The 17-piece led by composer-arranger Rasmus Soini stretches the bounds of traditional big band music.
Sointi Jazz Orchestra, a group that crosses big band music with some influences borrowed from the field of classical music, performs around the Helsinki metropolitan area this autumn with two different musical concepts. The big band is formed by young professional musicians and conducted by composer-arranger Rasmus Soini. The group will treat the audience to musical delicatessen at KokoJazz Club’s Jazz Brunch on 26 October, and in December they will give their own rendition of the traditional Christmas pageant, Star boys’ singing procession.
Soini, a Savonlinna native, formed the nearly 20-member group in 2013 to have an orchestra to realise his musical ideas. What makes Sointi Jazz Orchestra a rare phenomenon in the Finnish jazz scene is the fact that it is composed of freelance musicians. Despite that the group’s size Soini does not want to define the orchestra as a conventional big band: “My aim is to approach big band music from a fresh angle and one of the means is to compose music where each musician’s personality can be heard,” says Soini.
This method, advocated by such greats as Duke Ellington and Maria Schneider, too, has been received well by the group members and the group has established itself in short time. “It’s great that so many sought-after musicians have found time and energy for my music in spite of the fact that getting back a stable fee is not always self-evident,” he continues. Sointi Jazz Orchestra recently established a society to develop its activity.
Stylistically, Soini’s draws from many sources: influences from classical music are fused with the Afro-American music tradition and spiced up with some echoes from Finnish folk music. Sometimes almost approaching cinematic soundscapes, his arrangements and compositions have been played previously by Savonlinna Big Band, Tapiola Youth Symphony Orchestra and Metropolia Big Band. Recently Soini has been busy with a new composition that will be premiered by Ebeli Big band in next spring.
At Koko Jazz Club the set list will consist of Soini’s original compositions, but later this year the orchestra will perform a very different programme in the Tiernapojat 2014 (Star boys’ singing procession 2014) concert. The work has been arranged and partly recreated by Soini and the Sointi Jazz Orchestra drummer Siiri Partanen. “I have never been a huge fan of the traditional Star boys’ singing procession, which might be why I wanted to do something new with it”, Soini says. The concert can be heard, for instance, in the Senate Square on Sunday 14 December at Tuomaan markkinat open market.
SOINTI JAZZ ORCHESTRA / AUTUMN 2014:
Sun 26 Oct 2014 at 12.00PM Koko Jazz Club Jazz Brunch
Koko Jazz Club, Hämeentie 3, Helsinki
Tickets 28 € /person or 50 € /2 persons
Further information: www.kokojazz.fi
Sointi Jazz Orchestra presents: Tiernapojat 2014
Sun 14 Dec 2014 Tuomaan markkinat, Senaatintori, Helsinki
Mon 15 Dec 2014 at 7:00PM Arabiasali, Helsinki
Arabiankatu 2, Helsinki
Organised by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Sointi Jazz Orchestra presents: Tiernapojat 2014
Sat 20 Dec 2014 at 5:00PM Kanneltalo, Helsinki
Klaneettitie 5, Helsinki
Tickets starting from 11,50 € + service fees, Lippupalvelu
www.sointijazzorchestra.com
www.facebook.com/sointijazzorchestra