The jazz enthusiasts of Jyväskylä will be in for some great young energy on 21 July when Poppari plays host the third concert of the club series Summer Jazz Club. As always, the stage will be taken by two up-and-coming groups, this time Laura Annika Quartet and Miodula Jam Trio.
Messengers of modern vocal jazz, the Helsinki-based Laura Annika Quartet, brought out their debut EP not three months ago. The quartet is led by singer Annika Mustonen, who studied the jazz voice in Barcelona earlier this year, and whose role in the group ranges from that of the traditional vocal soloist to that of an instrumentalist. In addition to the leading lady, compositions come from the pen of pianist Aleksis Liukko whose piece “Mind the Gap” was selected to the final in this year’s Esko Linnavalli composition competition. The rhythm section is formed by double bassist Joonas Tuuri and drummer Juhana Kiiski. Laura Annika Quartet's EP captures a range of moods and atmospheres but we can rest assured that the quartet, whose sophosticated first recording contains only a small amount of all their material, has a few aces up in their sleeve in store for the live show.
Founded by three students of the Sibelius Academy, Miodula Jam Trio came to attention through last spring’s Young Nordic Jazz Comets Finnish semi-finals when they performed with Polish saxophonist Marek Konarski. This is a unique chance to get to see them on stage together since two thirds of the trio – drummer Ville Luukkonen and pianist Arto Ikävalko – are to continue their studies abroad after the summer: the former at New York’s Manhattan School of Music and the latter at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Bassist Joonas Tuuri – one of the most sought-after upright bass men of the moment in Finland – then again, can be spotted on stage around Finland all year.
Pre-tickets are on sale on mesenaatti.me/summer-jazz-club as a part of a funding campaign, seeking to support promising young jazz groups. For example, packages including the ticket and the new Laura Annika Quartet EP are available for purchase on the website. In the meantime, you can indulge your ears by giving the EP a listen on Spotify.
http://mesenaatti.me/summer-jazz-club/
https://www.facebook.com/summerjazzclub
https://www.facebook.com/laqhelsinki
The first band starts playing at 9:00PM, tickets 8/5 € (discount tickets available for students and pensioners).