Festival September 10 – 14, 2025
The 2025 Kerava Jazz Festival consists of eleven events. The festival kicks off at Kerava Church on Wednesday, September 10th, with one of Finland’s brightest jazz vocalists, Sanni Orasmaa, performing a solo concert at the grand piano.
The festival continues on Thursday, September 11th at Oluthuone Paasikivi, where the band Oaagaada delivers the festival’s free jazz segment.
On Friday, September 12th, the festival program begins at Kerava Hall with a concert aimed at all music lovers, featuring the trio of versatile female artists called Mimie Moore. For the concert, the band expands into a seven-piece Jazz Edition lineup, promising wild journeys through various moods.
Friday’s program continues at Oluthuone Paasikivi with the traditional jam sessions.
Saturday, September 13th, the main concert day, begins at Kerava Library’s Pentinkulma Hall with the "Soul Bird Suite", a suite inspired by Kalevala’s bird myths, composed by Finnish-American Mike Koskinen and Rent Romus.
The first part of the main concert at Kerava Hall features The Watercolors, a seven-piece ensemble led by oboist Janne Saarinen. Their “jazz watercolor” sound is rich in harmony and combines oboe with strings and a jazz rhythm section.
Following them is pianist Aki Rissanen’s group Hyperreal, bringing a more electric tone. This trio, completed by trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and drummer Robert Ikiz, blends Nordic jazz, experimental sound art, and Middle Eastern rhythms into a complex whole.
The second part of the main concert presents a quartet led by Norwegian trumpeter Hildegunn Øiseth. Their music draws inspiration partly from the same sources as Hyperreal but without electronic elements, with a clearer focus on Nordic jazz. Ethnic influences come from Øiseth’s playing of a goat horn alongside her regular trumpet, promising melodic, beautifully clear “fjord jazz.”
The free open-air concert on September 14th at Aurinkomäki moves indoors to Kerava Hall. The event starts with a quintet led by Kerava-born bassist Tuomas Talvi, focusing on modern mainstream jazz. Next, vocalist and pianist Helmi Antila’s quartet performs her compositions, with Finnish lyrics exploring themes of youth, nature, love, and relationships. As the grand finale, the concert features the always vibrant saxophonist Pentti “Pena” Lahti and his Sanborn Unit, delivering funky jazz fusion.
Kerava Parish organizes a traditional jazz mass at Kerava Church during the festival.
