Porvoo Jazz Festival brings cross-artistic concepts to jazz enthusiasts who are eager to explore something new every year. This year the festival surprises its audience again, as the Saturday night concludes with Jazz Raves.
Jazz has a strong history of dance and movement. Therefore, Porvoo Jazz Festival wants to offer an opportunity to surrender to the rhythms of jazz in a different way, engaging the senses.
At the heart of the Jazz Raves, which start at midnight on Saturday, is the legendary jazz recording of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, which will be listened to from start to finish. The idea of the event is to bring together jazz, dance, light art, and community, with the audience playing an important role as participants and creators of the atmosphere. The album is listened to with devotion, either by moving to the music or by immersing oneself in a jazz trance in the dimly lit setting. A Love Supreme is a spiritual experience that allows listeners to pause and forget about the rush of everyday life. According to the story the album, recorded in 1964, was completed in a late-night recording session, so it's entirely natural to surrender to it in a nocturnal mood. After this intimate moment with A Love Supreme, the mood will be further lifted by DJ Sun Dog, aka drummer Eeti Nieminen known from i.a. Mopo.
Another special feature is the Jazz Tour, which was well-received last year. Hosted by guitarist-composer Raoul Björkenheim and city guide Jenny Törnroos, this tour starts on Saturday at 2 PM. The audience will be taken to surprising locations in the old town and its surroundings. Along the way, they will hear surprise performers and anecdotes from the history of Finnish jazz, kept secret until the end.
Unique solo concerts with Porvoo Art Hall are also worth mentioning. On Saturday at 5 PM, you can enjoy Joris Roelofs, a French-born bass clarinetist and composer. Roelofs has composed music for various ensembles, from solo bassoons to big bands and symphony orchestras. In addition to his significant musical career, he is currently working on a doctoral thesis on Nietzsche and lectures on the relationship between music and philosophy.
On Sunday at 4 PM, guitarist-composer Mikko Iivanainen, known as a master of tonal palettes, will perform. Iivanainen sees his mission in creating comfort and deep emotions through his music, feelings he experiences when making or listening to music himself.
The 11th Porvoo Jazz Festival will take place from September 29th to October 1st, 2023. Tickets are available in advance from Liveto and Lippupalvelu.
Photo of DJ Sun Dog