During three days the guests from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Israel, the Netherlands and the USA met their Finnish colleagues from the jazz and world music scenes and watched 16 showcases at seven different locations in Helsinki. The guest group consisted of agents, promoters as well as label and festival representatives.
The 16 bands and artists performing at the event were chosen out of numerous applications, resulting in over 90 musicians and artists participating at Arctic Paradise. The showcase line-up consisted of Aki Rissanen Trio, Anne-Mari Kivimäki, Antti Paalanen, Buba Wii Aa, Elifantree, Espoo Big Band & Husband, Frigg, Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble, Hilja Grönfors, Ilkka Heinonen Trio + Karoliina Kantelinen, Mikko Innanen 10+, Mopo, Ontrei, Pekko Käppi & K:H:H:L, Verneri Pohjola and Vilma Timonen Quartet. Jukka Eskola Soul Trio stepped in for Verneri Pohjola who couldn’t participate due to illness.
The event aimed to present some of the best Finnish jazz and world music talents and to connect important representatives of these scenes to create new international partnerships, strengthen the export possibilities of companies and artists, and to increase their level of visibility abroad.
For Stefanie Marcus of the label Traumton Music, Arctic Paradise offered the opportunity “to get to know music and musicians that we haven’t noticed to that degree in Germany yet“.
Isabel Soffer [of globalFEST and Live Sounds from the USA] was impressed by the overall creativity. “I loved the creativity that each band brought to the stage. I was surprised time and again by the styles of music performed and the high quality performances – from heavy metal folk to Yoik songs and Karelian performance art to a big-band jazz-rock show – each band brought an unexpected and exciting element that really seems unique to Finland”.
Arctic Paradise World & Jazz Event photo gallery
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The article originally appeared @ Music Finland News, 14 September 2016.
Photo Credits:
(1) Pekko Käppi & K:H:H:L: performing at Kapsäkki's small stage
(by Jenna Pietikäinen/Music Finland);
(2) Ilkka Heinonen,
(3) Frigg,
(4) Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble,
(5) Vilma Timonen Quartet
(unknown/website).