Jason Moran & UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra: Celebrating Duke Ellington (USA/Finland) – Savoy JAZZFest

Come experience the timeless genius of Duke Ellington’s music as pianist Jason Moran pays glorious tribute to the composer’s legacy – in the spirit of the artist’s 125th anniversary last year.

“A startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation” (Los Angeles Times)

Hailing from New York, pianist Jason Moran will pay tribute to Duke Ellington’s legacy with a bold new approach when he takes to the Savoy JAZZFest stage with the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. My Heart Sings concert has also special guest, amazing Finnish vocalist Nina Mya. The programm also contains solo pieces of Jason Moran.

Duke Ellington (1899–1974) was one of the greatest composers, conductors and pianists of the 20th century, a jazz icon whose unique style revolutionarily combined jazz, blues and swing. His hit songs, such as It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), In a Sentimental Mood and Take the A Train, continue to inspire musicians and audiences around the world.

Jason Moran (born 1975) is a jazz pianist, composer and artistic director from Houston, Texas, who is regarded as one of the most important jazz musicians of his generation. He has released over fifteen albums, composed music for theatre and film (Selma, 13th) and collaborated with artists such as Charles Lloyd and Cassandra Wilson. Moran is the artistic director of jazz at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., teaches at the New England Conservatory and has received several prestigious awards in his career, including the MacArthur Fellowship prize.

The event will be a great swing-filled evening that brings together Moran’s pianism, classical compositions and UMO Helsinki’s hefty big band sound!

Duration: roughly 2 h, incl. intermission

The floor: R18 alcohol serving area. The gallery: no age restrictions, no alcohol serving.

Check out what is to come on YouTube: