jaZZanti concert: Mikko Pettinen Why Not
Monday 9. March at 19:00 - 20:30
Hakasalmen huvila, Helsinki
Mikko Pettinen: trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, vocals, keyboards, effects, compositions
Joakim Berghäll: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, effects
Vesa Ojaniemi: double bass
Tuomas Timonen: drums
In the music of Mikko Pettinen Why Not, acoustic and electric jazz walk hand in hand, flavoured with colours drawn from world music and influences emerging from the surrounding environment. The quartet is led by trumpeter Mikko Pettinen, known from the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra and the Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble.
Founded in the autumn of 2018, the members of Mikko Pettinen Why Not are strongly characterised by their multi-instrumentalism. In addition to brass instruments, Pettinen also plays keyboards and sings, adding sonic colours through various effects. A master of wind instruments, Joakim Berghäll’s arsenal includes, besides the baritone saxophone, the bass clarinet. Vesa Ojaniemi plays not only the bass but also the Octatrack sampler, while drummer Tuomas Timonen conjures up original soundscapes from his drum set using the Sensory Percussion system.
Trumpeter Mikko Pettinen (b. 1974), a graduate of the Sibelius Academy’s jazz department, is best known for his long-term position in the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, his successful past quartet MP4, and his 11-piece soul band Happy People. Pettinen has performed on over a hundred recordings alongside Finland’s top musicians—from Paleface to Anssi Kela—and has composed and arranged music for children, as well as pop, soul, and gospel projects. Since 2013, he has played together with Joakim Berghäll in the internationally acclaimed Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble, and the idea for their shared jazz group was born out of the musical chemistry and friendship between them.
The ensemble performs music from Mikko Pettinen’s tenth album Patient Patient—a personal and touching story of illness, and at the same time, an important personal milestone. Pettinen describes the album as a reminder that in the midst of life’s rush, it is vital to pause and listen to oneself.
“Many illnesses begin with small symptoms that are easy to overlook when life is full of fun things, gigs, and tours. Often, we only stop when the symptoms prevent us from working. If this album encourages even one hesitant person to seek medical attention in time, it has fulfilled its purpose,” Pettinen explains.
The compositions on the album emerged as Pettinen processed the emotions—fear, confusion, frustration, and uncertainty—arising from the diagnosis of an ultra-rare condition, superficial siderosis, in March 2023. Three tracks were written during his sick leave following ear surgery, while the title piece Patient Patient is based on the cryptic wording of the surgeon’s report.
Photo: Teemu Mattson
The concert is supported by City of Helsinki, Svenska Kulturfonden and The Finnish Music Foundation.
Hakasalmen huvila • Mannerheimintie 13 B, 00100 Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
