Pianist Kari Ikonen heads to US in June together with bassist Ara Yaralyan and drummer Markku Ounaskari. The trio will play 5 shows, and in addition Ikonen will play a show together with legendary drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn on June 19.

Kari Ikonen Trio US tour

June 21 – Nublu, New York
June 23 – Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Rochester, NY
June 24 – Embassy of Finland, Washington DC (Nordic Jazz 2014)
June 25 – Nordic Jazz Festival, House of Sweden, Washington DC (Nordic Jazz 2014)
June 27 –  Twins Jazz, Washington DC (Nordic Jazz 2014) 

Sun Trio, which consists of trumpeter Kalevi Louhivuori , drummer Olavi Louhivuori and bass player Antti Lötjönen, will play an album release tour in US in June. In the Dreamworld, Sun Trio’s third album will be released in Canada and US in June.

Sun Trio US tour

June 18 – Nublu, 18th of June, New York
June 20 – Rochester Jazz Festival, Rochester
June 22 – Vancouver Jazz Festival, Vancouver
June 23 – Victoria Jazz Festival, Victoria

Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen Sana is a 20-member super group that combines some of the most important Finnish jazz and hip hop acts together. The group consists of leading Finnish jazz musicians like Valtteri Pöyhönen, Jukka Eskola, Kalevi Louhivuori and hip hop acts Redrama, Tommy Lindgren and Paleface. The group will play at Moers Festival in Moers, Germany on June 6.

Jukka Perkola Avara Trio, led by alto-saxophonist Jukka Perko and accompanied by guitarists Teemu Viinikainen and Jarmo Saari is currently touring Australia.

Jukka Perko Avara Trio Australia tour

June 3 – Paddington Uniting Church East Side Arts, Sydney
June 4 – Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne
June 5 – Brisbane International Jazz Festival, Brisbane
June 6 – Cairns Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
June 7 – Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
June 9 – Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong
June 10 – Canberra Embassy of Finland, Canberra

Iiro Rantala is on a solo piano summer tour in June in Germany and Switzerland. In July he performs with Miroslav Vitous and Wolfgang Haffner at Historisher Rathausplatz in Schifferstadt, Germany.

Iiro Rantala summer tour

June 5 – Romanfabrik, Frankfurt, Germany
June 6 – Jazzclub, Schorndorf, Germany
June 7 – Primo di Piano, Allschwil, Switzerland
June 8 – Illipse, Illingen, Germany

July 12 – Historisher Rathausplatz in Schifferstadt, Germany (with Miroslav Vitous and Wolfgang Haffner)

Jussi Fredriksson Jazz Wars consist of pianist Jussi Fredriksson’s two four-part compositions where the mood shifts from high-flown battle episodes to more subtle tones. Alongside Fredriksson, there’s the absolute cream of Finnish jazz, with Joonatan Rautio on saxophone, Jukka Eskola on trumpet, Tuomo Dahblom on guitar (replacing Marzi Nyman on this tour), Jori Huhtala on bass and Jussi Lehtonen on drums.

Jussi Fredriksson Jazz Wars Italy tour

July 10  Castello Sforzesco, Milano
July 11 Castel San Giovanni, Piacenza
July 12 Castione Andaveno, Sondrio