The jazz exhibition at the Satakunta Museum presents the history of Finnish jazz, with a special focus on Pori. It has now been 60 years since the very first Pori Jazz festival.
Finland is celebrating a jubilee year for jazz. Jazz music was first heard in the country 100 years ago, and 60 years have passed since the first Pori Jazz festival. These anniversaries will be celebrated and highlighted this summer in the exhibition “Finland Jazz 100 | Pori Jazz 60” at the Satakunta Museum.
The story of jazz in Finland is considered to have begun on June 4, 1926, when the steamship SS Andania arrived at Helsinki’s South Harbour. The ship’s orchestra, Andania Yankees, brought with it American jazz improvisation, a new rhythm, and a new playing style that impressed audiences and Finnish musicians alike.
Jazz spread to Finland through dance orchestras. Popular songs were performed with jazzy influences, and orchestras often began dance evenings with jazz music. This is how jazz also became familiar in Pori, where enthusiasm for jazz gave rise to Pori Jazz in the summer of 1966. The first notes of Pori Big Band were played in 1971.
The journey of Finnish jazz, and especially jazz in Pori, is presented in the Parvi space of the Satakunta Museum. The exhibition opens on June 3 and will remain on display until the end of August.
The exhibition was compiled by former culture editor-in-chief of Satakunnan Kansa Jarmo Huida and longtime Pori Jazz communications officer Mikko Peltola. The exhibition’s visual design was created by Jaana Seppälä from the Satakunta Museum.
FINLAND JAZZ 100 | PORI JAZZ 60
June 3 – August 30, 2026, Satakunta Museum, Parvi
Hallituskatu 11, 28100 Pori
More information:
www.satakunnanmuseo.pori.fi
Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990) and Severi Pyysalo (1967–2026) performing at Pori Jazz in 1984. Photo: Pori Jazz – Satakunta Museum