Turku-based Henri Mäntylä has been chosen Turku Jazz Festival's Artist of the Year 2021. Mäntylä is a versatile artist who works in the bands of many top jazz names. At the March festival, the compositions of the Artist of the Year will be heard performed by the fresh Henri Mäntylä Trio.
Turku Jazz Festival’s Artist of the Year 2021, Henri Mäntylä (b. 1987), works extensively as a pianist and keyboardist in numerous Finnish jazz ensembles. At the March festival, Mäntylä will be heard both as a soloist and with his own fresh trio, where his compositions will be performed by Yrjö Award-winning drummer Jussi Lehtonen and Juho Kivivuori, who has established himself in the top tier of domestic jazz bassism. Soulful trumpet player Mikko "Gunu" Karjalainen will guest with the trio on stage. Mäntylä’s compostions have previously been heard with the band Aura Flow, which has released two albums.
”Henri Mäntylä is a real diamond in the Turku jazz field! Mäntylä is known as an exceptionally versatile musician as well as a distinctive and skilled improviser. The people of Turku can be proud of this master of that’s come out of their home town”, says Jussi Fredriksson, the artistic director of the Turku Jazz Festival and Henri Mäntylä's first jazz piano teacher.
The new Artist of the Year is warmed by the recognition received from his old hometown.
“This is a great honor! It is always a pleasure to perform and visit Turku. I got a great starting point for my career as a musician there, and it's great that Turku has become such a vibrant jazz city,” Mäntylä rejoices.
Turku Jazz Festival Artist of the Year 2021 was announced on Facebook Live on Wednesday 9 December. Henri Mäntylä's concert was heard in a stream sent from the Jazz City Turku office. At the same time, ticket sales for the Turku Jazz Festival was opened with a Christmas offer. The broadcast will be available to watch on Facebook for a week.
Turku Jazz Festival program 5.–6.3.2021 at Logomo’s Teatro hall
Friday 5.3.2021
18.00 UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra & Veronica Swift
19.45 Talambo
21.30 Mikko Karjalainen Fellowship Quintet feat. Paleface
Saturday 6.3.2021
18.00 Vuoden artisti 2021: Henri Mäntylä Trio feat. Gunu Karjalainen
19.45 Kaisa Mäensivu Trio
21.30 Turku Jazz Orchestra X Tuomo
Teatro hall’s audience layout will maintain safety distances between audience members. The full festival program will be published in January.
Photo: Ilkka Arola