The Jazz in Finland 100 Discussion at the Savoy JAZZFest: On the Borders of Jazz
In celebration of the Jazz in Finland 100 anniversary year, the Finnish Jazz Federation is organizing a series of jazz-related discussions in collaboration with the University of the Arts Helsinki and the University of Helsinki. The first discussions will be held in cooperation with the Savoy JAZZFest on March 5–6 at the Savoy Theatre in Helsinki. On Thursday, March 5, the discussion will explore how jazz lives on, evolves, and is reflected in the work of today’s artists.
The event is free of charge. Read more about the discussion below and join us in celebrating the Jazz in Finland 100 anniversary year!
On the Borders of Jazz
March 5, 5:00–6:00 pm
Savoy Theatre, Helsinki
Moderator
Tuuli Saksala (music journalist, YLE)
Speakers – musicians and songwriters
Teppo Mäkynen
Mariska
Hassan Maikal
Jimi Tenor
What happens when musicians move across genre boundaries and borrow ideas from one another? How does jazz live on, change, and resonate in the work of today’s creators—and how do artists from different stylistic backgrounds themselves articulate their relationship with jazz?
This panel discussion delves into the connections, interfaces, and fertile points of collision between jazz and other musical genres. Jazz is discussed both as a tradition in its own right and as an open source of influences: what jazz means to musicians, how it shapes their personal expression, and what new paths boundary-crossing musical work can open up. The conversation moves fluidly from the core of jazz to its outer edges—and above all, to the heart of good music.
The year 2026 marks 100 years since jazz symbolically arrived in Finland aboard the Andania ship. The centenary celebration, Jazz in Finland 100, will highlight Finnish jazz and its artists at home and abroad, recognising jazz as an integral part of Finland’s cultural heritage. The Jazz in Finland 100 campaign is coordinated by the Finnish Jazz Federation.