Event Type : Englanti

Hulabaloo is an children’s orchestra that plays music with humor for alla ages! For KalottJazz & Blues Hulabaloo has orchestrate their songs to child-friendly jazz tunes! Note! Not suitable for people without humor.

• Julia Lamminen – base guitar, violin, vocals
• Sanna Yliniva – keyboard, wind instruments, vocals
• Pekka Oinonen – drums
• Jukka Lamminen – guitar, vocals

Free entry

The Molly is a music group formed at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory Lappia in Tornio not so long ago. The trio’s journey began in the spirit of jazz music and jazz still has a given place in the repertoire in parallel with new songs. At the Kalottjazz & Blues festival, the trio will offer well-known blues songs and the pearls of jazz music. The Molly’s strengths include emotional interpretation and beautiful voices.

• Iida-Juulia Portti – vocals
• Suvi Ylimartimo – vocals
• Jenna Julku – vocals

Free entry

Photo: Jyrki Kola

Julius Rantala is a musician and songwriter with roots in Tornio. Despite her very young age, Rantala has managed to make a long career in music and perform both at home and abroad. The talented multi-instrumentalist masters and combines in an astonishing way several instruments, didgeridoo from Australia, hand pan “handpan” and the Persian Santoor who resembles kantele to name a few of the most exotic. By using all extremities as well as the mouth, Rantala creates a whole new type of music using instruments in various combinations. His love of music, melodies and harmonies can be seen in his joyful and charming performance. Rantala came second in the Finnish Talent Competition 2021.

Free entry

Photo: Samuel Vielma

In Joni Raikaslehto InFusion’s music, its own combination of new and old fusion jazz tradition, you can hear echoes from, among others, Pekka Pohjola, Chick Corea Electric Band and game music from the 90s!

The debut album “Prog Fu!” which was released digitally in October has been played regularly in Spotify’s “Jazz from Finland” playlist on radio and in Groove FM.

• Sigurd Kehlet – guitar
• Rahel Talts – keyboard
• Jakob Nissen – keyboard
• Mathias Blumensaat – drums
• Joni Raikaslehto – bass, composition

Julye Blom is a soul singer-songwriter deeply inspired by the sounds of the 60s and 70s soul, blues and rock n roll. She embraces the spirit and heart in music blurring the lines between genres and eras of sound. With her band she creates timeless, classic feel-good music – sound that stimulates both your ears and body, to the point where you become a slave to their dopamine-flooding rhythms. .

• Julye Blom – vocals
• Joni Vierre – guitar
• Antti-Pekka Rissanen – percussion

Free entry

Photo: Markku Pajunen

Singer-songwriter Frida Hyvönen has been greatly celebrated, both at home and abroad, for her debut album Until Death Comes released in 2005. Since then, she has released several albums, singing in both Swedish and English. With focused and personal song lyrics derived from the life that surrounds her and instantly recognizable piano melodies, she has amassed a loyal following. She was rewarded two Grammies for her album Kvinnor och barn [Women and Children] in 2016, winning the categories Lyric writer of the year and Composer of the year. At Kalottjazz and Blues, we meet Frida at the opening concert – and we bid her a warm welcome!

Frida Hyvönen – vocals, piano

Photo: Studio Biblom Hjelte

Virginia and Skybenders are now making a minor comeback with a few selected festival gigs during the summer of 2022. The band will visit all the Nordic countries and Germany.

The band had its heyday during the years 2012-2016 where they played at all the established events around Sweden but also in our neighbouring countries.

Virginia and Skybenders repertoire mostly consists of their own material, but sometimes the occasional cover slips through.

Their sound is everything from roots to more classic blues sound. They are also known for their extravagant improvisations that can enchant an audience with that something little extra.

During Kalottjazz & Blues Festival’s Blues Night, Virginia and Skybenders will offer a crazy show of lightness mixed with extreme musicality!

Virginia – vocals

Tobias – drums

Svenne – Hammond Organ

Claes Belfrage – Bass

Joakim Wahlander – Guitar

Photo: Aigars Lapsa

Bill Öhrström can rightly be described as the Swedish blues Grand Old Man. He is the man who has played with everything and everyone and has a bag full of tales about everything from how Jimi Hendrix slept over on a mattress at his home, why he refused to become a singer for The Who and when he would form a band with Donna Summers.

In addition to Swedish big names, Öhrström has also played with, among others, the Finnish guitarist Jukka Tolonen. Öhrström released his latest blues album “Unmarried” in 2021 after the critically acclaimed full-length album “Married”. With him is a bunch of solid blues players.

• Bill Öhrström – vocals,
• Sverker Blomberg – guitar
• Magnus Franzén – bass
• Erik Pettersson – hammond
• Thomas Lingman – drums

“She´s the future”, told Carlos Santana to audience when he asked Erja to join him on stage in front of 20 000 people at Kaisaniemi Park Finland 2018. Erja Lyytinen, “The Queen of Slide Guitar” has become internationally celebrated guitarist with multiple awards and recognitions such as Number 2 on Total Guitar´s “World´s Best Guitarists Now” poll and European Blues Awards “Guitarist of the Year” award. She has released her biographical book called “The Blues Queen” including stories how she shares stages with the legends such as Carlos Santana, Dan Aykroyd, Sonny Landreth and Jennifer Batten. Lyytinen’s musical pallet is vast, encompassing the very best of contemporary blues-rock whilst inspired and influenced by the blues greats of yore. During 2020, with activities limited due to the lockdown, Lyytinen began to work on new ventures such as the development of her own brand of tea. She also worked on two songbooks including her most favorite songs. In November 2020 was also released highly appraised “Lockdown Live” – album recorded during heaviest restrictions from which Powerplay Magazine put it together pointly “Lockdown Live” is a triumph.”

