Kirke Karja & Mikko Innanen | Sanna Ruohoniemi | PUHTI Trio – Jazz-Espa

Sanna Ruohoniemi is making a name for herself internationally, standing out in the jazz world with her skillful vocal techniques and versatile compositions. PUHTI Trio is a unique chamber ensemble in the Finnish music scene, consisting of two woodwind musicians and a cellist.

Programme

at 1 pm
Kirke Karja & Mikko Innanen
Estonian pianist Kirke Karja and Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen are among the leading jazz musicians of their generations in their home countries.
Karja is known for her unique harmonic musical language and experimental, uncompromising performances. Her music, sometimes dark in tone, incorporates influences from contemporary music. She leads several ensembles and is best known for her trio Karja/Renard/Wandinger. As a solo pianist, she has performed Paul Hindemith's masterpiece "Ludus Tonalis," blending original material with free improvisation. In her own compositions, Karja uses similar tools to Hindemith. One of her compositions is a piano concerto that she has performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Innanen is a versatile and open-minded artist who moves smoothly from freely improvised music to fully composed pieces, from intimate solos and duos to large orchestras. With a long international career, Innanen has performed in 38 countries across five continents, and his wide-ranging playing and compositions have been recorded on nearly 80 released albums.

Karja and Innanen met in 2018 while playing in a band called Captain Kirke and the Klingos. Since then, they have performed together in trios with, for example, guitarist Jaak Sooäär and drummer Karl-Juhan Laanesaar. This duo promises exciting and boundary-breaking collaborations!

Kirke Karja - piano
Mikko Innanen - saxophones

The concert is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia in Helsinki.

at 4 pm
Sanna Ruohoniemi
Based in Stockholm, artist and composer Sanna Ruohoniemi released her new album "Let Everything Happen" last February. The album, her third, is a continuation of the previous "Start from Nothing," which was praised by Europe Jazz Media Chart as one of Europe's finest music releases in November 2018.

Ruohoniemi's compositions boldly navigate the world of modern jazz, firmly anchored in history. The album features everything from swing and grooving bebop to folk melodies and tango. In addition, there are insightful lyrics in multiple languages.

Sanna Ruohoniemi - vocals and compositions
Fredrik Lindborg - saxophones and bass clarinet
Joonas Haavisto - piano
Lars Ekman - double bass
Daniel Olsson – drums

at 5.30 pm
PUHTI Trio
PUHTI Trio is a unique chamber ensemble in the Finnish music scene, consisting of two woodwind musicians and a cellist.

The musicians have a strong background in jazz, improvised music, and classical music. Pepa Päivinen and Jorma Tapio have a shared history dating back to the legendary Edward Vesala's Sound & Fury band from the 1980s. The trio's music is rich and interesting, ranging from carefully composed pieces to intuitive improvisation. The compositions are almost entirely the ensemble's own production. The various wind instruments create a rich and dynamic sound.

Pepa Päivinen – saxophones, flute
Juho Kanervo - cello
Jorma Tapio – saxophones, flutes