Formed in 2010, Ricky-Tick Big Band, led by bandleader Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen (ex-Dalindèo), consists of 16 musicians – all internationally acclaimed top players. The band’s musical style could be described as energetic and fiercely groovy contemporary big band jazz, with a foundation in the Duke Ellington school and influences ranging from New Orleans to Ethio-jazz. In 2013, they successfully started collaborating with three rappers – Redrama, Paleface, and Father Metro – under the name Ricky-Tick Big Band ja Julkinen Sana. In 2026, Redrama stepped aside and was replaced by the rapper F.

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The music of Jyväskylä-based duo Viive (Riikka Suutarinen and Antti Niiranen) incorporates tones from contemporary and spiritual jazz as well as ambient, progressive rock, trip hop, indie and folk music. Their organic, mainly instrumental music is tied together by Suutarinen's Finnish spoken word verses and a cool, emotionally charged atmosphere. Viive released their debut album "Sen jälkeen kun" in late 2024.

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Elifantree is a trio consisting of vocalist Anni Elif, saxophonist Pauli Lyytinen, and drummer Olavi Louhivuori. Formed in 2007 in Helsinki, the group moves between precision and rawness, with music that draws on surreal and abstract imagery. Over the years, they have toured extensively across Europe and developed a closely integrated ensemble sound. Their catalogue includes six albums, among them the double album Hachi (2021). A seventh album is due in May 2026.

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Composer and musician Jimi Tenor needs no introduction: after 30 years of career as an established artist, Tenor has redefined his style and sound over and over again and moved from 60s and 70s jazz, psychedelic soul and African funk to techno and experimental rock. Tenor continues to release music in different formats and through different labels at a formidable pace.

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Kanvas is a jazz ensemble strongly influenced by pop songwriting. Their debut album "Värit" (2025) is built from compositions that function both as standalone pieces and as part of a broader network of moods and perspectives. The follow-up "Suunnat" (Directions) was released in the spring of 2026. True to its title, the album opens multiple pathways for the listener: inner landscapes, movement, and moments of stillness. The compositions blend the expressive power of jazz with the direct emotional accessibility of pop, resulting in a work that is both approachable and artistically ambitious.

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Vocalist Selma Savolainen combines Finnish folk sounds with jazz and alt singer-songwriter styles. Her band features some of the most sought-after musicians on the Finnish jazz scene – Max Zenger on clarinets, Tomi Nikku on trumpet, Toomas Keski-Säntti on piano, Eero Tikkanen on double bass and Okko Saastamoinen on drums. Savolainen's debut record "Horror Vacui", released May 2023 via UK-based label Whirlwind, is a set of emotive songs composed and arranged specifically for this sextet. It explores fear of emptiness, renunciation and sudden discoveries.

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Raoul Melvin Björkenheim (b. 1956) is a Finnish-American jazz guitarist trained at the Helsinki Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music. He launched his career in the 1980s, collaborating with Finnish jazz drummer Edward Vesala, with whom he recorded three albums. He went on to form the band Krakatau, later scaling it down to a trio format in the 1990s. He also recorded an album with guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, produced by Bill Laswell.

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Esa Pietilä is a Finnish saxophonist and composer who studied at the Sibelius Academy's jazz department in Helsinki and privately with David Liebman in the US. His work spans contemporary and avant-garde jazz, and in 2016 he received the Yrjö Jazz Award in Finland for his original, genre-defying contributions to the field.

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Pianist and composer Alexi Tuomarila is a well known name in the European Jazz scene. With extensive touring behind him as a leader as well as with trumpeter and ECM artist Tomasz Stanko, Tuomarila has become a regular in many European jazz projects. Currently Tuomarila has worked with Jonne Taavitsainen, Joonas Tuuri and Andre Fernandes in a collaborative called Lithium.

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Oulu All Star Big Band (OASBB) is a professional ensemble from Oulu, managed by Uleåborg Jazz Organisation Association. Founded in 2005, the band has produced over a hundred big band concert productions, earning acclaim both for musical quality and boundary-pushing ambition. Since 2019, its artistic director has been trumpeter Jukka Eskola, one of Finland's leading jazz musicians. OASBB has hosted prominent international soloists such as Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, and Nils Landgren, alongside notable Finnish guests including Iiro Rantala, Eero Koivistoinen, and Jimi Tenor. Musically, the band ranges from Latin rhythms and rock to modern and traditional big band jazz.

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Founded in spring 2012, Turku Jazz Orchestra is a 17-member big band drawing from a pool of over 30 professional musicians in the Turku area. The ensemble's repertoire spans classic and contemporary jazz, and since 2018, trumpeter and arranger Tero Lindberg has served as artistic director. The orchestra has collaborated with prominent Finnish artists, including saxophonists Timo Lassy and Jukka Perko, pianist Iiro Rantala, and singer Sami Pitkämö, as well as international guests such as Belgian saxophonist Bert Joris and Swedish singer Viktoria Tolstoy. Alongside performing, the orchestra runs educational workshops in big band playing, arranging, and composition for amateurs and students of all ages.

