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