We Jazz festival, Helsinki’s largest-scale annual jazz event, is organised in December 2015 for the third time. Now spanning a whole week, the event features American pianist Vijay Iyer with his trio, German jazz legend Gunter Hampel and a host of the moment’s best Finnish jazz artists including Timo Lassy Band, Teddy's West Coasters, Juhani Aaltonen Trio, Verneri Pohjola Quartet and Jukka Perko Jazztet. As in the two previous years, We Jazz has come up with entirely new settings for jazz performances: this year will see a tram concert, a loft jazz house party and a series of concerts in a studio flat in Töölö. Tickets will be available for purchase on 8 September.
One of the most creative forces of the Finnish jazz field, We Jazz, brings us the third We Jazz festival on 7-13 December, spanning the whole week for the very first time. The event takes place in various locations around Helsinki, presenting honourable veterans, today’s top artists and future promises both from Finland and the international scene. The week-long jazz feast treats us to American Vijay Iyer Trio, German pioneering multi-talent Guntel Hampel and numerous Finnish stars, such as Timo Lassy Band; Teddy’s West Coasters, led by drummer Teppo Mäkynen; Juhani Aaltonen Trio, Jukka Perko Jazztet and Verneri Pohjola Quartet. A festival, an installation, a utopia – pick whichever term that you like – We Jazz is also known for its experimentalism as to concert venues and 2015 makes no exception: the majority of the locations play host to the event for the first time. These include WHS Teatteri U:NI:ON; a wooden private property in Arabia, owned by Genelec; the Culture Tram and pianist Joonas Haavisto’s home in Töölö. Returning venues include Andorra and its club Dubrovnik, Aleksanterin Teatteri and Kahvila Sävy. The jazz week will be closed with an afternoon concert on Sunday 13 December at Tavastia, perhaps better known as a home for rock music. Ticket sale kicks off on 8 September at 9:00AM.
It is likely that one of the most memorable moments of We Jazz 2015 will be experienced on the tram. When commuting on the Culture Tram journey really matters more than destination. The audience will be entertained by Invitation Quartet whose name refers to the peculiar method of their formation: a chain of invitations where the first member, chosen by We Jazz, has invited the second, the second the third and so forth. The quartet will assemble on the fly with each member hopping on the tram one by one from four different stops: each of them will know only the member they have invited to be part of the band.
An unusual concert experience will also take place in one studio in Töölö. This will not be any studio, however, but the home of pianist Joonas Haavisto which also houses a grand piano. Intimate and homey will surely be the words to describe the atmosphere when, in addition to the audience, Haavisto welcomes his colleagues trumpeter Mikko Karjalainen, saxophonist Jukka Perko, guitarist Teemu Viinikainen, bassist Antti Lötjönen and drummer Joonas Riippa.
The future of Finnish jazz will also be represented at the We Jazz 2015, most tangibly in the form of this year’s We Jazz Rising Star, Bowman Trio. Composed of trumpeter Tomi Nikku, bassist Joonas Tuuri and drummer Sami Nummela, they will play at Kahvila Sävy and the performance is to become no less than their debut album. Other up-and-coming acts to appear at the festival include Laura Annika Quartet, led by vocalist Annika Mustonen, Teemu Åkerblom Quartet and bassist Mikael Saastamoinen.
Sax veteran Juhani Aaltonen provides some counter-balance to the young energy represented by the abovementioned: the legend turns 80 on the day following his We Jazz performance. Pianist Aki Rissanen will present a new audio-visual concept for his upcoming album Sturm, while Jaska Lukkarinen Trio will show how Valtteri Pöyhönen’s repertory can be transformed into trio arrangements. On Thursday 10 December WHS Teatteri Union plays host to a unique cinema concert in which Jussi Lampela and trumpeter Verneri Pohjola will provide a live soundtrack to the 1929 Finnish film Meren kasvojen edessä. On Sunday, Jazz kiinnostaa radio programme will be broadcast live from the jazz brunch, taking place at Kahvila Sävy.
Similarly to previous years, the honourable M. A. Numminen will be in charge of the opening address for the festival at Aleksanterin teatteri. This year, however, his role is to extend to the visual sphere: namely, a number of historical jazz-themed photos taken by Numminen will be exhibited at some of the festival venues.
We Jazz has for some time been known for tailor-made jazz experiences. If you have any trouble deciding which concerts to attend, the able consults of We Jazz are more than willing and more than ready to offer their services on konsultointi@wejazz.fi.
The first We Jazz magazine – hot off the press!
