Finnish Jazz Federation Participates in 12 Points Festival in Tampere
The 12 Points festival, being held for the first time in Finland, will showcase twelve emerging jazz artists from twelve different European countries. The festival will take place from September 25th to 28th at G Livelab Tampere. The event is organized by Improvised Music Company and G Livelab Tampere. The Finnish Jazz Federation is a partner of the event, and its Executive Director will participate in a panel discussion at the festival’s Jazz Futures conference on September 28th.
The lineup for the 12 Points festival includes Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui (Finland), Fixity (Ireland), Emmeluth’s Amoeba (Norway), Beyond (Lithuania), Invisible Painters (Italy), Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet (Denmark), Pawky (Sweden), Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi (Iceland), Inui (France), /kry (Austria), Sc’ööf (Switzerland), and TamTam (Estonia). Each of the four concert evenings of the festival will feature three different bands. The festival will be hosted by Verneri Pohjola, who gained international recognition after performing at a previous 12 Points festival.
The festival nights on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at G Livelab Tampere will conclude with free late-night jam sessions, where in previous years many new musical friendships and even new ensembles have formed. The jam sessions will be hosted by local musicians Markus Pajakkala and Juho Kanervo, along with guest appearances by Tampere-based groups Kielo Kärkkäinen & Friend Soup, Hot Heros, and !imouS.
In conjunction with the festival, the Jazz Futures conference will also be held in Tampere, in collaboration with the Better Live EU project and the Tampere City Library. The Finnish Jazz Federation and its numerous member organizations are also involved in the Better Live project. The free conference, held at the Metso Main Library in Tampere, will focus primarily on the future of jazz in relation to environmental issues, sustainability, and accessibility. The Jazz Federation’s Executive Director Maria Silvennoinen will participate in a panel discussion on September 28th.
One of the artists performing at the 12 Points festival will be selected to receive the prestigious Zenith Award from the Europe Jazz Network. The winner of the Zenith Award will be chosen by a professional jury composed of members of the Europe Jazz Network.
In previous years, Finnish jazz ensembles such as Virta, HERD, Mopo, Ilmiliekki Quartet, and Elifantree have performed at the 12 Points festival.
12 Points festival in Tampere is supported by the City of Tampere, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. The event is also partnered with Operaatio Pirkanmaa.
Photo: Severi Uusitalo