Immanuel Wilkins & Espoo Big Band,
Linda May Han Oh

Immanuel Wilkins & Espoo Big Band

On of the brightest of the new generation of American jazz, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins performs with Espoo Big Band!

The music of saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins is filled with empathy and conviction, bonding arcs of melody and lamentation to pluming gestures of space and breath.

In the latest critics’ referendum of the prestigious American jazz magazine Downbeat, Immanuel Wilkins was voted Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Emerging Composer, and Best Emerging Jazz Group of 2023. An award that seals the young saxophonist’s meteoric career.

Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the music scene in 2020 with the release of his Blue Note recording debut, “Omega”. Although he was just 22 years old at the time of his release, his quartet had been playing together for more than four years, and their cohesion and musicality were reflected in both the maturity of Wilkins’ sound and the sophistication and depth of his compositions. Press accolades and awards soon followed, the record was named the best jazz record of 2020 by the New York Times, the best debut jazz album by NPR radio. The 7th Hand, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Omega, was included among the 10 Best Jazz albums of 2022 by The New York Times.

Immanuel Wilkins, saxophone (US)
Marzi Nyman, conductor
Espoo Big Band

Saxophones:
Ari Jokelainen, Pope Puolitaival, Manuel Dunkel, Jussi Kannaste, Mikko Innanen

Trombones:
Pekka Laukkanen, Heikki Tuhkanen, Valtteri Malmivirta, Juho Viljanen

Trumpets:
Tero Lindberg, Kalevi Louhivuori, Sami Pöyhönen, Tero Saarti

Rytmisektio:
Aki Rissanen, piano
Ville Herrala, basso
Rami Eskelinen, rummut

7:30pm doors
8:00pm Linda May Han Oh
aprrox. 9:15 intermission
aprrox. 9:45 Immanuel Wilkins & Espoo Big Band

Tickets €36/31 + order fees (from €1.50), Lippu.fi
Duration approx. 3 h with intermission

Louhi Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre
Kulttuuriaukio 2, 02100 Espoo (Google Maps / HSL Journey Planner)

Linda May Han Oh

Grammy-winning bassist presents an exploration of contemporary improvisation, blending acoustic with electric elements

New York-based bassist Linda May Han Oh is one of the most respected double bassists of the younger generation. Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas are a handful of jazz icons who played with the fluently melodic Malaysian-born, Australian-raised bassist.

With six albums of her own, Linda May Han Oh creates intelligent and playful music that plucks ideas from all currents of jazz from folk, modal and free jazz. Her latest album, The Glass Hours, came in 2023, the same year that she, together with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, among others, won a Grammy for best jazz album with New Standards Vol. 1.

This is how The Wall Street Journal writes: “her innovative range and stellar improvisations have made [her] one of the most dynamic rising stars in jazz today.”

Linda May Han Oh is a teacher at the New School – School of Jazz in New York and a professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She has created a series of lessons for the BassGuru app and has written for both large and small ensembles.

Linda May Han Oh, bass, voice (AU)
Sara Serpa, voice (PT)
Fabian Almazan, piano (CU)
Mark Whitfield Jr., drums (US)