The 88-page We Jazz magazine was issued last Saturday at Helsinki Design week. The magazine is, again, a new concept, introduced only this year. With special features, an article on Gunter Hampel and his career, an interview with Vijay Iyer, editor’s album picks and photos from previous We Jazz events, the magazine is to add yet another dimension to the event. It also includes three art galleries – Checkpoint Helsinki, Helsinki Contemporary and SIC – each to curate two pages for the magazine.
6000 copies of the first issue of We Jazz magazine will be distributed to cafés and record shops around Helsinki during this week. To have a copy sent to your home by post contact press@wejazz.fi
WE JAZZ 2015 Helsinki 7-13 December
ARTISTS
Aki Rissanen Sturm
Bowman Trio* (*We Jazz Rising Star 2015)
Gunter Hampel Quintet (DE)
Invitation Quintet
Jaska Lukkarinen Trio plays Valtteri Pöyhönen
Jazz kiinnostaa live
Joonas Haavisto & Mikko Karjalainen / Antti Lötjönen / Jukka Perko / Joonas Riippa / Teemu Viinikainen
Jukka Perko Jazztet
Juhani Aaltonen Trio
Jussi Lampela & Verneri Pohjola: Meren kasvojen edessä
Laura Annika Quartet
M. A. Numminen
Teddy's West Coasters
Teemu Åkerblom Quartet
Timo Lassy Band w/ guests
Verneri Pohjola Quartet
Vijay Iyer Trio (US)
We Jazz DJs
We Jazz Jam Session
VENUES
Aleksanterin teatteri
Elokuvateatteri Andorra
Dubrovnik Lounge&Lobby
Genelec House
Joonas Haavisto's home
Kahvila Sävy
Kulttuuriratikka
Tavastia
WHS Teatteri U:NI:ON
PROGRAMME
Mon 7 Dec at 7:00PM
Aleksanterin teatteri
VIJAY IYER TRIO (us)
TEDDY’S WEST COASTERS
M. A. NUMMINEN
Tue 8 Dec at 6:00PM
Joonas Haavisto's home
JOONAS HAAVISTO & MIKKO KARJALAINEN
Tue 8 Dec at 6:00 & 8.00PM
Kahvila Sävy
JUKKA PERKO JAZZTET
Wed 9 Dec at 6:00PM
Joonas Haavisto's home
JOONAS HAAVISTO & TEEMU VIINIKAINEN
Wed 9 Dec at 6:00 & 8:00PM
Kahvila Sävy
BOWMAN TRIO (We Jazz Rising Star 2015)
Thu 10 Dec at 6:00PM
Joonas Haavisto's home
JOONAS HAAVISTO & JUKKA PERKO
Thu 10 Dec at 7:00PM
WHS Teatteri U:NI:ON
JUSSI LAMPELA & VERNERI POHJOLA: MEREN KASVOJEN EDESSÄ
Fri 11 Dec at 5:00PM
Kahvila Sävy
JUHANI AALTONEN TRIO
Fri 11 Dec at 7:00PM
Elokuvateatteri Andorra
VERNERI POHJOLA QUARTET
Fri 11 Dec at 9:00PM
Dubrovnik Lounge&Lobby
JASKA LUKKARINEN TRIO PLAYS VALTTERI PÖYHÖNEN
LAURA ANNIKA QUARTET
WE JAZZ DJs
Sat 12 Dec at 4:00PM
Joonas Haavisto's home
JOONAS HAAVISTO & ANTTI LÖTJÖNEN
Sat 12 Dec at 6:00PM
Culture Tram
INVITATION QUINTET (a surprise group)
Sat 12 Dec at 8:00PM
Genelec House
GUNTER HAMPEL QUINTET (de)
AKI RISSANEN STURM
WE JAZZ JAM SESSION
WE JAZZ DJs
Sun 13 Dec at 11:00AM-3:00PM
Kahvila Sävy / brun
JAZZ KIINNOSTAA LIVE
Sun 13 Dec at 4:00PM
Joonas Haavisto's home
JOONAS HAAVISTO &
JOONAS RIIPPA
Sun 13 Dec at 6:00PM
Tavastia
TIMO LASSY BAND W/ GUESTS
TEEMU ÅKERBLOM QUARTET
WE JAZZ DJs
Partners: Club Mate, Genelec, GEST, Goethe-Institut Finnland, Helsinki Design Week, Image, Music Finland, Radio Helsinki, University of Arts Helsinki, Unifilm, Web-Veistämö
Supporters: City of Helsinki Cultural Office, Finnish Music Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland
TICKETS (available from 8 September at 9:00AM): http://lippu.fi/wejazz (Tickets to Tavastia available on Tiketti)
http://wejazz.fi/2015
#wejazz2015