Feature of the Month: Finnish bands at Jazzahead! 2011

on 2011-04-07

Jazzahead! is an event that combines a jazz festival, conference and trade fair in one neat package, conveniently situated in Bremen, Germany. It’s an opportunity for jazz professionals from dozens of nations to mingle and create opportunities for the musicians they represent.

The music festival consists of mainly short showcase sets for bands often curated on a geographical basis: European bands, bands from overseas, Turkish bands, German bands… The showcases take place in the early afternoon and the evening. Dozens of bands all over the world play intense 20-30 minute sets to show off their chops to the gathered international multitude.

This year’s Jazzahead! is very heavy on the Finns. A total of 15 Finnish participants have enrolled for the event's Finnish exhibition stand, organized jointly by Finnish Jazz Federation, Finnish Music Information Centre Fimic and Music Export Finland. The European Jazz Meeting at CCB/Hall 2 introduces the jazzanauts in Bremen to the following orchestras:

Elifantree is a sax/vocals/drums trio that trusts in improvisation and almost telepathic communication between the musicians. Their unplanned peregrinations take them to places strong melodies meet improvised grooves and the border between pop and free improvisation starts to blur.

Kalle Kalima & K-18 is a quartet that relies on the films of Stanley Kubrick for inspiration. The quartet led by acclaimed guitarist Kalima brings together saxophone player Mikko Innanen, bassist Teppo Hauta-Aho and accordionist Veli Kujala for a truly unique sound. The members’ deep personal connection is readily apparent in the music they play.

Kari Ikonen & Karikko is a multinational ensemble consisting of musicians from Finland, Sweden and France. It took composer and pianist Ikonen a long time to find the “right” band, but here it is. The current lineup finally finds that focused point of musical light where sophistication and grace meets brass balls and sets the venue on fire.

Kuára consists of Markku Ounaskari, Samuli Mikkonen and Per Jørgensen. This winner of the 2010 Emma Award for Best Finnish Jazz Album finds its influences in Russian religious music and Fenno-Ugrian folk songs, and uses these sacred and profane sounds as launching pad for intense exploration and improvisation.



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