Articles by Anthony Shaw
Anett Tamm: a unique voice from the Baltics
by Anthony Shaw
Despite her relative youth, Anett Tamm is not a new voice in her mother country, Estonia, and neither among jazz followers in Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Greece, Finland and more. However this is a relatively select crowd, probably numbering in the hundreds, and with her taste in music veering wide of the mainstream, Anett Tamm is not making mass popularity a priority, to put it mildly. Born in 1997 and growing up in Estonia, with its rich history ...
Continue ReadingAnett Tamm and the David Chevallier Trio At the Vuotalo Cultural Center
by Anthony Shaw
David Chevallier and Anett Tamm Vuotalo Cultural Center Borders Tour Helsinki, Finland November 19, 2024 The concert in the eastern suburb of Helsinki marked the first of 24 concerts spread over far-flung cities in Finland and Estonia in November and December, 2024, seeing the artists trek through a very Scandinavian blizzard to make the first date on time. The ensemble had started this tour in France, under the title Borders, but ...
Continue ReadingGong at the Louhisali Theater
by Anthony Shaw
Gong Louhisali TheaterEspoo Cultural CentreEspoo, Finland November 19, 2024 If writing about music is as senseless as dancing about architecture maybe we should take a leaf out of the antics of Gong's lead guitarist and singer Kavus Torabi. Maybe it was a consequence of the bite of a chill wind blowing through the concrete streets of Tapiola Center in Espoo that he had sampled before the start of this, the second concert in Finland ...
Continue ReadingSeppo Kantonen Trio at the Loimaa Arts Center
by Anthony Shaw
Seppo Kantonen Trio Loima Arts Center Art in Autumn Loimaa, Finland September 17, 2024 When a two hour drive through the bucolic Nordic autumn countryside culminates in a location as tasteful as any artistic milieu of the city, the subsequent musical experience is almost certain to be positive. For keyboard maestro and composer Seppo Kantonen it was another stop on the journey of 40 years that has taken him around Finland and Europe, working ...
Continue ReadingJussi Reijonen At Espoo Cultural Center
by Anthony Shaw
Jussi Reijonen Espoo Cultural Center Espoo, FinlandFebruary 24, 2023 Sometimes the best of things come unexpectedly, but considering the one-year anniversary on this date that is certainly not always true. However this gig in the Finnish capital region's Espoo public arts center, including the local library, music school auditorium and cosy basement stage, was an unintended blessing, accompanying a friend and with zero knowledge of this New York-based Finnish artist. Truth to ...
Continue ReadingEmma Salokoski with Ilmiliekki: Joulu Joulu Jul
by Anthony Shaw
If you are looking for a novel way of approaching the December 2022 festive season, musically speaking, and are not deterred by a mixture of Nordic languages, then this album may appeal. The songs are sung in Swedish and Finnish, and without any accompanying lyric sheet an English speaker might do well to search for lyrics online. Keen observers of the Nordic jazz scene will know the band behind the album from its prominence in the mid 2000s, following victory ...
Continue ReadingBlaser Ducret Bruun Trio at Hakasalmen Huvila
by Anthony Shaw
Blaser Ducret Bruun Trio Hakasalmen Huvila Finnish Tour Helsinki November 14, 2022 Samuel Blaser has a glittering past, with glowing reviews of his considerable career in journals from around the globe. The performance of his trio in this modest-but-elegant salon a stone's throw from Helsinki's main railway station, alongside his old accomplices Marc Ducret on guitar and Peter Braun on drums did nothing if not bolster the virtuoso reputation he has garnered.
Continue ReadingRaoul Björkenheim and eCsTaSy at Sello Hall in Espoo
by Anthony Shaw
Raoul Björkenheim and eCsTaSy with Juhani Aaltonen Sello Hall Espoo, Finland March 25, 2022 When guitarist Raoul Björkenheim and the rest of the all-Finnish eCsTaSy took the stage at the local arts venue in Espoo, the audience were still streaming into the the hall after the intermission--such is the band's enthusiasm to get out there and play. With two years since their previous public performance, there may have been some nerves ...
Continue ReadingNaissam Jalal - The Quest of the Invisible at Savoy Theater in Helsinki
by Anthony Shaw
Naissam Jalal -The Quest of the Invisible Savoy Theater Helsinki, Finland February 22, 2022 Naissam Jalal was everything this audience needed on a very snowy February evening in downtown Helsinki. Not only had the concert already been postponed for two years, but it happened to coincide with the second major snowstorm in as many weeks, dumping 15 inches of snow across the city, bringing this normally very snow-savvy city near to gridlock.
Continue ReadingY-Otis at Raahe's Festival by the Beach
by Anthony Shaw
Y-Otis with Otis Sandsjö Ruiskuhuone Stage Jazz on the Beach Raahe, Finland July 31,2021 Many events haven't happened these last two summer seasons, and Otis Sandsjö's participation in the 36th Raahe Jazz on the Beach almost didn't happen. But, like many things that aren't expected to materialize, this particular show was perhaps all the more appreciated. You may not know how remote his nineteenth century town on the eastern coast of the Gulf ...
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