Olli Virtanen Group (FIN-EST)
OLLI VIRTANEN GROUP
Saturday, March 16 at 20 p.m, Philly Joe's Jazz Club
The Olli Virtanen Group is a seven-member ensemble led by vibraphonist-composer Olli Virtanen, consisting of young Finnish and top international musicians. The band performs Virtanen's own compositions and arrangements, the inspiration of which comes from significant pioneers of African-American music such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Benny Golson. Versatile compositions and arrangements make the most of the ensemble's instrumentation, creating a rich spectrum of different tones, textures and grooves. The music is enhanced by the band members' seamless improvisation and strong solo parts.
The group's debut album 'Yellow Light, Go!'' was released in October 2023 by a new Finnish label, Bopcat Records. In addition to the septet, the album features three guest artists: guitarist Johannes Granroth, multi-instrumentalist Mikko Antila on percussion, and Finnish jazz legend Jukkis Uotila on piano.
Line-up:
Markus Eermann - flute, tenor saxophone
Vid Šketa - trumpet, flugelhorn
Risto Kauppinen - tenor saxophone
Aarni Häkkinen - trombone
Olli Virtanen - vibraphone
Tuomo Purhonen - double bass
Kasper Halttunen - drums