Johanna Pitkänen is a pianist and composer from Helsinki. She has explored the musical globe from Scandinavia to Cuba and from different parts of Africa to Spain. Pitkänen writes music by commission and performs on solo piano and with duos and trios. Her oldest ongoing group is Kokko Quartet, a Finnish jazz group using world music influences in their music. The group has released two albums, their latest release is Orient Express from 2016. Pitkänen also writes music for film. In 2019 she released electronic music together with producer Satu Nieminen
Pitkänen graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor’s degree in Pop and Jazz Music. She finished a Master of Music programme at The Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
...Pitkänen on piano excelled in her engaging composition Havis before the sounds of train horns, wild
dogs and rickshaws were evoked by Siirala’s energetic Orient Express. All these pieces showed the
quartet as cohesive unit well driven by Pitkänen as leader. -Roger Mitchell, Ausjazz Blog
“New European names that impressed included the film music inspired mix of trumpet, cello and
accordion of Oliver’s Cinema from the Netherlands, Germany’s Eric Schaefer & The Shredsz and the
Zodiak Trio and the Kokko Quartet from Finland.” -Jon Newey from Jazzwise Magazine at Jazzahead! 2013