Jazz Finland Live

Free entry
Duration approx. 1 h, includes a short intermission
Café open

Jonathan Bäckström Quartet is a jazz quartet composed of young, rising Finnish-Swedish musicians, led by bassist-composer Jonathan Bäckström, originally from Kruunupyy.

The quartet's music ranges from minimalist soundscapes to explosive, multilayered free improvisation. Each of the four musicians brings their own voice to the mix, creating a powerful collective musical statement.

Jonathan Bäckström is a bassist, improviser, and composer from Kronoby, Finland. Since moving to Helsinki, he has become a sought-after musician, actively participating in various domestic and international projects.

The concert will be held in the lobby of Sellosali, and seats will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Sellosali doors will open 30 minutes before the concert starts.

Open event

The Helsinki Jazz Association was officially founded on 01.04.1974. The association’s roots were at the Jazz Club of University of Helsinki. Our association has organized jazz and improvised music concerts over the years in several venues (such as Annantalo, Espan Lava, Restaurant Laulumiehet and Hakasalmi Villa) in collaboration with different actors and financially supported by different communities. At the beginning of the concert, we will give brief presentation about our past years.

The first concert of our current jaZZanti concert series was held on March 30, 2010 at Restaurant Laulumiehet, when PLOP band and Seppo Kantonen played. This time PLOP will play with Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen, one of the mainstays of Finnish jazz. Junnu Aaltonen’s trio will also perform. So far, more than 200 concerts have been held in the jaZZanti Concert series.

Our association also aims to highlight jazz musicians and bands from nearby countries, and this time as a foreign artist is a great Estonian pianist Kirke Karja, who is already familiar to many Finnish listeners.

Program changes are possible.

PLOP:
Mikko Innanen: wind instruments
Ville Herrala: double bass
Joonas Riippa: drums

Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen’s Trio:
Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen: flute
Uffe Krokfors: double bass
Reiska Laine: drums

Kirke Karja (EE): piano

Duration of the concert for about 2 hours with intermission.

Photo: PLOP – Sakari Puhakka

Open event

Tickets 20/15€

In April's jazz club, we'll indulge in Finnish and international evergreens as master saxophonist Jukka Perko shines as the guest soloist with Jazz Jkl Collective!

Jukka Perko and Jazz Jkl Collective will set the pace by delving into the pearls of jazz standards and Finnish classics. The versatile program promises songs from the repertoire of Unto Mononen to Cannonball Adderley. Perko's international career began at the age of 19 in Dizzy Gillespie's big band. The dazzling playing of the young saxophonist was compared to Charlie Parker's, and the reviews were laudatory. With his diamond-polished saxophone sound and by building connections between different types of music, Perko has not only gained recognition among the general public but also risen as one of the most brilliant Finnish musicians of his generation.

Jukka Perko – saxophone
Tuomas Paukku – guitar
Marian Petrescu – piano
Pekka Törmänen – bass
Kasper Halttunen – drums

Open event