo Kantonen Trio
February 9, 2024, at 7:00 PM, Teatterikuoppa, Haukipudas: Polenta
April 10, 2024, at 7:00 PM, Tuba Food & Lounge: Susanna Leppänen solo
May 15, 2024, at 7:00 PM, RioLive: Mikko Sarvanne Garden
More information about the concerts can be found on the Oulu Music Festival website at www.omj.fi.