Porvoo Jazz Festival, organised for the first time last year, found its way to the audience’s heart immediately. This year, the festival will come again in September 11 to 14, inviting people to enjoy high-standard jazz music at Kulttuuritalo Grand and a number of restaurants in the old town. A dazzling and topical array of Finnish and international artists and a wide co-operation with different partners guarantee that the cosiest festival in Finland has come to stay.
Porvoo Jazz Festival’s second edition
Porvoo Jazz Festival, organised for the first time last year, found its way to the audience’s hearts immediately. This year, the festival will come again in September, from Thursday the 11th to Sunday the 14th, inviting people to enjoy high-standard jazz music at Concert Hall Grand and a number of restaurants in the old town. A dazzling and topical array of Finnish and international artists and a wide co-operation with different partners guarantee that the cosiest festival in Finland has come to stay.
Main concerts at Kulttuuritalo Grand
On the opening night, Thursday the 11th, Concert Hall Grand will host two concerts. The first group to take the stage is Barcelonan guitarist Jaume Llombart with his quartet. Llombart will perform side by side with his long-term partner in music, Málaga-native Enrique Oliver on the saxophone, and Athenian organ player Giorgos Kontrafouris. Thursday’s second concert will see Australian trombonist and singer Dan Barnett leading a group that features the velvet-throat Tricia Evy from Paris on the vocals, Riitta Paakki on the piano, Ville Herrala on the bass and Thomas Rönnholm on the drums.
On Friday, the night will be opened with a concert by André Sumelius: Tonight at Noon, a group rich in nuance and driven by the stout horns and the organ. Tonight at Noon is led by the festival’s artistic director, Sumelius, who has secured a number of world-class musicians in his band: Trumpeter Jukka Eskola, saxophonists Mikko Innanen and Jussi Kannaste and organist Mikko Helevä. The swinging Friday at Grand will be closed by the dynamic American organist Sam Yahel, backed by a top class pair of sidemen, Matt Penman and Jochen Rückert. In addition to the organ, Yahel will display his talent at the piano.
The final pair of Grand-concerts will be organised on Saturday. First, the audience’s pet, Timo Lassy Band, will take over the concert hall with their compelling club jazz swing. Last but not least is Eric “ELEW” Lewis at his grand piano, demonstrating what “rock jazz” means. The charismatic pianist, known from Wynton Marsalis’s and Elvin Jones’s groups, stretches genre boundaries by reaching toward rock and pop music with a disarming openness.
Jam Sessions
What would a jazz festival be without jam sessions? At Porvoo Jazz Festival, the hotspot for sweaty jamming is restaurant Zum Beispiel, located in the old town. Jam sessions, a meeting point for the young and the more experienced generation of jazzers, are organised from Thursday to Saturday and hosted by Mikko “Gunu” Karjalainen with his able house band. Of course the jam sessions feature festival guests joining in in a relaxed atmosphere and having fun until small hours. Zum Beispiel jam sessions are a good example of the smaller-scale gigs and concerts that Porvoo Jazz Festival offers during the weekend.
Charity concert
On Sunday 14 September, Porvoo Cathedral lends its great acoustic to a charity event, organised in junction with the festival. The programme is to be announced later.
Timetable:
Thu 11 Sept | at 7:00PM – doors at 6:30PM, tickets in advance 35 €, at the door 40 €
Fri 12 Sept | at 7:00PM – doors at 6:30PM, tickets in advance 45 €, at the door 50 €
Sat 13 Sept | at 7:00PM – doors at 6:30PM, tickets in advance 45 €, at the door 50 €
Concert Hall Grand, Piispankatu 28, 06100 Porvoo
Charity concert on 14 Sept at 4:00 at Porvoo Cathedral
Festival Pass to all concerts at Concert Hall Grand in advance 95 €
Lounge pass (serving included) to one concert at Concert Hall Grand: in advance 78 €, at the door 90 €
Tickets:
Orders via email: tickets@porvoojazzfestival.com
Tickets are available by cash at Digelius Music in Viiskulma, Helsinki, at restaurant Zum Beispiel, Porvoo, at Concert Hall Grand, and on Tiketti: http://www.tiketti.fi/Porvoo-Jazz-Festival-2014-Kulttuuritalo-Grand-Porvoo-lippuja/25623