Getting into the Festival Spirit

This autumn, Tampere Jazz Happening will be preceded by two special warm-up evenings.

The first gathering takes place at G Livelab Tampere, where pianist Aki Rissanen and his long-standing trio return to the stage with their new album Imaginary Mountains. The interplay between the trio members is exceptionally strong – Teppo Mäkynen’s dynamic energy drives the music forward, while Antti Lötjönen’s solid foundation supports the whole.
Together, they bring to life Rissanen’s expressive compositions and the trio’s spontaneous improvisations, which reflect our personal struggles and the quiet obstacles of the mind.

Aki Rissanen Trio – Tampere Jazz Happening Warm Up
Thursday 16 October at 19.00 (doors 18.00)
G Livelab Tampere (Puutarhakatu 1)
Tickets 30 €

The second warm-up evening will take place at the new Pitkän päivän ilta cocktail bar and café, featuring a performance by Muscle Kings of Mexico. Muscle Kings of Mexico is not a group of people, but the name of a Finnish jazz/noise duo formed by saxophonist Sami Sippola and bassist Ville Rauhala, both members of the renowned band Hot Heros. On their forthcoming album, the group has reformed as a trio with experimental noise artist Pentti Dassum. The trio’s music is improvisational, featuring loose melodies, and their name is a deliberate misdirection from their Finnish origins to a more exotic sound.

+ Dj Jukola

Muscle Kings of Mexico – Tampere Jazz Happening Warm Up II
Wednesday 22 October at 20.00
Pitkän päivän ilta (Tammelan puistokatu 37)
Free admission