Turku Jazz Festival, organized since 1969, brings light to late winter once again with a splendid lineup. The festival undergoes renewal and expansion, lasting for ten days. Saxophone master Kenny Garrett continues the series of living jazz legends, and Ville Vannemaa, chosen as the Turku Jazz artist of the year, will have a prominent role in multiple events.
Turku Jazz Festival, expanding into a ten-day event, will take over the city's concert venues and restaurants from March 1 to March 10, 2024. The program features a diverse range of international rhythms, current Finnish sounds, and high-quality local jazz music. The festival includes more jam sessions and ageless concerts, new venues, collaborative projects, as well as excellent food and wine offerings.
Jussi Fredriksson, the artistic director of Turku Jazz Festival, eagerly anticipates March:
"The historically extended Turku Jazz Festival 2024 offers a broad spectrum of jazz in various forms packaged for diverse target audiences. The festival spreads to several new locations; for example, children will enjoy jazz at Seikkis, and adult afterparties will be held at Bar Fredrik's Jazz Homes clubs. The core of the program is the most current Finnish jazz, complemented by sprinklings of international stardust with the visits of top world artists. Turku Jazz Festival 2024 is a lot of new and just the right amount of tradition. For everyone."
The Artist of the Year is Ville Vannemaa
Turku Jazz Festival started a tradition in 2009, naming a distinguished jazz musician as the Turku Jazz Artist of the Year, emphasizing activity, especially in the Varsinais-Suomi region. The Jazz City Turku board, responsible for the nomination, justifies this year's artist choice as follows:
"Ville Vannemaa has significantly elevated the artistic level of Turku Jazz Orchestra! As a music composer, he is a brilliant craftsman of the old school, and in front of the orchestra, he is a sovereign leader. The Turku jazz audience has enjoyed Ville's fresh and versatile programs in recent years, and as Turku Jazz Artist of the Year, we want to highlight the master both as an orchestra leader and a saxophonist! Vannemaa's position as the artistic director of Turku Jazz Orchestra ends at the end of 2024, so the title of Artist of the Year also serves as a thank you for his magnificent work."
Ville Vannemaa has led Turku Jazz Orchestra since 2022. In his Artist of the Year celebratory concert, he will tailor music specifically for the orchestra's musicians. In Logomo's Teatro Hall on Friday, March 8, Vannemaa's new four-part Turku Suite, composed specifically for Turku Jazz Orchestra, will be performed, considering the orchestra's various player personalities. Ville will also take the stage as a saxophonist at the festival's afterparty on both Friday and Saturday late nights at Linnankatu's Bar Fredrik.
Ville Vannemaa expresses his joy at receiving this recognition:
"The nomination as Artist of the Year warms my heart greatly. Even though I am not originally from Turku or living in Turku, I feel that I have become a part of the wonderful Turku jazz community, and that makes the nomination particularly valuable. I am excited to have the opportunity to compose new big band music specifically for Turku Jazz Orchestra. For two years, I have had the chance to get to know the members of the orchestra as people and as musicians, so I feel capable of getting the most out of them musically!"
Saxophonist, arranger, composer, and conductor Ville Vannemaa's career has taken him from UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra to Popeda's tours and from theater orchestras to the position of arranging teacher at the University of the Arts Helsinki. He has particularly strong and versatile experience working with big bands. Vannemaa has composed several commissioned pieces for big bands, choirs, and entertainment orchestras. His eponymous band's debut album, Cassiopeia, was released in 2019.
Diverse Program for Ten Days
Turku Jazz Festival's opening weekend, from March 1 to March 2, will feature the Silentopia project at Turku City Theatre, combining live music, dance, theater, and environmental research in collaboration with Sivuun Ensemble and Turku City Theatre. The performance delves into the emotions related to the environmental crisis. A discussion event related to the topic will also be held after Friday's performance.
The nature theme continues on Sunday, March 3, with a family-friendly event, Mur and metsän ilta, at the Children's Culture Center Seikkailupuisto, where the music of Mikko Gunu Karjalainen and Timo Kämäräinen merges with the bedtime story tradition and animation.
Monday, March 4, will be celebrated in the company of Turku's music at Rica Bar in the Monday Jazz Happening with drummer-pianist-composer Peppe Jalava leading the way. On Tuesday, the audience can enjoy a cup of hot coffee at Jazz Office Turku in Forum Kortteli, listening to Ville Vannemaa's favorite albums and stories.
