Lembit Saarsalu & Friends from Finland (FIN-EST)

Saturday, August 31, 9 p.m. at Philly Joe's Jazz Club

On this magical summer night Estonian saxophonist Lembit Saarsalu will meet his friends from Finland on the Philly Joe's stage!

Jarmo Hiekkala is a Finnish bass player. He plays in several jazz and pop bands, e.g. Saarsalu Hiekkala quartet.

Jori Vuorinen is a Finnish piano player. He graduated with a master's degree in music from the Rotterdam Conservatory in 2003. In addition to teaching, Vuorinen has worked as a freelance musician and arranger. Nowadays, he works as the principal of the Lahti Conservatory.

Mikko Toivanen has worked since 1973 as a saxophonist and conductor in local ensembles and big bands in Central and Eastern Finland. He worked in the administration of music education for over 25 years and founded jazz educations in Joensuu and Kuopio. In 2000, he published a dissertation on the philosophy of jazz, which is a fundamental work in his field, and in 2018, the first Finnish big band arrangement guide.

Rauno Tikkanen is a conductor, clarinetist, saxophonist and lecturer on orchestral and chamber music at the Savonia University of Applied Sciences.

Mika Hietala is a drummer and professor at Kuopio Conservatory.

The musicians will also be joined on stage by event coordinator and saxophone player Tapio Kankaanpää.

Philly Joe's Jazz Club is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Ministry of Culture, Tallinn Culture and Sports Department, private patreons, and many more.