Dimitri Grechi Espinosa - tenor saxophone and musical direction
Juhani "Junnu" Aaltonen - flute
Tapio Ylinen - electric and acoustic guitars
Jazz pastor Markku Salo - poetry recitation (in Finnish)

Italian saxophonist and composer Dimitri Grechi Espinoza brings his deeply meditative and unique interpretation of John Coltrane’s legendary work A Love Supreme to Kerava Church. Espinoza’s project Meditation On A Love Supreme has received wide acclaim in Italian jazz and cultural circles as a spiritual concert experience designed for sacred spaces, offering new perspectives on the mystical core of Coltrane’s music.

In collaboration with Espinoza, jazz pastor Markku Salo has assembled a quartet for the Finnish performances that most faithfully reflects the sound world of both the original work and the new arrangement. In Kerava, Espinoza and Salo will be joined by Finnish jazz legend Juhani Aaltonen and guitarist Tapio Ylinen. Together, the ensemble creates a new Finnish-Italian encounter around Coltrane’s masterpiece, where improvisation, poetry, and silence merge into one. This is not an ordinary tribute concert, but rather a “re-hearing” — an attempt to reach the spiritual essence of Coltrane’s music.

Released in 1965, A Love Supreme is considered one of the most significant recordings in jazz history. It is a prayer-like suite in which jazz, spirituality, and humanity’s inner search are united in an exceptional way. In Espinoza’s interpretation, Coltrane’s original material gains new shades through influences from Eastern mysticism, natural resonance, and contemporary meditative soundscapes.

The acoustics of Kerava Church provide an exceptional setting for the work. Here, the sacred space is not merely a concert venue, but an integral part of the music itself — resonance, silence, and space are essential elements of Espinoza’s artistic vision. Many of his earlier projects have been performed in basilicas, baptisteries, and historic stone buildings across Europe.

The concert promises a rare experience in which jazz is not merely music, but also prayer, breathing, and the art of listening.

Free admission to the church. Program 20€ at the door.

Music sample of the Italian version of the "Meditation On A Love Supreme"

Jorma Tapio - saxophones, flute, bass flute, wooden flutes
Eero Tikkanen - double bass, violin, jews harp, gimbri
Janne Tuomi - drums, percussion

Jorma Tapio & Kaski is an internationally acclaimed and highly respected Finnish free jazz ensemble whose music combines melodic expression, powerful energy, and free improvisation. The group’s expression moves from delicate whispers to explosive surges of energy, while maintaining a strong atmospheric and emotional intensity throughout.

Jorma Tapio & Kaski is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special jubilee tour. Over the course of two decades, the ensemble has established itself as one of the most distinctive and internationally compelling groups in Finnish free jazz.

Over the years, the band’s music has evolved in an increasingly spiritual direction. Finnish folk influences, meditative elements, and new compositions come together to form a unique musical whole. At the core of the ensemble are sound, the energy of collective interplay, and the subtle nuances of the music — a living, in-the-moment expression in which every performance becomes a unique experience.

Jorma Tapio’s strong artistic vision is present in everything the ensemble does. The music reflects influences from the melodic free jazz of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the legacy of Finnish free jazz pioneers such as Edward Vesala and Juhani Aaltonen. At the same time, the ensemble has created its own unmistakable sound within the field of Finnish avant-garde jazz.

Music sample:

"Jay Day" Penttinen - vocals
Rob Dominis - piano
A-P Niemi - double bass
Antti Snellman - saxophone
Jartsa Karvonen - drums

Taste of Life is a vibrant, soulful, and swinging concert experience that takes the audience through the different stages of human life — through sweet, salty, bitter, and sharp moments, and ultimately into all their rich umami shades.

The music comes from some of the greatest stars of our time: Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Nat “King” Cole, and many others whose songs were born at turning points in life and have left a lasting mark on culture.

