17.15

Maja Mannila Trio

Maja Mannila is a singer, pianist, and composer who has quickly risen to the forefront of the Finnish jazz scene. She performs her own English-language songs, which are a mix of R&B, soul and jazz. Growing up in a musical family, she has a confident approach to music while emphasizing that freedom and fun are important in creating and playing music. In addition to Mannila, the Maja Mannila Trio features drummer Severi Sorjonen and bassist Johannes Granroth as a skilled rhythm section. In recent years, Mannila has attracted international attention and has performed both as a soloist and with her trio not only in Finland but also in countries such as Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Lithuania, Estonia and Japan. 

Maja Mannila Trio released their debut album Up & Down in 2022, and the second album Seasons was released in the fall of 2023. 

Maja Mannila – vocals, keyboards 
Johannes Granroth – bass 
Severi Sorjonen – drums

Photo: Sofia Jernroth

13.30

Ilmari Rönkä & Mikko Antila Duo

The music of the duo by saxophonist-flutist Ilmari Rönkä and vibraphonist Mikko Antila is chamber music jazz, which allows space for colors and shades. The repertoire of the duo, established in spring 2024, consists of new compositions by Rönkä and Antila, where the duo format is fully utilized: the warm harmony of woodwinds and vibraphone, the melodiousness of the pieces and the rhythmic energy of the duo captivate the audience. The compositions are influenced by classical and Brazilian music as well as the tradition of jazz.  

The duo released the EP Dancing Petals digitally in December 2024, and artist Maisa Immonen produced a captivating surreal animation for the piece Petal Dance. The ensemble will record a full-length album in the summer of 2025. 

Ilmari Rönkä – flute, alto saxophone 
Mikko Antila – vibraphone 

Photo: Anna-Maria Viksten

16.00

Roope Kantonen 3

Roope Kantonen 3 introduces a new voice in the jazz scene with its distinctive sound, where the rhythm is complemented by the eccentric sound of the bass clarinet. The trio's music draws influences from traditional jazz, modern musical language and experimental elements. The band's debut album Introducing was released this spring by Flame Jazz Records. 

The band's leader, Turku-born drummer, composer and teacher Roope Kantonen was awarded the Jazz Musician of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Jazz Musician’s Association. Kantonen, who graduated with a master's degree from the Amsterdam Conservatory, is a musician with an international career and plays an active role in the Helsinki jazz scene, notably as the host of the weekly jazz jams at Sörkan Ruusu. 

The trio consists of top musicians Max Zenger and Juuso Rinta, who are known for their unique way of interpreting their own instruments both as leaders of their own bands and as members of many of the hottest ensembles of the moment. 

Max Zenger – bass clarinet 
Juuso Rinta – double bass 
Roope Kantonen – drums

Photo: Teemu Kekkonen

17.15

Viba

Singer-songwriter Virva Immonen, known by her stage name Viba, released her second full-length album with her band in February 2025. In the tracks of the album Harso, which move between dreams and wakefulness, the artist is both powerfully direct and vulnerably fragile. With this new material, Viba deepens her recognizable style that combines alt-pop influences and jazz, together with bassist Oskari Siirtola, who is responsible for the arrangements of the songs. Known for their direct audience contact live on stage, Viba's profound songs are complemented by the band's charming improvisation. 

"Viba is a troubadour who is not afraid to push the boundaries of her expression. In collaboration with musicians marinated in Sointi Jazz Orchestra, Arppa, OK:KO and Lassy-Eskola: Nordic Stew, the artist weaves masterfully experiential music." -Juha Seitz, Ilkka-Pohjalainen 

Virva Immonen – vocals, synthesizers 
Juho Valjakka – keyboards 
Oskari Siirtola – bass, synthesizers 
Okko Saastamoinen – drums 

Photo: Severi Uusitalo

13.30

Aleksis Liukko Trio

Founded in 2021, the Aleksis Liukko Trio plays pianist Aleksis Liukko's brand new compositions as well as pieces from the album The Sonic Sessions released in 2022. Originally from Kuopio, Liukko, who later moved to Helsinki, graduated in 2019 with a master's degree in music from the University of Gothenburg and he plays in Sointi Jazz Orchestra and Juho Peltoniemi Quartet, among others. 

