Updated 16th August 2021: 

Live concert at Korjaamo is cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. Instead, there will be a live stream concert from Korjaamo without live audience. Watch for free at UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra’s web site, mobile application or YouTube channel between August 24th at 7 pm (UTC+2) and September 7th until midnight. 

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American composer, drummer and percussionist John Hollenbeck (b. 1968) will feature UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra at Korjaamo on Tuesday, August 24. Be prepared for Hollenbeck’s compositions and arrangements for the big band, with surprises. The conductor of the concert is Ed Partyka.

– I built the concert with the idea of ​​“what would be fun to play with UMO”. There will my new big band arrangements of pieces that I did with smaller bands, that I either have not played at all or maybe once. And of course we’ll play my whimsical arrangement of Kraftwerk’s The Model (see the link below), which UMO and me did during the first lockdown as a remote recording, Hollenbeck says.

John Hollenbeck is a composer of music uncategorizable beyond the fact of being always identifiably his. A conceptualist able to translate the traditions of jazz and new music into a fresh, eclectic, forward-looking language of his own invention, intellectually rewarding yet ever accessibly vibrant. A drummer and percussionist possessed of a playful versatility and a virtuosic wit. Most of all, a musical thinker – whether putting pen to paper or conjuring spontaneous sound – allergic to repetition, forever seeking to surprise himself and his audiences. Hollenbeck is especially known for his innovative modern jazz band The Claudia Quintet and for working with Bob Brookmeyer. He has been praised for his unique touch on big band music, especially with his John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble. Hollenbeck’s awards and honors include five Grammy nominations. He was a professor of Jazz Drums and Improvisation at the Jazz Institute Berlin from 2005-2016 and in 2015 joined the faculty of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. www.johnhollenbeck.com

Jazz Finland, Sibelius Academy Jazz Music Department at Uniarts Helsinki, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra and the Finnish Musicians’ Union are launching a new international jazz residency program in Helsinki. The Jazz Finland Residency is a top-level, invitation-only residency for jazz musicians, composers and conductors. Coordinated by Jazz Finland, the program invites two international guest artists each year to Finland for a residency which can last anywhere from one to two months. The residency program is designed for top jazz names and promising up-and-coming musicians. The leading idea behind the residency program is to facilitate extensive networking with Finnish jazz professionals, in addition to supporting the participants’ own artistic work. The residency includes giving masterclasses at the Sibelius Academy Jazz Department, as well as performing with the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. The residency concept also enables local professional jazz musicians to initiate collaborations with the Artist-in-Residence. www.jazzfinlandresidency.fi

John Hollenbeck’s photo by Mercedes Jelinek