| Iro Haarla | |
|---|---|
 Haarla in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 7 November 1956 Tampere, Finland |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards, harpsichord, accordion |
| Labels |
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| Website | Official website |
Iro Haarla (born 7 November 1956) is a Finnish jazz pianist and harpist, as well as composer and band leader. [1]
At the Sibelius Academy, in Helsinki, Haarla studied classical piano under Izumi Tateno, musical composition under Einar Englund, and improvisation under Heikki Sarmanto. [1] [2] She was initially intending to become a concert pianist, but pivoted to jazz upon meeting the jazz drummer Edward Vesala in 1978. [3]
She first became known as the arranger of the works of Vesala for his 'Sound & Fury' ensemble. [4] They went on to collaborate extensively over two decades, and in a 2008 Washington Post interview, she stated that during that time she did not play her own music at all but was instead totally focused on supporting Vesala. [5] As part of her support role she also broadened her instrument repertoire to keyboards, the accordion and especially the harp, in which she is entirely self-taught. [5] [3]
Vesala died in 1999, and afterwards Haarla launched her solo career, performing in and leading numerous ensembles. [3] She also went on to record several albums, both as a leader and ensemble artist. [3]
Haarla's music has been characterised as "sit[ting] at that mystical halfway point between improv and composition". [6] Her piano-playing has been described as having a "weightless, displaced" quality, and her harp "delicate romanticism". [6]
Haarla has received two Emma awards for the jazz record of the year, in 2005 (Penguin Beguine) and 2011 (Vespers). [7]
In 2006, she was awarded the Yrjö prize by the Finnish Jazz Federation. [8]
In 2018, Haarla received the Ted Curson award at the Pori Jazz Festival. [2]
In 2020, she was recognised with the Suomen Jazzlegenda (lit. 'Jazz Legend of Finland') award. [9]
Iro Haarla's parents were the actor Saulo Haarla and his first wife, opera singer Helena Salonius.
Haarla was married to Edward Vesala, until his death in 1999. [1]
Later she married the bassist Ulf Krokfors , with whom both herself and Vesala had collaborated extensively. [10]
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