Raoul Björkenheim

"What makes someone visit the same music festival for 40 years without a break? This is what has happened to me with Tampere Jazz Happening", writes music journalist Harri Tuominen.

"Perhaps that’s Kämäräinen’s superpower: He manages to sound like a bandmember even when occupying the sonic space all by himself. What an absolute gem of a disc Timo Kämäräinen has come up with."

"Sublime guitar lines that soar like birds of prey in the sky, daring harmonic innovations and immersive metric modulations to make your heart bleed with anguish, ecstasy and joy."

One thing can be said with certainty: Kalle Kalima, born in Helsinki and now based in Berlin, plays the electric guitar. But a quick glance at his discography can lead to confusion, because the sheer volume of Kalima’s output – as a leader or collaborator – is overwhelming. Andreas Müller met Kalima in his home town, Berlin, to find out more.

"Excellent job, one and all."

Known as a fearless sound explorer and protean saxophonist, Tapani Rinne introduced jazz to ambient and techno years before it became a worldwide trend. After game-changing albums with RinneRadio, Wimme and others, he continues to blaze a trail of innovation.

Led by the startling voice of Anni Elif Egecioglu, Elifantree paints from an idiosyncratic palette, spattered with jazz and electronics. This Helsinki trio celebrates its 10th anniversary with new collaborations and a forthcoming album.

Two jazz professionals, journalist Andreas Müller and label manager Dave Stapleton, had a brief chat about Finnish jazz prior to Jazzahead! 2017, the international jazz expo and showcase festival taking place from 27 until 30 April in Bremen, Germany.

"As expected, the Finnish-American jazz guitar hero does not brake a whole lot on eCsTaSy’s Out of the Blue. Raoul Björkenheim and his cohorts, Pauli Lyytinen (saxophones), Jori Huhtala (double bass) and Markku Ounaskari (drums), make sharp turns but never miss a corner."

The earthy tones of Pepa Päivinen’s saxophone are a cornerstone of Finnish jazz. To date [2003], the man has released three albums as a leader and made himself a name through various projects of differing sizes. He has performed for twenty years in the ranks of the UMO Jazz Orchestra and worked along the way with bandleaders like Jukka Tolonen, Edward Vesala and Anthony Braxton.

Raoul Björkenheim is a guitarist and composer in a constant search for new levels of expression. This versatile musician is at home on two continents and in various musical styles. For him, improvisation is a matter of life philosophy and music should have true personal value.