In addition to the 80th birthday concert held at the Savonlinna Saimaa Jazz Festival on June 30, 2024, the band will perform on June 27 at Lasipalatsi Square in Helsinki and on July 1 at Koli Seurojentalo.
Sointi Jazz Orchestra will celebrate the 80th birthday of the legendary Seppo "Paroni" Paakkunainen (Baron von Klumpenfrau) at the Savonlinna Cultural Cellar on Sunday, June 30, 2024. The concert will feature Paakkunainen's big band compositions from various decades. Expect special guest appearances and premieres of new compositions and arrangements.
Paakkunainen is one of Finland's most versatile musician-composer-arrangers. Although his first love was jazz, his rich career includes everything from children's songs to yoiks, pop songs to theater music, and symphonies to church music. His career spans seven decades! As a pioneer of Finnish free jazz, he has toured both Finland and the world with various ensembles, and his creative energy shows no signs of waning.
"Paroni's body of work is extensive and diverse. His career includes various phases with influences from different musical cultures. His compositions borrow from folk music, lament traditions, and yoiks. The repertoire also includes influences from Karelian melodies, making it particularly meaningful to perform this program in Eastern Finland," explains the band's artistic director, Rasmus Soini.
Sointi Jazz Orchestra performed Paakkunainen's music at Music Theater Kapsäkki in spring 2022, but to honor this milestone, the band wants to celebrate the 80-year-old maestro near his hometown. In addition to the concert in Savonlinna, the band will perform parts of the birthday concert program at Kolin Seurojentalo on Monday, July 1, 2024, and at Lasipalatsi Square in Helsinki on Thursday, June 27, 2024.
Sointi Jazz Orchestra: Baron 80 Years!
Thu, June 27, 2024, at 4 PM @ Lasipalatsi Square
Duration: approx. 60 min
Free admission
Sun, June 30, 2024, at 6 PM @ Savonlinna Cultural Cellar, Saimaa Jazz Festival
Featuring "Paroni" Paakkunainen and special guests
Duration: approx. 2 hours
Tickets: 28/25€
Mon, July 1, 2024, at 3 PM @ Kolin Seurojentalo
Duration: approx. 70 min
Free admission
Tickets for the Saimaa Jazz Festival are available in advance at nettilippu.fi or at the door half an hour before the concert.
Photo: Terho Aalto