Jazz Finland Live

This year, UMO’s traditional Easter Holy Week concert expands to become a three concert, as the orchestra, together with singer Dean Bowman, plays churches in the capital city region. This time the Silent Music concerts concentrate on Afro-American spirituals, beautifully arranged for a large jazz orchestra.

Originally known for his work in the band Screaming Headless Torsos, Bowman cites gospel and Afro-American spirituals as the bedrock his compositions rest on. His dusky baritone and cool falsetto have left their mark in the hearts of people around the world. Bowman has been described as an avant-garde gospel vocalist and a jazz singer with a rocker’s soul. In addition to this own bands, he has preformed with, e.g. John Scofield, Charlie Hunter and Steve Coleman.

2008 was the last time Dean Bowman and UMO performed together, to a spellbound audience at the Temppeliaukio Church. This spring’s tour will start at the Espoo Cathedral, moving on to the Church of St. Lawrence in Vantaa and ending at Mikael Agricola Church in Helsinki on Good Friday.

Tickets from Ticketmaster 24,50 € / 20,50 € / 13,50 €, incl. service fee.

Open event

Red Wine Quintet is a traditional jazz quintet formed by five Rome-based top musicians. Stylistically they fall into the category of hard-bop, citing the likes of Johnny Griffin's "Hey Lock", and Tadd Dameron & John Coltrane's "On A Misty Night" as their biggest influences.

The concert in question is a part of a larger Finnish tour after which the group is to head to the studio to record an album. This is now a unique chance to get to hear the soon-to-be-recorded material live!

Tiziano Ruggeri, trumpet
Giuseppe Ricciardo, tenor sax
Karri Luhtala, piano
Eddy Cicchetti, double bass
Andrea Nunzi, drums

Free entry!

Open event

The Helsinki-based trio Katu Kaiku his one of the young newly-established groups in the Finnish jazz scene. The Finnish finalist in last year’s Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition, the group is now about to bring out their debut recording, TOKYO/KUOPIO, and hit the road on an album-launch tour. They will play altogether nine gigs around the country between 18 and 28 March.

Katu Kaiku was founded in summer 2013 as a result of a spontaneous jam session in the Kaisaniemi Park. From standards to originals; from the street to the stages of such respected festivals as Pori Jazz, Jazz-Espa and Tampere Jazz Happening, the trio won the Finnish semi-finals, quialifying for the inter-Scandinavian Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition in 2015. Their CV includes collaborations with the likes of Verneri Pohjola, Teemu Viinikainen and Seppo Kantonen and shows played in Finland and abroad. May will see them travel to Norway’s Trondheim for a performance at the Jazz Fest.

Adele Sauros, tenor and soprano saxophones
Mikael Saastamoinen, double bass
Erik Fräki, drums

Tickets 15/10 €

Open event

Jukkis Uotila – Rhodes
Joonatan Rautio – saksofoni
Sampo Tiittanen – basso
Jussi Lehtonen – rummut

Open event