The current top Finnish musicians playing in Liukko’s trio include bassist Mikael Saastamoinen (e.g., Perussastamala, Linda Fredriksson) and drummer Okko Saastamoinen (e.g., OK:KO, Arppa). The trio creates a strong ensemble playing and natural musical communication. The tradition of African American music can be heard, and a skillful approach to improvisation creates energetic, Nordic and vividly colorful atmospheres. 

Aleksis Liukko – piano  
Mikael Saastamoinen – bass  
Okko Saastamoinen – drums 

Photo: Laura Poikolainen

16.00

Helmi Antila Quartet

Helmi Antila is a new generation singer-songwriter, pianist and violinist from Helsinki. Antila was awarded the Taimi Prize by the Finnish Jazz Federation as a young jazz talent in November 2024. "Helmi Antila is a musician who radiates light and inspiration around her. She is a multi-instrumentalist who masterfully controls her instrument and beautifully combines her technical skill with artistic sensitivity" the award jury describes their choice. 

The Helmi Antila Quartet, which has captivated its audiences, is a band made up of talented young musicians who play songs written by Antila in Finnish. The rich harmonic world and honest personal lyrics – with themes of youth, nature, love and relationships – are at the core of the songs. The quartet's musicians have become known from bands such as Saimaa, Aija Puurtinen & Brooklynin satu, Peela and Stance Brothers. Kuohu Records released Antila's highly anticipated debut album Kuvia nuoruudesta in March 2025. 

Helmi Antila – vocals, piano  
Mikko Antila – vibraphone, percussions 
Tuomo Purhonen – bass 
Mooses Kuloniemi – drums 

The concert is organised in collaboration with the Jazz Department of the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.  

Photo: Anna-Maria Viksten

17.15

Toomas Keski-Säntti Quartet

Helsinki-based pianist and composer Toomas Keski-Säntti recorded his debut album Unearth while living in New York. Released in March 2025 by the Spanish label Fresh Sound, the album features the award-winning piano virtuoso as a bandleader for the first time. The music from the album will be performed at Jazz-Espa by Keski-Säntti’s Finnish ensemble, featuring longtime musical collaborators. 

Keski-Säntti is a familiar name in many of Finland’s top jazz groups, including OK:KO, Jukka Perko PreBoppers and Selma Savolainen Horror Vacui, the latter of which won a Jazz Emma Award last year. Keski-Säntti has performed actively at clubs and festivals across Europe and in New York. 

Toomas Keski-Säntti – piano  
Tomi Nikku – trumpet 
Joonas Tuuri – bass 
Teppo Mäkynen – drums 

Photo: Severi Uusitalo

13.30

Ara Yaralyan Quartet

Armenian-born jazz bassist Ara Yaralyan’s program features material from his solo album Alone and Together, as well as new arrangements and compositions. The repertoire will cover a wide range of styles, from jazz to oriental music, reflecting the environment in which Yaralyan developed as a musician. His goal is to create something new from the old by drawing on the melodic themes of Armenian folk songs. 

Yaralyan is accompanied by well-known Finnish musicians: vocalist Mia Simanainen, pianist Kari Ikonen and drummer Markku Ounaskari. 

Yaralyan has previously been a member of Kari Ikonen’s trio, with whom he has released two albums. Together with Markku Ounaskari, he performs both in his own quartet and in the Sooäär–Yaralyan–Ounaskari trio. 

Ara Yaralyan – double bass 
Kari Ikonen – piano 
Markku Ounaskari – drums 
Mia Simanainen – vocals 

The concert is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia in Helsinki.  

