What’s Happening, Teppo Mäkynen?

The early-2000s success story The Five Corners Quintet is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its debut album Chasin’ The Jazz Gone By with a handful of selected gigs. The band is also returning to Tampere Jazz Happening, where it performed back in 2005. Drummer Teppo Mäkynen shares his current thoughts in our interview.

What’s happening?

Things are going really well. I’ve had the chance to play a lot recently, and sunny autumn days always lift the spirits. My passion and interest in music are strong. That’s wonderful, because it means I don’t have to think about what I should be doing.

You’re not one of the founding members of The Five Corners Quintet, but neither is anyone currently playing in the band – simply because the quintet was never intended to have a future as a live band. What was your mindset when this studio experiment was to be brought to the stage and you were asked to become its band leader?

It was, of course, an honour, and I jumped in wholeheartedly. For me, it’s always been natural and important to be able to influence the musical content, even if the project isn’t my own.

Were you surprised by the phenomenal success The Five Corners Quintet achieved? The debut album released in 2005 quickly sold around 40,000 copies, and the following year the band played some sixty gigs across Europe. Was it purely a musical success, or was the timing also right – did the band manage to meet a need that existed at the time?

I had no expectations regarding the band’s popularity or future. Gradually, as the number of gigs increased, it became clear that there was interest. The success was partly due to the fact that our musical style appealed to both the DJ club crowd and jazz audiences. That broadened the range of venues we could play. We had a fresh approach to the timeless sound of an acoustic jazz quintet. It was also a time when digital distribution hadn’t yet disrupted physical album sales too much. The stars were aligned in our favour back then.

You’re clearly a musician and music-maker who doesn’t dwell on the past. Yet this year you’ve played a few gigs in your old role, with the old Five Corners Quintet. How has that felt? And what do you think is the significance of the band – both personally and more broadly for Finnish jazz?

It’s been great fun to reunite and play together. I’ve also realised how important and educational the band has been on many levels. The music is deeply ingrained in all of us, and playing together still feels very natural. It’s been meaningful to hear that the band once inspired a new generation of young musicians. I believe we also brought new listeners to jazz music.

What’s going to happen?

I still don’t have the ability to see the future, but I believe it will be good.

The Five Corners Quintet
Saturday 1 November 2025 at 23.30
Paja Kongressi