• Erja Lyytinen – vocals, guitar
• Tatu Back – bass
• Iiro Laitinen –drums
• Miika Aukio – keyboard

Photo: Hans Lehtinen

Jazz like it was 100 years ago. Bass violin, guitar, vocals, trombone and aren’t those tap dance shoes on that tall uncles feet? Sometimes, it does not turn out quite as the musicians intended. A flying shark, a blueberry pie and Reggaemofa’s dog are visiting for a while. Or the wonderful pancake party that mostly became a fire brigades extinguisher seremony. But Swing Tarturos show goes on and hopes you join in on the fun. Together it feels nicer to party and the poor chef has long been forgiven so … Let’s celebrate it with a Elvis dance!

Julia Stokes – Sång & liten trombon laulu& pieni vetopasuuna song & trombone
Anton Stokes – Gitarr & sång kitara & laulu, guitar & song
Johan Bengtsson – Kontrabas & sång kontrabasso & laulu double bass & song

Kuva – Henri Gyllander

Bergvall is a newly graduated guitarist from the jazz candidate program at Piteå Musikhögskola [a regional music academy]. Together with his band of cool cats, he will entertain the audience at the city park in Haparanda near River Torne with music suitable for the occasion. The set list includes Simon’s own compositions (made available for listeners later this fall) as well as a selective selection of jazz classics – a combination strongly recommended!

Simon Bergvall – guitar
Lars Ullberg – trombone
Emil Nyqvist – double bass
Jakob Sundell – drums

Polish mystery, the echo from Norwegian fjords together with Finnish romance. All this is heard in Case Kämäräinen’s music, a group that plays at this year’s Kalott Jazz & Blues. The international jazz quartet plays music written by drummer Tomi Kämäräinen and the group has recently played with US artist Janet Evra, both in Finland and the USA. The quartet’s melodies are interpreted by Marek Konarski, a Polish saxophonist known from e.g. Tim Hagans Quintet. The brilliant piano improviser Grzegorz Tarwids performance carries on traditions from classical music and influences of free improvisation. The wonderful improviser Petter Asbjørnsen from Norway plays bass.On the ensemble’s latest album, electronic soundscapes and effects are heard that blend perfectly into Kämäräinen’s new music.

• Tomi Kämäräinen – drums
• Marek Konarski – saxophone
• Grzegorz Tarwid – piano
• Petter Asbjørnsen – bass

Photo: Jari Flinck

Saverio Maccne is a guitar virtuoso and composer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is known for his strong and robust sound that brings out the energy of rock to the roots of the blues – Maccne’s music reflects several different – even surprising – elements, from 70’s rock music to jazz’s complicated harmonies and to old blues’ rhythms. The latest album Look Twice (2018) attracted attention in blues circles and was played extensively in various radiostations and podcasts in several countries. The album was also included in the famous American Roots Music Report – The Electric Blues Album Chart Top 50 is listed Top 10 and was at its best listed as number two. Maccne has found a quiet oasis for his creation in Tornio’s countryside where he spends his time between tours creating new music. A new blues rock record is currently in works and is scheduled to be released at the end of the year.

Stockholm-based Italian bassist/composer Ilaria Capalbo is equally at ease building hard-swinging lines and improvising on the whole sound-spectrum of the instrument. Aside from leading her own band she is one of the co-leaders of critically acclaimed Italian trio KÓSMOS, bass player in Fredrik Nordström’s DOLORES and a member of Blue Note/Verve pianist Chihiro Yamanaka’s European Trio. She has composed music on commission for Nobel Museum and NobelCreations, contemporary Swedish dance company Cullberg Balletten and festival Explorations of Now.

• Ilaria Capalbo: bass/compositions
• Thomas Backman: alto sax/clarinets
• Fredrik Nordström: tenor/baritone sax/flute
• Andreas Hourdakis: gitarr
• Fredrik Rundqvist: trummor

Photo: Massimo DeDominicis

Club For Five – a Finnish gold-selling a cappella quintet – have toured around the world for 20 years enriching the world of a cappella with premium Nordic quality spiced up with a dose of native Finnish craziness. The group stands out with its remarkable versatility. Combination of diverse musical backgrounds and distinctive vocal abilities of the five musicians have laid foundation for striking musical vibrancy and reputation Club For Five have today. The tonal fluidity of the group extends to many genres and locations. Having a blast on big festival stages comes to Club For Five as naturally as an acoustical church performance. Club For Five is influenced by international pop and jazz, but also rooted in Nordic music tradition in their approach. 

• Maija Sariola – soprano vocals
• Saima Haapanen – alto vocals
• Jouni Kannisto – tenor vocals
• Juha Viitala – baritone vocals
• Tuukka Haapaniemi – bass vocal

Photo: Marek Sabogal