In this concert brought to us in collaboration by Flame Jazz and Turku Jazz Orchestra, the latter will show us how Ellington sounds in Finnish. "Ellington in Finnish" sees two great composers' repertory interpreted by two bands. The first half sees Panu Savolainen Toivo and Yona perform Finnish Toivo Kärki's evergreens, followed by Turku Jazz Orchestra and Juki Välipakka in the second half with their new, Finnish interpretations of the Duke's hits.
Panu Savolainen Toivo & Yona
Panu Savolainen Toivo, led by the eponymous vibraphonist, issued their first album, Music by Toivo Kärki, earlier this year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the masterful Finnish composer Toivo Kärki's (1915-1992) birth. The A-listing crew comprises guitarist Teemu Viinikainen and bassist Jori Huhtala who will, in this concert, be fronted by the dazzling multitalented vocalist Yona.
The programme is composed of favourite evergreens by Kärki in instrumental arrangements and and a handful of previously unreleased archival treasures, discovered with the help of Kärki's son, Kalervo Kärki.
The Pori Jazz Artist of the Year 2010, Panu Savolainen is known primarily for his group HERD that released the much-praised album Jazzbasilli, made in collaboration with vocalist Aili Ikonen, in autumn 2013.
Turku Jazz Orchestra & Juki Välipakka: Ellington in Finnish
“Ellington in Finnish” will bring us Duke’s compositions from the 1930s and 40s performed by Turku Jazz Orchestra and Juki Välipakka. Despite being widely known and widely proclaimed hits, Ellington's repertory has been perfomed in Finnish so far only occasionally. For this concert, however, writer, lyricist and composer Mikko Koivusalo has taken measures to set things right and translated a number of pieces for singer Välipakka to interpret in his native Finnish. Voted by critics a number of times as the best male vocalist in the Finnish jazz magazine Jazzrytmit, Välipakka is a guitarist, song-writer and singer known for his masterful skills as a scat vocalist.
The concert is conducted by Vellu Halkosalmi who is also behind the arrangements.
Ellington in Finnish: Turku Jazz Orchestra feat. Juki Välipakka & Panu Savolainen Toivo feat. Yona
Friday 15 December 2015
Logomo, Logi 3 Hall (Köydenpunojankatu 14, Turku
Tickets available at Lippupiste