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Composer and arranger Jussi Lampela works across film, television, and the concert stage, with credits ranging from chamber ensembles to full symphony orchestra. His film work includes orchestrations for films like Big Game and Dark Floors, as well as original scores for documentaries and short films. His latest album, Common Ground (Eclipse Records, 2026), features trumpeter Jukka Eskola and drummer Teppo Mäkynen with a string quartet. Lampela has a long-standing relationship with the Vantaa Orchestra, for whom he arranges and serves as music producer. Other regular collaborators include the Oulu All Star Big Band, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, and Jukka Eskola. With his Jussi Lampela Nonet, he released Lampela x Eskola (Ricky-Tick Records, 2010), nominated for the Finnish Jazz-Emma Prize, and the live album Live in Kanneltalo (2018).

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Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Adele Sauros is a very active figure on the European jazz scene. She performs both as a leader and musician across several ensembles, including the Adele Sauros Quartet, Katu Kaiku, and JAF Trio, and has appeared at jazz festivals throughout Europe. She holds a master's degree from the Sibelius Academy. Her recordings as a leader include Your Special Loss (Fresh Sound Records, 2024), I Paint You (Fresh Sound Records, 2021), and My Spontaneous Mind (2016), among others, with additional appearances on releases by Katu Kaiku and JAF Trio on labels such as We Jazz and Svart Records.

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Pauli Lyytinen is a Helsinki-based musician and composer. Lyytinen´s approach to music is always improvisatory and experimental regardless of the genre – working across jazz, experimental, electro-acoustic, and contemporary music. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, he has released over 25 albums with his own ensembles and performed in more than 30 countries, with notable activity in Helsinki, São Paulo, Gothenburg, and Århus. His current projects include Elifantree, Magnetia Orkesteri, Pauli Lyytinen Rabbit Hole, and a solo practice in which he explores the full range of his instrument, with and without effects. As a saxophonist, Lyytinen explores widely extended sounds and techniques and the use of effect pedals with acoustic sax.

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Tuomo & Markus (also known as Pratt & Moody) is a musical project from Finnish soul/jazz artist Tuomo Prättälä and singer-songwriter Markus Nordenstreng of The Latebirds. The duo's music is influenced by folk rock and jazz as well as soul, American alt-country and americana. After releasing their debut full-length "Dead Circles" in 2016, the duo toured internationally, playing shows with bands like Wilco.

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It is not the most typical situation for a metal musician to jump headfirst into the world of jazz. However, drummer Juuso Raatikainen from death-doom titans Swallow the Sun took the metal – and jazz – scene by releasing the bright and airy-sounding Juuso Raatikainen Kaipuu album in December 2025. In addition to the band leader, Juuso Raatikainen Kaipuu also features guitarist Lauri Kallio, bassist Juuso Rinta, and pianist Henri Mäntylä – all old acquaintances of Raatikainen from over the years.

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Iiro Rantala is one of Finland's best known jazz musicians internationally. When his Trio Töykeät was formed in 1988, Rantala concentrated on this group for 18 years. The trio were known for a unique combination of deep musicality and madcap humour, and played over 2,000 shows in forty-five countries. ECHO Jazz award winning Rantala has since then built a succesful solo career and released albums via ACT since 2009.

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Oiro Pena is a Finnish jazz collective led by composer Antti Vauhkonen, who first gained attention as saxophonist in Soft Power before launching Oiro Pena as a solo multi-instrumentalist project. Drawing on an electronic music background, Vauhkonen has moved into avant-garde and spiritual jazz territory. The project debuted with two self-titled 10" EPs on Ultraääni in 2019, limited to 200 copies but since repressed multiple times. Their album Puna, recorded across various Helsinki locations in 2022, blends lo-fi spiritual jazz with experimental and avant-garde forms, and includes four vocal tracks with Merikukka Kiviharju featuring both original and traditional Finnish folk lyrics.

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Selim Rantapuro is a jazz guitarist and educator. His debut album, "Shades of Blue," (2023), was recorded with Belgian jazz musicians during his time living in Belgium. It has been followed by "Unknown Dimension" (2024) and "Triple Resonance" (2024). As a performer, he is available for a range of formats — solo guitar, duo, trio, or full band — and is open to varied repertoires beyond jazz. Alongside performing, Rantapuro has teaching experience from several music institutions and is available for music education and theory guidance.

