The programme of We Jazz 2014 has grown larger. Dawn of Midi, Jimi Tenor Jazz à la Karma, Ahvenlahti-Koivistoinen 3 G Quintet and Tatu Rönkkö Plays Your Kitchen have been confirmed as new acts. We Jazz 2014 offer three opening events in addition to the already announced opening concert at Aleksanterin teatteri: knitwear design will shake hands with jazz, Timo Lassy and Higher Ground will explore spiritual dimensions of jazz and Hailu Mergia, a major force of today’s Ethiopian jazz, will play with his trio at Kuudes Linja. Also the timetable has been released, and the festival tickets are now available for purchase.
The second We Jazz happening, to be organised in Helsinki on 8 -13 December 2014, has announced new artists. The newly booked guests are the innovative American trio Dawn of Midi, the woodwind wizard Jimi Tenor, a three-generation collaboration project led by two Finnish jazz legends Olli Ahvenlahti and Eero Koivistoinen, and percussionist Tatu Rönkkö’s hilarious touring show I Play Your Kitchen.
The Brooklyn-based Dawn Of Midi belongs to the most original piano trios of today’s jazz world. At the core of their sound is the application of the mechanical aesthetics of minimal techno to jazz, which results in intriguing, hypnotic music - a wonderful bridge between the two unlikely generic bedfellows. Their 2013 album Dysnomia, released on the acclaimed Thirsty Ear label, was praised by such trusted authorities as Pitchfork and New York Times. Jimi Tenor, a charismatic and versatile Finnish woodwind artist, presents his new project Jazz à la Karma, rarely seen live, in the intimate milieu of Jemma Helsinki barbershop. Jazz à la Karma is yet another proof of Tenor’s visionary energy and skill to constantly regenerate musically.
Olli Ahvenlahti and Eero Koivistoinen, both greats of Finnish jazz, bring to We Jazz their new group 3G Quintet, whose members Ahvenlahti, Koivistoinen, Timo Lassy, Teemu Åkerblom and Sami Nummela, belong to three different generations of jazzers. We are in for new renditions from the both veterans’ catalogue, essential vertebrae in the backbone of Finnish jazz. Tatu Rönkkö, in turn, will give five special concerts in five different kitchens from 9 to 13 December. What is more, the audience will have a chance to suggest their own kitchen as Rönkkö’s musical playground.
Three opening events and a jazz excursion to Salo
This year the actual festival is preceded by three opening events. The first will be organised as early as September, on 10 September at Ääniwalli in co-operation with Helsinki Design Week. The event combines jazz and fashion, and on the runway we will witness a knitwear collection, co-designed by Matti Nives, the artistic director of We Jazz, and fashion designers Liisa Riski and Rimma Gimpel, giving We Jazz 2014 a new, visual look. Live music will be provided by Timo Lassy Trio and We Jazz DJs.
The second pre-event is the visit of a major name of Ethiopian jazz Hailu Mergia on 18 October at Kuudes Linja. After a reissue by the U.S. record label Awesome tapes From Africa, Mergia is now back on the scene and will perform with his trio in a club milieu. After a phenomenal, sold-out concert in Berlin and an upcoming second reissue on the aforementioned label, the expectations for this gig have risen exponentially.
One week before the actual festival, jazz goes to church with Timo Lassy and the gospel choir Higher Ground. The church in question is Paavalinkirkko, where Lassy and the choir will interpret both the saxophonist's original material and spiritual jazz –themed classics on 1 December.
We Jazz will leave the capital for a moment and take a trip to Salo in December, too. A jazzy excursion is made by trio Loetjoenen/Maekynen+Richardson at Salo’s culture centre Kiva on Thursday 11, one day before their first of three sets at Helsinki’s Kahvila Sävy. The trio, formed by the American sax player Logan Richardson, bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Teppo Mäkynen, will also record some material for their upcoming release at We Jazz 2014.
“It’s wonderful to stretch We Jazz beyond the actual festival week this year”, says Matti Nives. “We are privileged to offer so many new groups and premiers to the audience. And along the co-operation with fashion designers we have a chance to experiment on visuality and continue our exploration in the inspiring world of fashion.
Tickets for the We Jazz 2014 event are now available at Tiketti ticket shops and online. Similarly to last year, the audience has the choice of a season ticket, with this time a student-friendly version also purchasable. A buyer of a season ticket will have access to all We Jazz 2014 concerts and other We Jazz events of the autumn.
See the artist profiles and programme in its entirety on http://wejazz.fi/2014