Main Concert : Panu Savolainen & JPP + Timo Lassy Trio feat. Varre Vartiainen

Korpo Sea Jazz 2025 will culminate in a main concert with two great bands, which promises to be a stunning performance, seamlessly fusing different genres together. This will be an evening full of jazz music, with no solos or throw-ins to spare!

Band 1 : 19.00

Band 2 : 20.20

Panu Savolainen & JPP

There is no lack of swing when the vibraphonist Panu Savolainen, particularly known within the jazz scene, combines powers with JPP, the most legendary folk music group in our country, established in 1982. The concept, which combines the liveliness of the Kaustinen tradition of playing the violin, recently listed in UNESCO’s Catalogue of Immaterial Cultural Heritage, with the playfulness of jazz improvisation, was published in the celebrated album Panu Savolainen & JPP in October 2023. The atmosphere in the concert, consisting of compositions by Savolainen and members of JPP as well as jazz standards, will move from fiddlers’ merriment in Kaustinen style to wistfully moving ballads, which will surely make the audience smile for a long time. The vibraphonist Panu Savolainen is known as a versatile musician and composer with a strong power of expression within jazz and classical music as well as other acoustic music. He became known in the Finnish world of music with his trio, Herd, established in 2009, which we will have the possibility to hear in the Korpo Church.
JPP, which has functioned as a reformer and messenger of the Finnish folk music for more than 40 years, was established in Kaustinen, the capital of Finnish fiddler’s music. The group consists of a violin section as well as a double bass and a harmonium. Its musical roots go back to the 18th century and they are based on the musical tradition of the Järvelä family, coming from the village of Järvelä in Kaustinen. JPP who has based its surprising style on this tradition has been busy touring the world and giving out 11 albums all in all.
“Over the borders in a jiffy – jazz and folk music were mixed in a wonderful way.” – Helsingin Sanomat
“Folk music and jazz met each other in a splendid way.” – Kaleva

PANU SAVOLAINEN – vibraphone
MAUNO JÄRVELÄ – fiddle
ARTO JÄRVELÄ – fiddle
MATTI MÄKELÄ – fiddle
TIMO MYLLYKANGAS – bass
TIMO ALAKOTILA – harmonium

Timo Lassy Trio feat. Varre Vartiainen

As the second group of the Main Concert there will be a strengthened trio on the stage when Timo Lassy Trio gets guitarist Varre Vartiainen as a guest star. It is going to be an energetic and many-sided jazz experience. Vartiainen will carry along his toneful playing and virtuoso touch, expanding the expression of the Trio onto new areas. This group combines a strong groove, sensitivity and freedom of improvisation, bringing along an intensive and musical dialogue to the stage. What happens to the sound of the Trio, sometimes known as minimalistic, when Varre Vartiainen, familiar even from Leningrad Cowboys, gets enthusiastic on the stage with his guitars and pedals? This will be a gig to be remembered!

TIMO LASSY – saxophone
ANTTI LÖTJÖNEN – bass
JASKA LUKKARINEN – drums
VARRE VARTIAINEN – guitar

After the concerts, a buffet dinner will be available for those who have booked in advance for €23. Buy tickets here!