Turku Jazz Festival has released the programme for the upcoming festival. The festival gathers a number of topical, prominent Finnish jazz acts to the old capital of Finland. The second oldest jazz festival is now organised for the first time as a part of the project Jazz City Turku, in cooperation with Flame Jazz and Turku Jazz Orchestra.
The festival will kick off on Turku Night of the Arts on 18 August with a number of free jazz concerts and jam sessions taking place around the city centre. Live pop and jazz will be on offer at restaurant Koulu, café Tiirikkala and in the Börs Park. With the Turku Conservatory and the local jazz venue, Harlem Jazz Club, being heavily involved in curating the programme for the Night of the Arts, it is only natural that the emphasis will be on local music.
Aura Stage in the inner courtyard of the Brewery Restaurant Koulu will be hosting a number of top-notch Finnish acts over the Turku Jazz weekend. The Friday is dedicated to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Finnish Jazz Federation, seeing the Finnish Jazz Federation Jubilee Orchestra, composed of Yrjö-winning jazz musicians, take the stage. There will also be an art exhibition, presenting the history of the Yrjö Jazz Prize, open to the public in the premises of Koulu throughout the festival. The day will be opened by the Turku Jazz Artist of the Year, saxophonist Jusu Heinonen, and closed by the cult group, sextet Dalindèo who treat us to the material of their brand new album, Slavic Souls.
The Saturday is about new Finnish jazz. Jukka Perko, one of the household names, will perform unforgettable classics with his new group Hurmio 2.0; while Nina Mya, a rising star of Finnish vocal jazz, comes to Turku with a brand new album under her belt. The night will be opened by energetic Turku-based group Aura Flow who have been hyped both locally and internationally.
On the closing day, Turku Jazz Orchestra plunges into the sonic world of Quentin Tarantino films. Conducted by Vellu Halkosalmi, the big band will give this very special theme concert on the Aura Stage with guitar virtuoso Teemu Viinikainen as their soloist. Before being taken into Tarantinesque spheres, we will be entertained by the acclaimed, younger-generation trombonist Kasperi Sarikoski’s quintet, Nuance. The festival will be closed, as usual, in a final jam session.
This year, Turku Jazz Festival introduces a new late night club series, Turku Jazz in Flames, that sees a number of legendary Finnish jazzers join up-and-coming youngsters on stage at café Tiirikkala. On Thursday Teemu Viinikainen runs a workshop with students of Turku Conservatory; on Friday pianist Olli Ahvenlahti meets the award-winning Bowman Trio and on Saturday organ trio Buba Wii Aa challenges the veteran saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen. After each concert, there will be an open jam session.
The programme can be viewed in its entirety on www.turkujazz.fi and pre-tickets are on sale on Ticketmaster Suomi. There are also two- and three-day tickets available.
Turku Jazz Festival 2016
Thursday 18 Aug
All Turku Night of the Arts events are free of charge.
Aura Stage, Brewery Restaurant Koulu
At 17.00 Puolustusvoimien varusmiessoittokunnan viihdeorkesteri
At 19.30 Dandy Gravy ´n´ Funks
Börs Park
At 18.00 Joana & Bossakopla
At 19.00 Harlem Jazz Club Jam Session
Tiirikkala
At 22.00 Turku Jazz in Flames: Turku Conservatory Workshop & Teemu Viinikainen
At 23.30 Jam Session
Friday 19 Aug
Aura Stage, Brewery Restaurant Koulu
At 17.00 Turku Jazz Artist of 2016: Jusu Heinonen Gyl5
At 19.00 Finnish Jazz Federation Jubilee Orchestra
At 20.30 Dalindéo
Tiirikkala
Klo 22.00 Turku Jazz in Flames 2016: Olli Ahvenlahti & Bowman Trio
Klo 23.30 Jam Session
Saturday 20 Aug
Aura Stage, Brewery Restaurant Koulu
At 14.00 Kuiper Trio, free entry
At 17.00 Aura Flow
At 18.30 Nina Mya
At 20.30 Jukka Perko & Hurmio 2.0
Tiirikkala
At 22.00 Turku Jazz in Flames 2016: Eero Koivistoinen & Buba Wii Aa
At 23.30 Jam Session
SUNNUNTAI 21.8.
Aura Stage, Brewery Restaurant Koulu
At 16.00 Kasperi Sarikoski & Nuance
At 17.30 Turku Jazz Orchestra & Teemu Viinikainen: Tarantino!
At 19.00 Final Jam Session