Verneri Pohjola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 23 December 1977 Helsinki |
| Origin | Finland |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
| Labels | ACT Music, Edition Records, TUM Records |
Juho Verneri Pohjola (born 23 December 1977 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish jazz trumpeter and composer. [1]
The son of bassist Pekka Pohjola, Pohjola studied at the Jazz and Pop Conservatory in Helsinki and the Örebro Music School. From 1999 he studied jazz music at the Sibelius Academy, where he met pianist Tuomo Prättälä, bassist Antti Lötjönen, and drummer Olavi Louhivuori, members of his Ilmiliekki Quartet in 2002. In 2003 they released their debut album March of the Alpha Males, followed by Take It With Me in 2006 .
In addition, Pohjola is a member of the band Quintessence, the band of Iro Haarla, the ensemble Suhkan Uhka of Antti Hytti and Jone Takamäki, the UMO Jazz Orchestra, and the post-rock band Silvio, where he plays the drums. With his brother Ilmari, he played with his father Pekka Pohjola for the first time on his album Views (2001) . His first solo album Aurora was first released 2009 by the Finnish independent label Texicalli Records and came out for the German label ACT Music 2011. The only non-original composition of the eight tracks is Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez Amour. [2]
The artist has been cited that his music is “about embracing life in all of its complex emotions, while we still have it. After all, the dead don’t dream.” The final phrase makes also the title of his 2020 solo album. The sidemen for this seven tracks comprising CD and vinyl disc release at Edition Records have been: Antti Lötjönen bass, Mika Kallio drums, Miikka Paatelainen pedal steel guitar, Tuomo Prättälä piano and electronics and Pauli Lyytinen soprano and tenor saxophone. The JazzTimes reviewer commented about Pohjola: "he plays ideas you haven’t heard before". [3]
On Pohjola’s initiative, Kaija Saariaho composed her last work, the Trumpet Concerto Hush, and he premièred it in 2023 with the Helsinki Philharmonic. [4]
His quartet was awarded the Teosto-Preis of the Association of Finnish Composers, and Pohjola was voted Artist of the Year at the Pori Jazz festival In 2004, the quartet was invited to the official reception by the Finnish president Tarja Halonen on the occasion of the Finnish Independence Day. In 2009 for his album Aurora, Pohjola received a Finnish jazz Emma Award as the ″Jazz Album of the Year". [5]
As a Guest:
The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music.
Ultra Bra was a Finnish band, formed in 1994 by Olli Virtaperko and Kerkko Koskinen, and disbanded in 2001.
Jussi Pekka Pohjola was a Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. Best known as a bass player, Pohjola was also a classically trained pianist and violinist.
Mika Pohjola ( is a Finnish-born jazz pianist and composer who resides in Stockholm. He is one of the most prolific Scandinavian jazz musicians in his generation.
Mikko Aleksi Innanen, is a Finnish saxophonist and composer.
Juhani Aaltonen is a Finnish jazz saxophonist and flautist.
Kvalda is a Finnish jazz quartet. The members of the band are singer Aili Ikonen, pianist Antti Kujanpää, double bass player Jori Huhtala and drummer Hanne Pulli. Kvalda's music has been described as "Nordic", and is influenced by traditional music.
Tuomo Prättälä also known by the mononymTuomo is a Finnish soul singer, musician, and composer. He sings and plays the piano and keyboards. He has been involved in a number of musical groups, including Quintessence, Q-Continuum, the Ilmiliekki Quartet, Huba, the Emma Salokoski Ensemble, and MP4, and has released a number of solo albums. In 2007, Prättälä won the Suomen Jazzliitto for best Finnish jazz artist.
Edition Records is an independent record label that was founded in 2008 by pianist Dave Stapleton and photographer Tim Dickeson.
Olli Haavisto is a Finnish musician best known for playing the pedal steel guitar and the guitar. He is one of the most respected pedal steel guitarists in Finland, and he has worked as a session musician for numerous Finnish artists. He has played on ca. 1 850 songs on ca. 600 albums. He has also acted as producer on ca. 50 albums. In addition to this, he has played ca. 5 000 gigs.
Olavi Louhivuori is a Finnish jazz drummer and composer, the leader of his own ensemble Oddarrang, and also performer within several other bands. He is married to the singer Emma Salokoski.
Tuomo & Markus is a Helsinki Finland based musical group founded by renowned Finnish soul artist and jazz musician Tuomo Prättälä and singer/songwriter Markus Nordenstreng from Finnish rock band The Latebirds. They occasionally perform and record under the alias Pratt & Moody.
Alexi Tuomarila is a Finnish jazz pianist and composer.
Kalle Kalima is a Finnish jazz guitarist and improvisational musician.
Kari Ikonen is a Finnish pianist, Moog player, and composer. He received the Yrjö-award from Jazz Finland in 2013, as the Finnish Jazz Musician of the Year.
Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen is a Finnish jazz guitarist, pianist, composer, bandleader and producer. He is best known as bandleader and composer of the 20-headed Ricky-Tick Big Band and the award-winning jazz-sextet Dalindèo.
Occupy the World is a two-disc studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith recorded with Finnish orchestra Tumo. The album was recorded in Helsinki and released on June 18, 2013 via Finnish TUM Records label.
Flow Festival is a music festival, taking place annually in Helsinki, Finland. The event is known for its varied selection of lineup and arts exhibition.
Emma Salokoski is a Finnish singer. She sings in the Emma Salokoski Ensemble and in Quintessence and is an active member in the funk music band Q-Continuum. She also composes and writes her own songs, for example all songs on the album Kiellettyjä asioita were written by Salokoski and most of them were also composed by her.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