The first concert on Wednesday, March 6, takes place at the Sibelius Museum, featuring Emma Award nominee Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui. The evening continues with a free concert and jam session at Rica Bar, where students from Turku Conservatory, under the guidance of saxophonist Adele Sauros, will showcase what they have learned.
Thursday's festival program is designed to attract soul and dance music lovers. The Utopia club will host Turku's own vintage soul group Punomo and the highly anticipated ensemble Timo Lassy – Jukka Eskola: Nordic Stew, featuring top musicians from New Orleans.
The festival moves to Logomo's Teatro Hall for the weekend of March 8-9, with a slightly revamped format. Both evenings will feature two concerts, and at the end of the night, attendees can take a bus to Bar Fredrik & Yökerho Doris in the city center for the festival's afterparty, Jazz Homes.
On Friday, Teatro Hall will open with Ville Vannemaa and Turku Jazz Orchestra's anniversary concert, followed by the energetic Kenny Garrett And Sounds From The Ancestors. On Saturday at Logomo, the eagerly awaited international dream team Verneri Pohjola Monkey Mind and rising star of the bass world Kinga Głyk will perform. The Jazz Homes and jams on Friday at Bar Fredrik will be led by Turku Jazz Artist of the Year 2023 Mikko Gunu Karjalainen, and on Saturday, the stage will be taken over by Ville Vannemaa.
On Saturday afternoon, there will be a jazz and wine tasting event at The Tasting Room on Aurakatu, featuring Max Zenger, a woodwind specialist, and one of the most interesting guitarists today, Héctor Lepe.
Turku Jazz Festival will conclude on Sunday, March 10, with a jazz brunch at Aboa Vetus Ars Nova, featuring gypsy jazz virtuosos Olli Soikkeli Trio feat. Marian Petrescu.
Turku Jazz Festival strongly emphasizes environmental protection in its values. The festival aims to support the valuable work of Pidä Saaristo Siistinä ry (Keep the Archipelago Clean), which promotes the cleanliness of our shores and waters. Each festivalgoer can contribute to PSS's work by making a donation when purchasing festival tickets.
TURKU JAZZ FESTIVAL 1.–10.3.2024
FRIDAY 1.3.
Turku City Theatre, Small Stage, Itäinen Rantakatu 14
7:00 PM Silentopia
SATURDAY 2.3.
Turku City Theatre, Small Stage, Itäinen Rantakatu 14
1:30 PM Silentopia
SUNDAY 3.3.
Children's Culture Center Seikkailupuisto, Timantti Theatre, Kupittaankatu 2
5:00 PM Mur ja metsän ilta (free admission)
MONDAY 4.3.
Rica Bar, Kristiinankatu 5 b
7:00 PM Monday Jazz Happening: Peppe Jalava Band + Jam Session (free admission)
TUESDAY 5.3.
Jazz Office Turku, Forum Kortteli, Linnankatu 11
5:00 PM Ville Vannemaa's Listening Session (free admission)
WEDNESDAY 6.3.
Sibelius Museum, Piispankatu 17
7:00 PM Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui
Rica Bar, Kristiinankatu 5 b
9:00 PM Turku Conservatory Workshop & Adele Sauros + Jam Session (free admission)
THURSDAY 7.3.
Utopia, Humalistonkatu 8
7:00 PM Punomo
8:30 PM Lassy – Eskola: Nordic Stew (FI/US)
FRIDAY 8.3.
Teatro Hall, Logomo, Junakatu 9
7:00 PM Turku Jazz Orchestra & Ville Vannemaa
8:45 PM Kenny Garrett and Sounds From The Ancestors (US)
Bar Fredrik & Yökerho Doris, Linnankatu 18
11:00 PM Jazz Homes: Gunu plays Hargrove + Jam Session
SATURDAY 9.3.
The Tasting Room, Aurakatu 1
2:00 PM Jazz & Wine Tasting with Max Zenger & Héctor Lepe
Teatro Hall, Logomo, Junakatu 9
7:00 PM Verneri Pohjola Monkey Mind (FI/UK/DK)
8:45 PM Kinga Głyk (PL)
Bar Fredrik & Yökerho Doris, Linnankatu 18
11:00 PM Jazz Homes: Ville Vannemaa Incorporated plays CTI + Jam Session
SUNDAY 10.3.
Café Pegasus, Aboa Vetus Ars Nova, Itäinen Rantakatu 4-6
11:00 AM and 1:30 PM Jazz Brunch: Olli Soikkeli Trio feat. Marian Petrescu
Image: Teemu Mattsson