The 34th annual Tampere Jazz Happening will take place from the 29th of October to the 1st of November, 2015, when the stages of Pakkahuone, Klubi, and Telakka will be filled to the brim with music from some of today's most captivating modern jazz musicians. The festival will feature altogether 26 ensembles, 18 of which are international.
Performers include both young, up-and-coming musicians and legendary artists, such as drummer Ginger Baker, who received international fame for his role in the rock group Cream. Baker was chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top ten most significant drummers of all time, and he will arrive at Tampere with his latest ensemble, Jazz Confusion.
Other experienced jazz ensembles who will perform during the festival include Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, Mats Gustafsson Solo and The Young Mothers, whose concerts will take place on Saturday. Last year, the lead musicians of these groups visited the Tampere Jazz Happening with the ensemble The Thing, but this year will fill the stage of Pakkahuone with their own ensembles. The opening concert of the festival, the Young Nordic Jazz Comets showcase, will also proudly present rising stars of the Nordic jazz scene.
Jazz meets poetry
This year’s programme particularly highlights the union of jazz and poetry. American Saul Willliams is considered to be one of the most fascinating voices of alternative hip hop, and his fellow countryman, David Murray, is a unique saxophone master and one of the most prolific musicians in jazz history. At Tampere, these two virtuosos take the stage together, accompanied by the soulful Infinity Quartet
Poetry will continue to shake hands with music through the performances of Finnish artists, such as the spectacular Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen sana, who combine rap with jazz. Also, Hannu Salama, who is one of the most significant contemporary Finnish writers, will perform together with the ensemble Vapaat Radikaalit, which includes some of the most talented Finnish jazz musicians.
Virtuoso women
On the final day of the festival, the stages will be taken over by female-led ensembles. The ”first lady of jazz,” Carla Bley, was a central figure in the free jazz movement in the 1960s, and is known as a versatile composer, orchestra leader, and pianist. Bley will arrive at Tampere with her life partner, bassist Steve Swallow, and saxophonist Andy Sheppard.
More female energy is provided during the festival by the brand new orchestra Life and Other Transient Storms, led by flugelhorn and trumpet virtuoso Susana Santos Silva, and also Sacrum Facere, the international ensemble led by the award-winning Estonian Maria Faust. In the ending concert of Tampere Jazz Happening 2015, Norwegian collective Hedvig Mollestad Trio, which consists of two women and one man, masterfully combines jazz and rock with an impressive attitude.
Tampere Jazz Happening is a member of Europe Jazz Network
More information: tamperemusicfestivals.fi/jazz
