This performance is made possible by Ridgeway
Arts and it's founder/director Jeff Denson.
2013 Finnish Jazz Musician of the Year,
pianist and composer Kari Ikonen (b.1973) has
worked with Louis Sclavis, Bob Moses, Lee Konitz, Ingrid Jensen,
Stan Sulzmann, Ron McClure, Magnus Broo, Vincent Courtois, and Dayna
Stephens.
Kari has performed in South Korea, Japan, USA, Armenia, Turkey, Russia,
and 23 european countries.
His playing and/or compositions have been recorded for more than 40
albums, 5 of these under his own name. His compositions have been
honoured internationally, taking first prizes in the American “Julius
Hemphill Composition Awards” and in the Italian “Scrivere in Jazz”.
He also works as a part-time teacher at the jazz department of the
Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
http://www.kariikonen.com/
Bassist/composer Jeff Denson is a recording artist
for Enja
Records with Minsarah, and the Lee Konitz New Quartet,
and for Ridgeway Records with the Jeff Denson Trio + Lee Konitz, and the Jeff Denson Quartet.
He has performed at such prestigious international festivals as the JVC
Jazz Festival Paris, the Berlin Jazz Festival, the Enjoy Jazz Festival,
and the Montreal Jazz Festival, and with such distinguished musicians
as Bob Moses, Charlie Byrd, Joe Lovano, Carl Allen, Kenny Werner,
Geoffrey Keezer, Art Lande, Charles McPherson, Cuong Vu, and Brian Blade.
He is a full professor at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley,
and founder/director of Ridgeway Arts.
He has appeared at Chez Hanny with Minsarah, Adam Kolker, Alon
Nechushtan, the Jeff
Denson/Joshua White Project, and the Jeff Denson Quartet.
http://www.jeffdenson.com
Drummer
André Sumelius (b. 1977) left Finland for California in 1988,
where he studied with Tony Williams. Performances followed with Kyle
Eastwood, Don Menza, Dayna Stephens, Marcus Shelby, Julian Lage, Mike
Olmos, Jay Standards, Smith Dobson, Keith Saunders, Dahveed Behroozi,
Adam Shulman, Lyle Link, and Jeffrey
Burr.
He now splits his time between Finland and the Bay Area.
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