ARTISTS

Kaija Kärkinen and Ile Kallio started their musical journey together at Eurovision 1991, where Kaija performed the song Hullu Yö. The song in question was included on their debut album Mustaa Vettä, which was released the same year. Sade, the title song of the second album released in 1995, brought the duo to the attention of the general public at once. Abundant gigging in clubs and festivals found loyal fans who still go to gigs today. With numerous publications and hundreds of performances, we have come to this day. Both artists have had their own projects over the years; theater, other ensembles, but the common denominator has always remained along the way. That common denominator is Together. At Äkähotelli, Kaija Kärkinen and Ile Kallio perform together accompanied by the band Men in Black.

Consisting of top musicians, Saimaa’s musical adventure is free and unlimited. Although the band takes influences from classic rock, prog, folk and Finnish hits, the end result is an easily approachable and catchy ensemble. New singers Unna Kortehisto, Liisa Anastasiadis, Nelli Saarikoski and Kimmo Härmä also bring a completely new kind of depth to the band. Most of the band’s spring concerts have been sold out and the atmosphere at the concerts is ecstatic.

Riku Niemi Orchestra is a professional rhythm music orchestra founded in 2005. Its 25-member orchestra consists of a big band and a group of string instruments. RNO also performs as soloist orchestras and chamber ensembles, and a group called Cool Mambo will appear on Pirtukirko’s stage.

Composer-singer Johanna Försti is known for her soulful voice and strong interpretations. He has become known to the whole nation from several TV programs such as Obladii, Tähdet, tähdet and Tanssii Tähtien Kanssa, for which he has been a long-term vocal soloist since 2007.

In a short time, Försti has created a profile for herself as a powerful soul interpreter and charismatic performer. He has performed versatilely with various pop, jazz and soul ensembles and as a soloist in big bands and orchestras. In 2010, Försti had the honor of performing as a soloist at the Finnish Independence Day celebration reception.

Tinyhawk & Bizzarro

is an indie rock group formed around the compositions of guitarist Jenni Kinnusen, which plays colorful, experimental-nuanced and danceable rhythm music. The band’s active gigging began in the spring of 2023 and in the fall of the same year, Tinyhawk & Bizzarro’s debut album Nekorok received a great reception in the heavyweight music media. In January 2024, Tinyhawk & Bizzarro were awarded as newcomer of the year at the Indie Awards, and in March the band made their TV debut live on Yle (Suurijournalisti gala). In April, the winning streak culminated, when the idiosyncratic and open-minded music of the Nekorok album was awarded with the Teosto award, perhaps the most significant recognition in the Finnish music industry.

Jenni Kinnunen – guitar
Markus Väisänen – guitar
Teemu Aho – bass
Jaakko Pöyhönen – drums

In January, award-winning blues singer-harpist Jantso Jokelin, who is one of the most praised solo newcomers in finnish country blues, will arrive in Ylläs. In the songs accompanied by Jokelin’s resonator guitar, evening turns into night, memories mix with visions and forgotten gods draw a silver line on the horizon. The strong Americana base is mixed with influences from Malian blues, Balkan music or hip-hop.

In the summer of 2024, Jantso Jokelin was selected as Finland’s representative for the European Blues Challenge 2025 in Split, Croatia. He is also the Finnish champion of street playing, placed third in the world’s biggest harmonica competition in Trossingen, Germany in 2009 and wrote the first general work dedicated to the harmonica in Finnish.

Harri Kuusijärvi: Aallot album release concert

In his latest project, Aallot (eng. waves), accordion artist Harri Kuusijärvi combines his new electronically expanded accordion with the acoustic warmth of the jazz rhythm section formed by bassist Jori Huhtala and drummer Mika Kallio. The trio combines Nordic serenity with bubbling jazz energy. The result is music that’s earthy, minimalist and irresistibly groovy – and probably something you’ve hardly heard before.

Harri Kuusijärvi is one of the most distinctive creators of new accordion music. He has premiered numerous pieces of contemporary music composed for the accordion, performed in the field of rhythm music with countless front- and back-row artists, and collected positive reviews for his albums across genre boundaries. The Finnish Harmonikkaliitto chose Kuusijärvi as accordion artist of the year 2023, stating in the justification that “Kuusijärvi, with his open-minded projects, has expanded the understanding of what the accordion can do as an instrument”. Kuusijärvi is also listed as a “vuoden klassinen” – nomination at Emma Gala in 2021, and a Teosto award nomination in 2020.

On Ylläs Jazz Blues, you can hear Mudville 56, a trio drawing from country folk, blues and gospel tradition, whose second album will be released in January 2025.

The trio, which started more than 10 years ago as a rock’n’roll band of the old school, performs their songs with the muddy groove of the estuaries, which have echoes of Woody Guthrie and the Band as well as the Allman Brothers.

