The 37th April Jazz festival will take place in Espoo from 21 to 29 April 2023. The festival's main concerts will feature fusion drummer Billy Cobham, singer Lizz Wright with her band,one of the world's leading brass bands Mnozil Brass from Austria, rising fado star Sara Correia, and Tapiola Sinfonietta, who will perform two new concertos. Ticket sales open at Lippupiste on Wednesday 7 December.
Considered one of the best fusion drummers of all time, Billy Cobham has left his mark on the earliest recordings of fusion music, such as the pioneering albums of Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, as well as Cobham's debut album Spectrum. In this concert, Cobham performs his most famous songs from his distinguished career.
American singer Lizz Wright arrives in Finland for the first time with her own band. The soulful sound of the dark-voiced Wright, who enchanted the Huvila tent at 2019 Helsinki Festival, includes not only strong gospel influences but also jazz, blues and R&B. Her debut album Salt topped the contemporary jazz charts and became one of the most acclaimed albums of 2003.
The Austrian Mnozil Brass has performed to full audiences around the world at an annual rate of more than 130 performances and captivated the audience with their performances that combine virtuoso playing and directed theater comedy. Mnozil Brass arrives in Finland after a break of more than ten years. Mnozil Brass has not been heard in the capital region before, so the April Jazz audience is offered a particularly awaited first encounter.
Sara Correia, who charmed the audience of Womex last October, will visit in Finland for the first time. In addition to traditional fado and its modern, lighter form, Correia's singing style is also influenced by the French chanson.
In the concert of the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the first performances of two concertos will be heard. In Alexi Tuomarila's work Between Dark And Light the soloist will be the Emma award-winning Alexi Tuomarila Trio, and Jukka Linkola's flugelhorn concerto will be performed by trumpeter Jukka Eskola, who won the Yrjö Prize in 2022. The conductor will be Jukka Iisakkila.
In addition to Espoo's cultural center, April Jazz concerts are organized i. a. in Leppävaara's Sello Hall, Espoo's modern art museum EMMA and G Livelab in Helsinki. The festival program will be released in its entirety in January.