The concert’s narrative is built around well-known songs. Each piece opens a door to moments when the world changes — or when a person changes. The songs speak of love, loss, hope, courage, and the way music carries us through difficult times. They were born in moments when society shifted into a new position or when an individual experienced something that changed everything.

On stage is a top-class ensemble of versatile entertainment professionals: “Jay Day” Penttinen, Rob Dominis, Antti Snellman, Jartsa Karvonen, and AP Niemi.

Together they form a band known for its powerful interpretations, swinging musicianship, and ability to create a complete and immersive experience for audiences. In their hands, the classics gain new life — respecting the originals while bringing in their own strong artistic voice.

Taste of Life is a concert experience worth embracing. It is music, stories, and atmospheres that move and entertain. It is a journey into humanity — into its many flavours and shades, from the birth of a child of nature to the evening of life.

As part of the festival, Kerava Jazz also organizes its traditional jam session, where visiting musicians immerse themselves in the world of jazz standards. The house band is led by guitarist Lasse Keso, who also serves as the jam host.

AURORA HENTUNEN QUINTET:

Aurora Hentunen - piano, compositions
Ukko Heinonen - tenor saxophone
Joona Kilponen - trumpet
Veli-Matti Silanterä - bass
Ville Luukkonen - drums

Aurora Hentunen is an acclaimed and versatile pianist-composer.

Her ensemble, Aurora Hentunen Quintet, moves at the intersection of modern Nordic jazz, ambient music, and electronic soundscapes.

The quintet’s music combines acoustic and electronic textures with the tonal colours of Nordic jazz and pop-ambient production, creating a melodically strong and cinematic expression.

Released by Eclipse Music, Hentunen’s third album Little Further reflects the dramatic global events of recent years and the collective pause and uncertainty they have created about the future. Yet the music gently encourages listeners to move forward and trust in tomorrow. The album won Jazz/Soul Album of the Year at the 2025 Indie Awards, and features GRAMMY Award-winning bassist Linda May Han Oh as a guest artist. She is known for her collaborations with artists such as Pat Metheny and Vijay Iyer.

“Like the best albums, the artist’s latest release Little Further unfolds layer by layer, leaving enough space for the listener’s own interpretations as well.” — Indie Awards 2025

“Hentunen’s sense of melody and instrumentation is genuinely moving, and with every listen new elements continue to emerge from the compositions.” — Laura Korhonen / Yle Music Journalists’ Favourite Albums of 2024

SELMA SAVOLAINEN in the shade:

approx. at 7.30pm

Selma Savolainen - vocals, compositions
Toomas Keski-Säntti - piano
Tomi Nikku - trumpet
Max Zenger - clarinets
Eero Tikkanen - double bass
Okko Saastamoinen - drums

Selma Savolainen is a singer-composer known for her bold and distinctive artistic expression.

In her music, modern jazz, alternative singer-songwriter traditions, and experimental soundscapes merge into an intense and strongly narrative whole.

Savolainen, an Emma Award-winning artist, has been praised for her unique sonic identity, emotional depth, and ability to move from fragile whispers to powerful outbursts.

Released by Whirlwind Recordings, the album in the shade continues to deepen and expand Savolainen’s distinctive musical world. The songs explore themes of identity, belonging, and the relationship between one’s private inner world and external reality. The music draws influences from modern jazz, avant-pop, and alternative rock — at times fragile and intimate, at times forceful and highly expressive.

Selma Savolainen’s bright and expressive voice forms the centre of the music, while an ensemble of outstanding musicians creates an evolving and surprising sonic landscape around it. In the shade further strengthens Selma Savolainen’s position as one of the most compelling and internationally distinctive voices in contemporary Finnish jazz.

Music samples:

Aurora Hentunen Quartet:

Selma Savolainen in the shade:

Marthe Lea - tenor saxophone, flutes
Hans Hulbækmo - drums
Espen Berg - piano
Egil Kalman - double bass
Andreas Røysum – clarinets, flutes

Marthe Lea unquestionably belongs among the leading Norwegian saxophonists of her generation.

