drums

When instrument lessons were abruptly converted into remote teaching in Helsinki in March 2020, drummer and drum teacher Tommi Rautiainen decided to invite guest teachers to his courses. Soon his students found themselves receiving coaching from international drummer legends.

Born of birch and handicraft, Kumu drums are earning fans around the world.

"Music was omnipresent in my home, but when drummer friends older than myself introduced me to jazz, I was properly hooked. I decided that the best drummers play jazz, and thus began an exploration that remains as interesting today as it was when I was twelve."

“The music of Arctic Fire concert at the WOMEX 2019 was brave and contemporary, yet all of them drew in some way on archaic traditions in Finnish music.”

Olavi Louhivuori splashed on to the scene in 2002 as drummer of Ilmiliekki Quartet, which scooped up Finnish and Nordic jazz awards. Since then, this restless multi-instrumentalist has played with the genre-shattering Oddarrang and many other groups in Europe and the US – while at the same time composing for orchestras and electronic solo albums.