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Pertti "Pepa" Päivinen (b. 1955) is a Finnish multi-instrumentalist and a cornerstone of Finnish jazz, commanding the full saxophone family, clarinet, bass clarinet, and a range of flutes. His professional career began in the 1970s and has spanned several landmark collaborations: a long-standing role at UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra since the 1980s, the Jukka Tolonen Band in the late 1970s, Edward Vesala's Sound & Fury, and tours with Anthony Braxton's Ensemble Braxtonia. His distinctive baritone saxophone sound has earned recognition both in Finland and internationally. Päivinen's 2025 album "Vihmoo" with his quartet Peacepipe (pictured) was nominated for an Emma award in the jazz category.

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Saxophonist/composer Mikko Innanen emerged on Nordic avant-garde jazz scene in the late '90s. He studied jazz in both Denmark and Finland, and played all around Europe during the early 2000’s, joining with various Finnish groups, as well as the French outfit Triade. His current bands and projects include Autonomus, Innanen Pasborg Piromalli, Littorina Saxophone Quartet, Plop & Junnu and Gourmet. Although Innanen's playing and composing can be quite cerebral and abstract, he has a definite sense of the blues and isn't avant-garde in an overly confrontational or abrasive way.

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Guitarist Esa Onttonen formed Labra in late 2020, built around his concept of collaborative live composition and a custom-designed application enabling real-time musical communication between performers. While precedents exist — such as Butch Morris's conduction or John Zorn's game pieces — Labra carves out its own territory between improvisation and composition. The ensemble's personnel varies but has included Antti Kujanpää on Hammond organ, Aki Rissanen on keyboards, Mika Kallio on drums, and Jarmo Saari on guitar. Rooted in electric jazz, the music reflects influences ranging from Miles Davis and Weather Report to Tony Williams Lifetime.

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Over the last years, pianist Aki Rissanen has made a name for himself in the international jazz world both as a leader and as a sideman. His trio's recent, critically acclaimed album 'Another North' on Edition Records, with Antti Lötjönen on bass and Teppo Mäkynen on drums, is his most authoritative work to date. His previous album Amorandom won the Finnish Grammy for the best jazz album of the year in 2016.

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A newcomer in the Finnish jazz scene, Joonas Tuuri quartet plays the compositions of base player Joonas Tuuri. Their music provides a strong, sensitive interplay and tangible atmospheres taking influence from acts like Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. Joonas Tuuri Quartet's debut album "Dimensions" was released in 2022. The other members of the band are Ilmari Rönkä (alto sax), Toomas Keski-Säntti (piano) and Anssi Tirkkonen (drums).

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Mikko Pettinen (known from groups like UMO and Higher Ground Vocals) formed his latest group, Why Not, in the fall of 2018 with multi-instrumentalist Joakim Berghäll, bassist Vesa Ojaniemi, and drummer Tuomas Timonen. Why Not plays Pettinen’s compositions where acoustic jazz meets world music, electronic tones, effects, loops, and free improvisation.

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Antti Lähdesmäki (born 1990) is a musician from Äänekoski who works actively and in a variety of ways on the Nordic music scene. In the jazz context, Lähdesmäki works alongside his own bands, including as a pianist for the Swedish band SUPERHEAVY, Maré Alta Trio, and several others.

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Trumpeter Eero Savela's career, starting around 2000, spans jazz, free improvisation, world music, and various rhythmic styles. He frequently collaborates across disciplines, combining music with dance, circus, and theatre. His debut solo album Way To, released in August 2025 on Mustik Motel Music, features all original compositions performed with Seppo Kantonen on Wurlitzer, Joonas Leppänen on drums, Eero Tikkanen on double bass, and Erno Haukkala on trombone.

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Describing his background as bop & roll guitarist Varre Vartiainen has been part of the Finnish jazz and rock scene for over 25 years. Vartiainen is known from the grooving guitar-fronted act Husband and has worked with many established musicians including Timo Lassy and Anssi Nykänen. He was elected as the young soloist of the year by UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra in 1998. Vartiainen released his first solo album “The Lost Case” in 2011.

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Jussi Kannaste (b. 1976) studied saxophone at Savonlinna Art High School before completing a master's degree in jazz at the Sibelius Academy in 2005, the same year he received the Sony Jazz Award. Since 2007 he has taught at the Sibelius Academy, becoming head of the jazz department in 2009. Alongside teaching, he is an active freelancer, appearing on over 40 albums as a sideman with ensembles such as the Ricky-Tick Big Band and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. In 2025, Kannaste4, his quartet, released its debut album, "Out of Self and Into Others," on We Jazz, featuring Tomi Nikku, Joonas Riippa, and Petter Eldh.

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Kalle Kalima’s music is mean, moody, magnificent, and is also adventurous and full of surprises. With his other experiments, such as Tenors of Kalma and Lampen he’s off exploring the badlands on the borders of rock, putting his hand on his heart to salute his Finnish homeland, and then inspiring jazz lawlessness in the band Kuu!

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