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Jazz-Espa celebrates its 25th anniversary by showcasing a diverse range of new jazz

Valtteri Pokela
6.6.2024

The annual Jazz-Espa festival will again be held in Helsinki’s Esplanade Park from July 29 to August 3, 2024. During the week, the free concerts will feature a diverse lineup of jazz bands, including Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui, Juho Valjakka Trio, Freezer, Kadi Vija Key Project, Sanna Ruohoniemi, Emmi U. Trio, and Janne Huttunen Quintet.

Organized for the 25th time by the Finnish Jazz Federation, the Jazz-Espa concert series will once again bring the most current sounds of contemporary jazz to the Espa stage. In the heart of Helsinki, easily accessible to all city residents, the summer of 2024 will feature many young jazz newcomers and vocal jazz talents. The anniversary year is also highlighted by interesting discussion sessions and an after-party club organized in collaboration with the restaurant Grotesk.

Jazz-Espa concerts are held on weekdays at 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM. On Saturday, August 3rd, there are two concerts for the whole family. First, at 2:00 PM, Screaming Jay & The Bones, known for their engaging performances suitable even for the youngest jazz enthusiasts, will take the stage. Then, at 3:30 PM, the children’s band Megasakki, which combines jazz and soul in a delightful way and has been awarded an Emma, will perform. All concerts at the Espa stage are free, open to all ages, and accessible to everyone.

On Monday, the opening day of Jazz-Espa, will present last year’s Jazz Emma Award winner Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui, and the 2022 Emma nominee Juho Valjakka Trio. The jazz week continues on Tuesday with the Kadi Vija Key Project, known for its vocal improvisation, and the swinging jazz quartet Freezer, which combines wind instruments and synthesizers and was also an Emma nominee last year. On Wednesday, legends Pepa Päivinen and Jorma Tapio will join forces with cellist Juho Kanervo in the new chamber music-like ensemble PUHTI Trio. In the evening, Sanna Ruohoniemi, a jazz singer from Stockholm, will blend groove and bebop with folk and tango with her band. On Thursday, composer-pianist-vocalist Emmi Uimonen’s Emmi U. Trio will combine Nordic jazz, Finnish psychedelic folk, and Brazilian rhythm music, while in the evening, the Janne Huttunen Quintet, made up of long-time top jazz musicians, will take the audience into the world of cinematic jazz. Friday will feature the band led by Joonatan Henriksson, who was awarded the Finnish Jazz Federation’s new Taimi Award in 2023, given to a young, promising jazz musician. On Friday evening, Sigurdur Rögnvaldsson’s Lúna will electrify the stage atmosphere. Guitarist Sigurdur Rögnvaldsson’s band combines melodic jazz with 70s rock sounds.

For decades, Jazz-Espa has been an inseparable part of Helsinki’s jazz summer, and this year it celebrates its 25th anniversary. The first Jazz-Espa was produced in 2000, and soon after, the event quickly received funding from the City of Helsinki. Over the years, the size and scope of the event have undergone changes, but the core concept has remained the same and relevant: to offer top-quality Finnish jazz in its many forms to a broad audience with a low threshold, in the heart of Helsinki, during the peak tourist season. Many also remember Jazz-Espa’s jazz after-parties, which have been seen in Alppipuisto and on the legendary Mbar terrace. Annika Mustonen, who has long produced Jazz-Espa and is also active on the board of the Jazz Federation, recalls the development of the event as follows: “Jazz-Espa has become a unifying experience for Finnish jazz musicians of different ages. With a diverse program as one of Jazz-Espa’s values, the event has provided a central stage for young future talents as well as the opportunity for audiences to see in an accessible way those musicians who are already at the top. The green and sunny Esplanade creates a historically rich and unique atmosphere for listening to and performing jazz.”

The event is organized in cooperation with the Savoy Theatre, which manages the Espan stage. Other supporters of the event: Helsinki Cultural Centre, Restaurant Kappeli, Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Concert Centre Finland, Pop & Jazz Conservatory, and Grotesk Helsinki.

JAZZ-ESPA 2024

Mon 29 July
3.00 pm Panel Discussion: Jazz in Finland Now and in the Future – A Talk on Jazz on the Eve of the Jazz in Finland 100th Anniversary Year
4.00 pm Juho Valjakka Trio
5.30 pm Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui

Tue 30 July
4.00 pm Kadi Vija Key Project
5.30 pm Freezer

Wed 31 July
4.00 pm Sanna Ruohoniemi
5.30 pm PUHTI Trio

Thu 1 August
4.00 pm Emmi U. Trio
5.30 pm Janne Huttunen Quintet
8.00 pm – 1.30 am Restaurant Grotesk, Ludviginkatu 10, Helsinki: Grotesk Live X Jazz-Espa: DJ A. Myllykoski, VJ Random Doctors, VIRTA (tickets 11.50 € from Tiketti)

Fri 2 August
2.30 pm SARV X Jazz-Espa Discussion Event: Where is Music Journalism Headed?
4.00 pm Joonatan Henriksson Quintet
5.30 pm Sigurdur Rögnvaldsson Lúna

Sat 3 August
2.00 pm Screaming Jay & The Bones
15.30 pm Megasakki

Photo: Jori Huhtala