Jazz Finland Live

Big Soul With a Tight Groove!

Funky Finns is a brand new Finnish soul band, well known to many for its great line-up and the fantastic songs and videos that were released and produced remotely during the pandemic. During this concert tour, Funky Finns joins forces with the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra and the band’s music is performed for the first time in arrangements for big band. The vocalists are the front men of the band, Mikko Pettinen (also known as a trumpet player in UMO) and Antti Kleemola as well as their guitarist Onni Lonka. The rapper Bentality, who also featured on Funky Finns’ album, brings his own energetic contribution to the concert.

Funky Finns’ music is a combination of soul, funk, pop, afro and jazz. The song lyrics are about important things like anti-racism, equality, the mental health issues of the youth as well as the power of working together. The band’s music has been described as energetic, humane soul. Integral parts of the songs are harmony singing and the horn section, which in this extended orchestration is lusher than ever. Their debut album United Souls was released in the spring 2023 and has received glowing reviews. www.funkyfinns.com

Ed Partyka conducts the concert.

UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra is the only professional orchestra in Finland specialised in jazz and new rhythm-oriented music. The big band of 16 musicians plays about 100 concerts every year in Finland and abroad. The orchestra plays a diverse range of modern music that is on the pulse of the times. The programme consists from jazz to soul and classical music, mixing old and new in surprising way, from children to senior citizens. www.umohelsinki.fi

Open event