The ticket sales for Turku Sea Jazz have begun!

6.5.2024

The festival area at the Maritime Centre Forum Marinum is getting a makeover. Taking place in the atmospheric Boat Shed of Forum Marinum during the first weekend of August, performances will include acts such as Olli Ahvenlahti New Quintet and the soulful Tuomo! Ticket sales have commenced on Tiketti.

The fourth edition of the maritime urban festival Turku Sea Jazz will take place from July 31st to August 3rd, 2024, at Cathedral Park Terrace, Seili Island, and the Maritime Centre Forum Marinum area. The main event at Forum Marinum will be held on Friday and Saturday, with a more intimate setting this year at the Forum Marinum Boat Shed. Each evening will feature two top bands.

Starting the festival evening on Friday, August 2nd, is the highly anticipated The Stance Brothers led by jazz visionary Teppo Mäkynen! What began as a studio experiment has evolved into a four-piece live band, whose feel-good music draws influences from Brazilian funk to sample-based hip-hop. Drummer Mäkynen’s visions are realized by the intriguing younger talents: vibraphonist Mikko Antila, keyboardist Ilari Mäkelä, and bassist Tapio Backlund.

Friday night will also celebrate jazz legend Olli Ahvenlahti‘s new album “Mirror Mirror” and his 75th anniversary! Master pianist Ahvenlahti continues his exploration of organically grooving jazz-funk in his new production, following the path he started with his 1970s classic albums. Top musicians Jukka Eskola, Joonatan Rautio, Ville Herrala, and Jaska Lukkarinen infuse Ahvenlahti’s catchy compositions with energy that effortlessly carries on comparisons to the composer-pianist’s previous masterpieces.

On Saturday, August 3rd, we’ll dive into the world music hues with the brand new Wishamalii trio. Palestinian-Jordanian singer and oud player Nemat Battah, percussion virtuoso Abdissa “Mamba” Assefa, and the inventor of the microtuning device Maqiano, pianist Kari Ikonen, will enchant their audience with their entirely unique music and stage charisma.

Closing the festival with a flourish will be the singer-pianist Tuomo and his soulful interpretations. Tuomo Prättälä is known both as a jazz pianist from bands like Ilmiliekki Quartet and Linda Fredriksson Juniper, and as one of Finland’s most soulful singers and songwriters. In the fresh trio lineup, both aspects get a chance to shine brightly. It’s a joy for the keyboardist and vocalist to lean into the astounding groove of Teppo Mäkynen and Tapio Backlund – and for the audience as well.

In addition to the performances in the Boat Shed, live jazz can be enjoyed earlier in the day in the museum area of the Maritime Centre. On Friday, there will be a concert at the Suomen Joutsen Champagne Bar, and Saturday early evening is coming with a concert and dinner package. The entire festival lineup will be announced during May.

Ticket sales have begun at Tiketti.fi. It’s possible to support the important marine environmental work of the John Nurminen Foundation when purchasing tickets.