Finnish jazz musicians come together for a group photograph to celebrate Jazz in Finland 100

As part of the Jazz in Finland 100 centenary celebrations, the Finnish Jazz Federation invited jazz musicians from across Finland to take part in an A Great Day in Helsinki group photograph. The photograph was taken on Sunday, 6 September, on the steps of the House of the Estates in Helsinki. A total of 155 musicians took part in the photograph.

The project was inspired by the legendary 1958 photograph A Great Day in Harlem. Taken by Art Kane, the photograph features 57 jazz legends, including Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Over the decades, it has become one of the best-known jazz photographs in the world.

In the spirit of the Jazz in Finland 100 centenary, the Finnish Jazz Federation wanted to bring as many jazz professionals as possible together in one photograph and leave it for future generations as a unique document of what Finnish jazz looked like in 2026.

The photograph is the first group portrait to bring together such a large number of professional jazz musicians in Finland.

The photograph was taken by Jouni Harala, a professional photographer with a long career who has also photographed musicians for several decades.