Jarmo Savolainen passed away
A rather extensive JARMO SAVOLAINEN DISCOGRAPHY
Suomalaisista jazzmuusikoista (1961 - 2009)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN PASSED AWAY
Hans Koert
Last week I heard the sad news about the death of the Finnish piano player Jarmo Savolainen. He passed away on the 11th of June, 2009. He was one of the best Finnish jazz musicians and a sought after accompanist. He had celebrated his 48th birthday on the 24th of May.
I learned about the death of Jarmo on the day that the world mourned about the death of that other musician Michael Jackson – breaking news – heads in the news papers – rumours - specials on all networks; the passing of Jarmo Savolainen compared to the death of MJ. – only noted by the Finnish news papers and Finnish networks YLE Suomi Radio: Jazzmuusikko Jarmo Savolainen kuoli sairauskohtaukseen Helsingissä 11. kesäkuuta. Hän oli 48-vuotias, syntynyt Iisalmessa 24. toukokuuta 1961. Savolainen oli yksi kansainvälisesti menestyneimmistä suomalaisista jazzmuusikoista.
Love to share with you a live film fragment from the start of his career ( 1979 ) with a Finnish vocalist and guitar player Liisa Tavi, who once sung at the European Song Contest for Finland and developed into a skilled bossa nova vocalist in the 1990s with a group featuring Pekka Tegelman, guitar; Jarmo Savolainen, keys; Raimo Salmiheimo, bass and Seppo Rauteva, drums. Although Jarmo is rather invisible on this pop tune you can hear him playing the keyboards.
In the late 1980s he recorded several albums in Boston, but also in New York ( Nonet – Blue Dreams – First Sight and in 1995 True Image). The rhythm section of the two latter are with Ron McClure on bass and Billy Hart on drums.
Jarmo Savolainen Trio with Alberto Luccas and Markku Ounaskari
In the late 1990s he often played with Scandinavian musicians like Kari Heinila, Anders Jormin and Markku Ounaskari. In our country Jarmo performed with the "other Jarmo", Jarmo Hoogendijk, thanks to his mother of Finnish blood too, which I heard in concert on trumpet in the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen with Herb Geller and John Ruocco and the Rein De Graaff Trio, October 2002. Jarmo Savolainen belonged to the most important jazz musicians of Finland and was a sought after accompanist, not only for jazz sessions, but also as a classic piano soloist with orchestras like the Finnish National Opera or the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, or the Avanti Chamber Orchestra. He was member for years of the band of Pekka Pohojola, the UMO Jazz Orchestra and the Espoo Big Band.
Love to share with you a solo piano piece, titled Asperine Song, like the second fragment of this blog, recorded in Sao Paulo ( Brasil) a year ago, which shows why I’m fascinated by this great, almost unknown jazz piano player and composer.
Hans Koert
KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: ? ( 1980s)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN NONET: Finnish Jazz ( 1 track) ( 1984)
Nonet ( 1985)
SEPPO KANTONEN-JARMO SAVOLAINEN Phases ( 1987)
Blue Dreams ( 1987)
MAKE LIEVONEN-JARMO SAVOLAINEN Loru ( 1988)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN: Songs For Solo Piano ( 1989-1990)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN QUINTET: First Sight (1991)
JUKA LINKOLA : Sketches From Karelia ( 1992)
ESPOO BIG BAND: EBB plays Carla Bley ( 1993)
JUKA LINKOLA: The Tentet ( 1994)
ZONE : First Definition ( 1994)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN TRIO : John’s Son ( 1994-1996)
THE CASE : Codes ( 1996)
UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA : The Electrifying Miles ( 1997)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN QUINTET: Another Story (1997)
KLAUS SUONSAARI – Something in Common ( 1998) ( 2 tracks)
UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Day Dreamin’ – The music of Billy Strayhorn (1998)
UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Transit People (2000)
SUHKAN UHKA – Suhka (2002)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN: Solo, Duo, Trio ( 2002)JARMO SAVOLAINEN-MARIA YLIPAA (2004)
JARMO SAVOLAINEN TRIO: Songs For Trio ( 2006)
JULIAN F. THAYER: Zaku ( 2007)
Retrospect
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