Claude Tchamitchian Poetic Power (FR)

In November 1996, for probably the first time in the country’s music history, a French jazz band toured Finland, which was at that time struggling through a recession and the polarisation of society. The musicians in the new quartet, led by trombonist Yves Robert, were of course still unknown in these parts, as was the bilingual name of the tour, ‘Vapaat äänet, Voix et sons libres’ (Free Voices/Free Sounds). When the Finnish mark was still the currency of the land, the strongest currency of jazz was still very much the American dollar.

Vapaat äänet later became a trademark that guarantees quality, thanks to the hard work and perseverance of Charles Gil, who left his native France to make Finland his home. Over the past thirty years, he has brought some four hundred French musicians to Finland and organised more than a thousand concerts for them all over the country, from Rovaniemi to Kuhmo and Mariehamn. Gil, who still tours with the ensembles, probably knows Finland better than many of its natives.

Also quite familiar with Finland is Claude Tchamitchian (b. 1960), who played double bass on Robert’s first tour. Tchamitchian will be making his eighteenth visit to Finland in October. His own trio’s journey begins at Jazz Happening on the same stage at Tullikamari’s Pakkahuone as the one he played thirty years earlier on All Saints’ Day.

However, this is not merely a reprise of his original performance, not even in a formal sense. Poetic Power, which has only released one album so far, is actually Tchamitchian’s first trio, where he and the drummer are joined by a saxophonist. Christophe Monniot (b. 1970) has also toured Finland many times, as has drummer Eric Echampard (b. 1970), who has also played and recorded with accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen.

But not even they can match the numbers of the French Tchamitchian: on Sunday 1 November, he will have already performed more than a hundred times. Just before Tampere, he will rack up even more performances with solo concerts in Loimaa, Turku and Helsinki, as well as the premiere of a work composed for six double bass players. Its title is Le Choeur des Montagnes, or ‘Choir of the Mountains’.