Andy Hilland – guitar, vocals
Janne Mathlin – drums, organ, vocals
Lasse Sirkko – bass, vocals
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Anna Inginmaa is a charming interpreter who is one of the top jazz singers in our country. Inginmaa interprets his own compositions with his wonderful jazz trio at Ylläs, in addition to compositions by e.g. From Seppo Kanto. The program takes you into the world of soulful, Finnish-language vocal jazz.

Anna Inginmaa, song
Arto Ikävalko, piano
Tuomas Talvi, double bass
Ville Luukkonen’s drums

Micke & Lefty feat. Chef has entertained and captivated his audience with his energetic gigs in small clubs as well as at large festivals around Finland and Europe. The group has been titled Finland’s most entertaining blues & roots band, which combines high musical professionalism and the role of an entertainer. The trademark of these three multi-instrumentalists has become, in addition to acoustic instruments and strong soloist skills and vocal harmonies that are not so characteristic of the blues. The original and genuine blues sound is completed by Lefty Leppänen’s world-class virtuoso slide guitar, a drum set with a suitcase, a specially constructed acoustic bass and a jagged harmonica.

The duo’s shared history began in the fall of 2006, when Joonas participated in the international solo piano competition Jazz Improvizacija organized in Vilnius. After the competition was decided favorably for Joonas, the organizers had invited Lithuania’s top jazz musicians to the jams of the evening. A musical connection was easily found between Kestutis and Joonas, and since then the friends have played tours as a duo, a quartet, and with a chamber orchestra. In October 2022, they decided to realize their shared dream and went to record the debut album Moon Bridge at Oslo’s legendary Rainbow Studio.

The duo’s debut album Moon Bridge was released through the Japanese record company Eight Islands in the spring of 2024. The album has received quite positive reviews, e.g. From the biggest British and Japanese jazz publications Jazzwise and Jaz.In.

Ylva Haru is a singer-songwriter and producer who makes folk/pop-american music in Finnish, whose songs focus on the author’s inner world and thoughtful, poetic texts.

The latest full-length double album Kingdom of Butterflies I & II was released in the spring of 2024 and It is Ylva Haru’s own productions.

The second, so-called “matkaversio”, is the artist’s own mixing work and preliminary work behind the Perhosten valtakunta album.

Both new and already released productions will be heard at the gigs.

“The kingdom of butterflies is something that makes a person’s light turn on.”
– Ylva Haru

Welcome to the journey of stories!

In January, the dance floor will be filled again by Blue Stone, known to JazzBlues people!
Blue Stone doesn’t really need an introduction, but new listeners can be told that every blues fan’s dancing feet will definitely start to flutter when this band gets going!

Elona is a 26-year-old singer from Jyväskylä with a wonderful voice, whose musical repertoire is wide, ranging from acoustic atmospheres to soulful soul and deep blues. Elona can be heard both acoustically and with the band.

Favorite Hippies (SWE) Ylläs Jazz Blues in January!

Favorite Hippies is one of Sweden’s most respected alternative country and Americana performers – in a Scandinavian style. Örjan Mäki, who founded the band Favorite Hippies in 2010, acts as the frontman and songwriter of the band. In more than ten years, the band has released three albums and toured several times. The latest album, “Northern Skies” was released in January 2020.

Örjan Mäki – vocals, guitar
Johan Mäki – guitar, vocals
Morgan Korsmoe – bass
Zacharias Ahlvik – drums

Erik Hokkanen (USA) & Lumisudet (FIN) Ylläs Jazz Blues in January!

Texas violin wizard Erik Hokkanen will again tour Denmark, Norway and Finland with Lumisudet next September. This is the orchestra’s 12th tour in Europe, and it starts with Ylläs Jazz Blues! Hokkanen & Lumisudet journey together has already started more than 20 years ago.
The band’s music has been described as ethno-jazz, and the composition of Lumisudet represents the best of the Finnish folk music field. Erik Hokkanen, on the other hand, is a multi-instrumentalist who has performed at all the biggest festivals in his genre.

Erik Hokkanen & Lumisudet will perform at the festival only once. This is not to be missed!

Emil Kárlsen (NOR/SÁ) is a Norwegian singer, joiker, songwriter, and producer who combines indie/folk/pop music and joik in a unique way. Originally from Omasvuotna/Storfjord, Emil began his musical career as a teenager in the band Resirkulert and has since emerged as a solo artist and actor. As a musician and songwriter, Kárlsen is dedicated to revitalizing Coastal Sámi joik, which has historically been heavily influenced by assimilation policies. He views this as a way to highlight and honor the identity of his own heritage. His music captures both the traditional and modern spirit of Sápmi, with poetic lyrics often reflecting dreams, history, and lost connections.