Teija Niku & Juha Kujanpää | Etnosoi! Chiwalala/Saastamoinen duo | Baraka Issabu Quintet – Etno-Espa

On the final day of Etno-Espa, the stage overflows with dialogue between piano and accordion, Tanzanian-Finnish duetting, and tones of East-African jazz.

16.00 | Teija Niku & Juha Kujanpää

Accordionist Teija Niku and pianist Juha Kujanpää are known as individual composers and sovereign masters of their instruments. Their music draws influences from folk, classical and jazz music, among others.

Niku and Kujanpää have collaborated for over 15 years, including in the folk music trio Karuna. The idea of composing new material for the piano and accordion duo arose during the pandemic. Both composed the material on their own, which then took shape in regular playing sessions during 2022 and 2023.

The new compositions come into their own when the piano and accordion act as equal partners, each taking turns as a soloist and accompanying party – without forgetting improvisation. The collaboration culminated in the album Aamunkoitto, which was released by Rockadillo Records in March 2025.

Teija Niku – accordion
Juha Kujanpää – piano

17.15 | Etnosoi! Chiwalala/Saastamoinen duo

The Chiwalala/Saastamoinen duo was founded in 2021. In the duo’s musical work, Tanzanian ngoma music, Finnish folk music, and African American jazz double bass playing and improvisation come together. Rich and deeply developed interplay is an essential starting point for their compositions, as the pieces slowly take shape during long, trance-like playing sessions.

Arnold Chiwalala: vocals, kantele, ngoma drums
Mikael Saastamoinen: double bass

The concert is presented by the Global Music Centre.

18.30 | Baraka Issabu Quintet

Baraka Issabu is a Tanzanian pianist, music educator, composer, arranger, and producer based in Helsinki, Finland. Rooted in East African musical traditions, his work blends traditional rhythms and melodic language with Afrojazz, afro-fusion, and jazz, with the piano as his core storytelling instrument. Through his involvement with the East Africa Global Music Campus (Tanzania), Baraka has deepened his practice in documenting, performing, and transmitting regional music cultures.

In 2023, he moved to Finland to pursue his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the Global Music Programme at the Sibelius Academy, expanding his artistic horizons through rigorous study and intercultural collaboration. While in Finland, Baraka managed to form a quintet that brings together Finnish and Tanzanian musicians – schoolmates who connected through their studies – creating a dynamic ensemble shaped by shared learning and cross-cultural exchange.

Baraka Issabu Quintet
Baraka Issabu – piano/keys, vocals
Humphrey Mubba – bass guitar, vocals
Vilho Luohivuori – drums
Joni Viere – guitar
Jesse Vilhomaa – saxophone