This year’s festival opens big! 

7.7.2024

It is with great joy and pride that I welcome you to this year’s Åland Sea Jazz Festival, which takes place on August 9-10. This year’s festival kicks off with two big names on the same evening: Ulf Wakenius and Timo Lassy. 

Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius has played with all the jazz giants: Ray Brown, Michel Legrand, Art Farmer, and Toots Thielemans, among many other international stars. Wakenius is best known internationally as a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet, the world’s most coveted job for a guitarist—a position he held for 10 years. 

For a less jazz-oriented audience, he is known from the duo Guitars Unlimited, which provided the intermission entertainment at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985—just before Lill Lindfors lost her skirt. 

At the Åland Sea Jazz Festival, Wakenius will perform a solo concert in the Alandica foyer. The concert will undoubtedly provide a new perspective on what swinging and masterful guitar playing truly mean. 

Timo Lassy is a Finnish saxophonist who in recent years has established himself as one of the big jazz names, both in Finland and in Europe. One example of his success is that he has been named Artist of the Year for the 2024 edition of Pori Jazz. 

At Alandica, Timo Lassy will play with his trio, a group that blends old and new to create live, improvised jazz music. A comparison to saxophonist Sonny Rollins is not entirely off: in both their music, traditional swing is mixed with modern rhythms and exciting tones. 

On Saturday, the festival continues at a high level: first, a solo concert by Sweden’s rising jazz star, Hampus Adami, at the Seafarers’ chapel followed by two concerts at Alandica. First, “Jazz meets Gospel” with Finnish singer Nina Mya, and then Åland’s own Whatclub, performing with audience favorite Antti Sarpila and Hampus Adami. 

Nina Mya sings jazz with a big voice rooted in soul and gospel and will deliver a concert full of swing and “feeling”. Neither Whatclub nor Antti Sarpila need an introduction to the Åland audience. They are now placed in a new context as they meet Hampus Adami, who will be playing the valve trombone at this concert. Åland Sea Jazz has handpicked this constellation exclusively for this concert, and we dare to promise a creative and swinging encounter! 

Bring your friends and family and come enjoy fantastic evenings with high-class jazz music. Don’t miss the chance to be part of these special concerts—secure your tickets now! 

Fredrik Erlandsson – Chairman, Åland Jazz rf.