Urban jazz

Herd & Mikko Antila and Ina Forsman will perform at Ylöjärvi Town Hall Square on August 7th at 7pm. Free admission! Welcome to enjoy the atmosphere of Kaupunkijazz!

Herd & Mikko Antila

The Herd trio, led by vibraphonist Panu Savolainen, will expand into a quartet when Mikko Antila, one of Finland's most interesting young jazz musicians, joins as a guest. The trio, which consists of ukulele bassist Mikko Pellinen and drummer Tuomas Timonen alongside Savolainen and has played together for almost 20 years, will dive into the sensitivity and intensity of acoustic playing together with Antila. The end result is an easily approachable, nuanced concert experience where everything happens here and now. The joyful concert program, which emphasizes the colorfulness of malletti instruments, is built on the compositions of the Herd members, as well as Mikko Antila's musical souvenirs from his study year in Brazil.

Herd, which has released four albums, is known in addition to its trio music for the Herd clubs it hosts and the extremely popular Jazzbasilli concerts together with singer Aili Ikonen. Founded in 2009, the band has quickly become one of the most respected jazz bands in our country, after which it has won, among other things, the European Jazz Competition, acted as the house band of the Pori Jazz Festival and performed extensively both in Finland and internationally, including in Mexico, Australia and Ethiopia.

Panu Savolainen, vibraphone & marimba

Mikko Pellinen, ukulele bass

Tuomas Timonen, drums

Mikko Antila, vibraphone & marimba

Ina Forsman

Finnish soul super voice Ina Forsman released her latest album After Dark Hour in the spring of 2025. The artist celebrated the album's release with an extensive European tour with her band of top musicians.

A thirteen-year career includes six albums, one of which is the acclaimed Live album recorded on Finnish gigs. "Soul is not mainstream music, but it is demonstrably possible to create an international career with it if you are patient and do a lot of gigs. The road has been long, but luckily I love nothing more than performing and touring," Forsman says.

After Dark Hour is produced by soul musician and producer Michael Bleu, who operates deeply in the American musical tradition. The album's 1960s and 1970s soul groove is dance-driven retro at its most irresistible. In her lyrics, Forsman is more firmly rooted in her feelings than ever before. Of course, she still has plenty to write about from the bottomless pit of love and relationships, but through her songs she also unpacks other serious topics such as independence, self-discovery and stubbornness.

Although Forsman herself lives in Berlin, the band consists of Finnish super musicians. On stage will be Benjamin Nylund (drums), emma & Kalle Outila (guitar), known from Matilda and Vimma, Matias Ärrälä (bass), known from Saimaa, Janne Toivonen (trumpet), who has performed with Tuomari Nurmio and Hector, and jazz pianist Samuli Rautiainen (keyboards).

Arrival

The event is easily accessible by public transport, bike and on foot. Schedules and route search: www.nysse.fi. The nearest parking areas are the Ylöjärvi Town Hall and Räikänpuisto parking areas.

Jazz Mass

After the performances, the event ends and the audience can continue to Ylöjärvi Church, where there is a traditional Jazz Mass organized by the parish. The event promises to be a warm atmosphere in a dimly lit church and a music-filled mass with the gentle tone of the saxophone. The mass includes communion and hymns are sung together with jazz arrangements.

Arto Piispanen – piano

Sami Sippola – saxophone

Köpi Aalto – double bass

Antti Mäkinen – drums

Maria Joutsi-Laine – vocals

More information about the Jazz Mass

(opens in new window)

 on the parish website.

Welcome to City Jazz!