Olli Ahvenlahti New Quintet

Olli Ahvenlahti – piano, Rhodes
Tero Saarti – trumpet
Joonatan Rautio – saxophone
Ville Herrala – bass
Jaska Lukkarinen – drums

The living legend of Finnish jazz, pianist Olli Ahvenlahti, released his highly anticipated new album, Mirror Mirror, in April, featuring material that will be heard on Friday night at Turku Sea Jazz! Turning 75 this year, Ahvenlahti continues his exploration of organically grooving jazz-funk in his new production, following the path he started with his classic 1970s albums, The Poet and Bandstand.

In Ahvenlahti’s band on the new album and associated gigs are top musicians Jukka Eskola, Joonatan Rautio, Ville Herrala, and Jaska Lukkarinen. They breathe energy into Ahvenlahti’s catchy compositions, effortlessly carrying on the comparisons to the composer-pianist’s previous masterpieces. At the Turku gig, the brilliant Tero Saarti will be substituting for Jukka Eskola on trumpet. The fresh album has garnered five-star reviews, and it’s easy to predict that the new tracks will firmly establish themselves in Ahvenlahti’s and, simultaneously, Finnish jazz’s story.

“The album feels extremely honest. Every breath from the horn, every strike of the drumstick, and every note played are produced without the need to prove anything. The musicians don’t selfishly admire themselves in the mirror of music but act as mirrors to each other. That reflection has successfully created a colorful rainbow under which it’s good to be.” – Samuel Järvinen, Soundi