Photo: Raul Ollo

16.00

Valjakka & Vannesluoma feat. Mingo Rajandi

In the music of pianist Juho Valjakka, singer Josefiina Vannesluoma and double bassist Mingo Rajandi, delicate and powerful, clear and undefined meet. The musicians, who also compose, seek a common and separate way of being at the intersections of art forms, drawing meanings from poetry and movement, among other things. In the acoustic avant-garde of sound, piano and double bass, one moment rests in beautifully rustling textures, and the next is surprised by the encounters of language and tonal meanings. 

Juho Valjakka is a pianist and composer focused on jazz and improvised music, fascinated by the ambiguity and possibilities of indeterminacy in art. In addition to the Juho Valjakka Trio, which has been recognized with a Jazz Emma nomination, he plays with several top domestic ensembles. Josefiina Vannesluoma is a Turku-born singer and composer, also recognized with three Jazz Emma nominations, who leads the bands Mortal Lease and Signe. The music of Estonian-born double bassist and composer Mingo Rajandi blends composition and improvisation, stretching genre boundaries and art forms. Mingo, who is also trained as an actor, has been commissioned to create several premieres for jazz and classical music festivals. 

Juho Valjakka – piano 
Josefiina Vannesluoma – vocals 
Mingo Rajandi – double bass 

The concert is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia in Helsinki.  

Photos: Nawras Odda, Virge Viertek

17.15

Iro Haarla Ouranos Ensemble

Iro Haarla Ouranos Ensemble is a new band with a new wind blowing. At Jazz-Espa, the ensemble will play songs from their album Ouranos – Under the Firmament, which was released in November 2024 by Willa Silva Records. 

The Greek word ”ouranos” means firmament. Every piece in the group's repertoire depicts, in some way, events that occur above the Earth. There are things we may not see but still affect our lives. 

Iro Haarla – piano 
Jarmo Saari – electric guitar 
Ulf Krokfors – double bass 
Aniida Vesala – drums 
Aija Puurtinen – vocals 

Photo: Risto Hemmi

16.00

Aki Rissanen & Mikko Innanen Duo

Internationally recognized top musicians, pianist Aki Rissanen and saxophonist Mikko Innanen, are old friends who are now returning to the stage with a new duo repertoire and recording. The material recently created and rehearsed in residence in Western Uusimaa delves into fundamental questions of art and humanity, as well as trivial and insignificant little matters – described by the duo themselves. Stylistically, Rissanen and Innanen move simultaneously within the tradition of jazz and in some parallel reality of the future, where everything is allowed. 

Aki Rissanen – piano 
Mikko Innanen – saxophones 

17.15

Kalima–Lötjönen–Ounaskari

Kalima–Lötjönen–Ounaskari is a brand-new ensemble that brings together three leading figures of Finnish jazz: guitarist Kalle Kalima, who has built an international career in Central Europe; double bassist Antti Lötjönen, recipient of the 2024 Yrjö Award from the Finnish Jazz Federation; and drummer Markku Ounaskari, who has enjoyed a long and successful career on the international stage. 

The program features compositions from Lötjönen’s and Kalima’s recent duo album Stings, Bites and Scratches, arranged for a trio, as well as entirely new material written specifically for this group. Audiences can expect an intense and nuanced concert experience, where improvisation and the musicians’ deep interplay take center stage. 

Kalle Kalima – guitar 
Antti Lötjönen – double bass 
Markku Ounaskari – drums 

Photos: Oliver Potratz, Tuomas Timonen, Dag Alveng

14.00

Jazzkamelit

Jazzkamelit is a versatile trio of three musicians inviting the whole family on a joyful jazz adventure! 

Trumpeter Mikko Pettinen and bassist Vesa Ojaniemi – both known from the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra – add color to their instruments with the help of effects, creating a fresh and exciting soundscape that surprises not only the audience but even the musicians themselves. The trio’s charismatic vocalist Mirja Mäkelä brings energetic interpretations to both jazzed-up children’s songs and the group’s original tunes, including Pettinen’s hit song Noro. 

Mirja Mäkelä – vocals 
Mikko Pettinen – trumpet, piano, vocals 
Vesa Ojaniemi – double bass, vocals 

Photo: Harri Aavaharju