What’s in store for 2023?

Happy new year, y’all!

As you know from previous posts of mine, I usually like to elaborate and give you a good insight into what I’m doing. But with the world being in such turmoil, pandemic, war and all, I’ll keep this one short, this time. Somehow I feel, that all words are too much.

So, here is just to inform you on what’s coming, and I’m hoping you will be able to share some of these moments with me. I’d like to consider these moments our contribution to creating peaceful and joyful experiences in this life. I don’t know – maybe I sound totally blue-eyed….

Anyhow; a lot of nice and interesting things are happening in 2023:
– the solo piano improvisation concerts continue, starting on January 11th, each Wednesday, as they have since 2001. On April 12th, 2023 it will be the 600th time that I play solo in Temppeliaukio Church.

– on April 14th the Sointi Jazz Orchestra will play a retrospective concert of my bigband compositions, including two first performances and including the ‘Tango Morbido Y Cinico’ that won me the first prize at the Scrivere in Jazz composition composition in Sassari, Italy, in 2008. (Get your tickets in time here.)

– between April 18th and 23rd I will be touring the Netherlands.
This is the first time in about twenty years that I’m visiting the country where I studied 1987-1994.
I am very excited about the four concerts that I am going to play with some excellent musicians:
pianist Jeroen van Vliet, flautist Mark Alban Lotz, guitarist Marc van Vugt and singer Ineke van Doorn and my former teacher, legendary pianist Bert van den Brink. (Check the gig page for more info.)

– our great trio F# (Hille-Huhtala-Ketola) has been chosen by the Finnish jazz federation to play a concert tour, where they organize about ten concerts for us in October 2023. On this tour we will be joined by the legendary Finnish saxophonist Pepa Päivinen. (F# feat Pepa – dates tba).
F# has been unstoppable and continues its avantgardistic work. After some wild concerts last November with our Austrian friend, saxophonist Herbert Könighofer, we filmed two music videos as a trio. These films will be published during this spring. We’ll keep you posted.
We’re also working on an Austria-tour and a couple of concerts in Germany. (Check or subscribe to the F#-facebook page, if you want to be amongst the first to hear about it.)

Friends, stay safe and enjoy life (we’ve only got this one – as far as we know)!
Thanks for stopping by and if you want to hear some music, you can find my the latest releases on CD, vinyl or download on my bandcamp page.

Peace, Sid