Her playing simultaneously conveys Nordic sensitivity, the naturalness of folk traditions, and the fearless spirit of free improvisation.

Her ensemble, Marthe Lea Band, is known for its energetic, ritualistic, and deeply atmospheric expression.

The group’s strength lies in collective improvisation and an open approach to music. In its early years, the band often performed almost entirely improvised concerts in which compositions could evolve and transform spontaneously in the moment.

Today, the music uniquely combines jazz, folk music, and free improvisation — from the calm flow of folk melodies to explosive rhythmic free jazz eruptions. Marthe Lea Band is especially renowned for its intense live performances and has appeared at several international jazz festivals. At Jazzfest Berlin, their music was described as “a blazing firework display of African and Scandinavian influences.”

Marthe Lea is also known for collaborations with artists such as Bugge Wesseltoft’s New Conception of Jazz ensemble, Ayumi Tanaka, and Thomas Strønen. Marthe Lea Band previously performed in Finland at the We Jazz Festival in 2022.

Music sample:

As part of its worship service, the Kerava parish organizes a jazz mass in which the music, congregational hymns, and solo performances all reflect the authentic spirit of jazz.

Jarmo Saari - guitar, electronics, theremin etc

Jarmo Saari (b. 1970) is one of the most distinctive guitarists of his generation.

The musician-composer, who has performed in more than thirty countries and appeared on over one hundred albums, received the Finland Prize in 2012 for his artistic achievements.

He is known for his visual style of composition created for concerts, films, television, choreography, theatre, and recordings, as well as for his multi-layered sonic collages built with electric guitar, human voice, and unusual instruments such as the theremin, baroque cello, and glass harp. Among his artistic projects are ZetaBoo, XL, Reuna, Jarmo Saari Filmtet, Solu, Trubamolli, and Republic.

Saari has worked as a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer with artists including Jukka Perko, Anna-Mari Kähärä, Michael Brecker, Pekka Pohjola, Nils Landgren, Britten Sinfonia, Sivuu Ensemble, Tero Saarinen, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Samuli Kosminen, the Meta4 string quartet, Emma Salokoski, Esko Salminen, Mika Kaurismäki, Tapiola Choir, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Trilok Gurtu, Pekka Kuusisto, Tuomari Nurmio, Don Huonot, Jorma Hynninen, Bendik Hofseth, and Pepe Deluxé. Jarmo Saari Solu is an experimental solo project by one man that sounds like a full orchestra.

A pioneer of live looping, Saari has performed solo concerts both in Finland and internationally, as far away as Japan.

Music sample:

Siina Suutarinen - vocals
Aaron Koskelainen - bass
Kasper Halttunen - drums
Oiva Haapamäki - trumpet, flugelhorn
Oona Mattsson - alto saxophone, flute
Andrea Martin - piano and compositions

Kanvas is a jazz ensemble led by pianist Andrea Martin, whose musical expression is strongly shaped by influences from pop songwriting.

The group’s second album, Suunnat (“Directions”), deepens the band’s recognizable sound in which melody, storytelling, and improvisation coexist naturally. The album is built from compositions that function both as independent works and as parts of a broader network of moods and perspectives.

Interaction is central to the ensemble’s music: the sensitivity between the musicians, the ability to create space for one another, and a strong shared sense of direction. True to its title, Suunnat opens different pathways for the listener — inner landscapes, movement, and moments of stillness.

The album combines the expressive power of jazz with the direct emotional accessibility of pop music. The result is a body of work that is simultaneously approachable and artistically ambitious. Kanvas has emerged as an exciting new name on the Finnish scene, and Suunnat further strengthens the group’s position as one of the new generation jazz ensembles moving naturally across genre boundaries.

Links: Kanvas' home page