Musicians
Johanna Pitkänen is a pianist, composer and the founding member of Kokko Quartet. Johanna has explored the musical globe while performing with musicians from Egypt, Cuba, Spain, Cape Verde and more. Besides performing with different groups Johanna works across disciplines, doing collaborations with different artists. She draws inspiration from nature and stories and myths from around the world. Johanna has graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, with a Bachelor’s degree in Pop and Jazz Music. In 2016 she finished a Master's degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. www.johannapitkanen.com
RISTO: Johanna keeps on bringing all these compositions that go way over my head...Sometimes I struggle with them, but after a while I think they're great, very different to those that I'm used to playing.
Kaisa Siirala is a saxophone player and composer who is interested in free expression. She is inspired by different world musics, for example Cuban. Kaisa has studied Indian bansuri flute and hindustani music with her teacher Ravi Shankar Mishra several times in Mysore, India. She has played in traditional big bands and smaller combos playing jazz and all kinds of afro-american music. With Isis-trio Kaisa played modern finnish folklore and toured in India in 2009. As a lead alto saxophone player she has toured with Boston Promenade Big Band in Japan, Poland, Slovakia, Peru, Namibia and South Africa. Kaisa plays bansuri in the album Meie Kula Laulud, winner of the EMA 2012 in Estonia: The best etno/folk-album of the year. Kaisa graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, with a Bachelor’s degree in Pop and Jazz Music. In 2019 she finished a master's degree from the GLOMAS master programme at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
TIMO: Kaisa has a very warm saxophone sound, I like it very much. She can also play noisy, free jazz...
Timo Tuppurainen is a bass player and composer who's been active for example in the following groups during his career: Lenni-Kalle Taipale trio 1995-1999, U-Street All Stars 2000-2004 and Erja Lyytinen’s group 2003-2004. Timo has recorded with all of these groups and many more. Timo has performed for example with U-Street All Stars at Jazzbaltica festival in Germany (2003), at Copenhagen jazz festival in Denmark (2003) and at Rochester jazz festival in USA (2003.) He has toured in several countries including Belgium, India, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Germany. U-Street All Stars won the Getxo jazz competition in Spain, Bilbao in 2001 and became second in the Jazz Hoeillaart competition in Belgium in 2001. Currently Timo is playing, among other groups, with Antti Utriainen trio. He graduated from Sibelius Academy’s Jazz department with a Master’s degree.
JOHANNA: Timo is always able to surprise me in our rehearsals, even with songs which have become very familiar to us. He might for example use a different technique, and suddenly I see the piece from a whole new angle...
Risto Takala is a drummer and music educator who has performed around Finland and Europe in different line-ups from a conscript marching band to small jazz bands and big bands. Risto is interested in different types of music from folk to soul and inspired by fusions of different genres. Risto graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor’s degree in Pop and Jazz Music. Nowadays Risto works as a freelance musician and as a music teacher.
KAISA: Risto is the funny guy in the band, you can also hear that in his playing. He's very fast in taking on ideas and developing them...