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Georgie is the name of the annual award the Finnish Jazz Federation gives to some distinguished musician naming him (or her) as The Musician of the Year at the same time. The award itself is always a unique piece of art, and it does not contain any financial reward.

Georgie Award is always presented during the Finnish National Jazz Days, one of the three oldest Finnish jazz festivals which all were founded already in the ’60s.

More biographical information on Georgie awarded musicians can be found at the Finnish Music Information Centre's web-site: www.fimic.fi

IRO HAARLA RECEIVED THE GEORGIE AWARD 2006  (Nov 18th 2006)

The Finnish Jazz Federation has awarded the composer-pianist-harpist Iro Haarla with the prestigious Georgie Award 2006. The award was announced on Saturday 18th November at the annual National Jazz Days in Savonlinna. Georgie Award 2006 "Akvarelli 2006" was made by artist Kaija-Leena Hänninen from Rantasalmi, Finland.

Photo: Maarit Kytöharju

The declaration of the Georgie Award 2006 states that Iro Haarla is currently undergoing a period of utmost creativity both as a composer and as a band leader. She is becoming one of the most central Finnish jazz musicians of this decade. Haarla’s music of mostly ballads is full of expression and it is recognizably Scandinavian but at the same time unique in its impressionism.

Photo: Matti I Korhonen

Haarla enjoys enormous respect both at a national and international level. Haarla’s band Loco Motife’s record Penguin Beguine came out last year and was awarded with a Jazz Emma. Haarla’s Finnish-Norwegian quintet’s Northbound record for ECM was noted internationally as one of the best of the year.

The 2006 Georgie Award is the 39th to be given out by the Finnish Jazz Federation. It has been tradition to announce it during the National Jazz Days since 1967. The Georgie Award is considered as the most prestigious homage to a Finnish jazz musician. The Georgie Award is, besides fame and honor, also Finnish art, usually made by a local artist of the area where the National Jazz Days are held that year.

This year the Finnish Jazz Federation celebrates its 40th anniversary which will culminate at the Savoy Theater November 25th with a grand concert of a unique cavalcade of awarded Georgies performing the music of Georgies.
 

THE GEORGIE AWARD 2005 GOES TO...
JARI PERKIÖMÄKI  (2005 Nov 18th)

Jari Perkiömäki Photo: Heikki Tuuli

The Finnish Jazz Federation has awarded the Georgie Award 2005 to saxophonist Jari Perkiömäki. The award was announced on Friday November 18th during the annual National Jazz Days held this year in Hämeenlinna. Jari Perkiömäki is an international high standard Jazz musician and saxophonist. He masters the variations of Jazz: from bebop to free improvisation. The first Finnish Jazz Doctorate and the Head of the Sibelius Academy Jazz Department, Perkiömäki is also known as an outstanding pedagogue and with his hard work he has created a path for future jazz musicians to follow.

The Georgie Award 2005 is the 38th Georgie Award to be given out. The Georgie Award 2004 was given to composer and bassist Pekka Pohjola. It has been a tradition for the Finnish Jazz Federation to give out The Georgie Award during the annual National Jazz Days since the year 1967. The Georgie Award is considered the most respected prize for a Finnish Jazz musician. The award, in addition to fame and honor, include Finnish art, made by a local artist depending on where the National Jazz Days are held that year. This year the artist was photographer Esko Tuovinen from Hämeenlinna.

More information: www.musicfinland.com/perkiomaki/

GEORGIE AWARD 2004: PEKKA POHJOLA  (2004 Nov 13th)

Photo: Taina Värri

Finnish Jazz Federation has granted its annual Georgie Award 2004 to composer and bassist Pekka Pohjola (b. 1952) at the National Jazz Days in Pieksämäki on November 13th. Pohjola was prized for a long-lasting and remarkable career as a composer and instrumentalist, yet his music is very current at the moment. In 2004 were premiered Pohjola's orchestral work "Emmi", concerto for accordion and chamber orchestra "Bayan" and a commission for jazz sextet "Confused". Pohjola has also repeatedly appeared on stage this year. His acoustic ensemble performed at the Pori Jazz and Viapori Jazz festivals, among others. Reportedly he is also planning a new album.

See also Pekka Pohjola at www.rockadillo.fi,   www.fimic.fi
 

 

GEORGIE AWARD 2003: KIRMO LINTINEN  (2003 NOV 15th)

Finnish Jazz Federation has granted its annual Georgie Award 2003 to composer, conductor and pianist Kirmo Lintinen during the Finnish National Jazz Days held in Tampere. Kirmo Lintinen (born 1967 in Saarijärvi) is an exceptionally unprejudiced and versatile musician whose career includes works from both jazz and contemporary art music as well as mixtures of these musical spheres.

Kirmo Lintinen Photo: Ulla-Maija Lähteenmäki

In addition to numerous jazz, chamber music and orchestral ensembles, Lintinen has worked as conductor and pianist for the UMO Jazz Orchestra, where he has participated in various interesting projects and worked also with contemporary music composers. All this has expanded remarkably the scope of the Finnish big band repertoire.

Lately Lintinen has emphasized his compositional activities including big band settings and contemporary art music compositions.

Kirmo Lintinen has studied composing and arranging in Sibelius Academy under the tutelage of Seppo Kantonen, Jukka Linkola and Eero Hämeenniemi.

GEORGIE AWARD 2002: ANNA-MARI KÄHÄRÄ  (2002 NOV 13th)

Anna-Mari Kähärä was awarded the Georgie Award 2002 at the Jumo Jazz Club during the Finnish National Jazz Days held in Helsinki.

Kähärä, born in Viitasaari, is a multi-talented musician and vocalist who has also done a lot of arranging and composing. In the field of jazz Anna-Mari Kähärä is best known for her work with groups How Many Sisters and ZetaBoo. The former is a vocal group of three singers that has been working already for 19 years, and ZetaBoo is a band working since 1996.

Kähärä’s compositional and arranging work consist a large number of pieces ranging from classical to jazz music, from popular music to theatre and motion picture productions, choir and vocal group work.

She has performed in Finland with the UMO Jazz Orchestra and other big bands and with a number of symphony orchestras. Kähärä has also performed abroad in several countries, with the vocal group Adiemus Singers for example.

By playing accordion, piano and keyboards and violin along with being a vocalist Kähärä is a typical example of her generation of musicians for whom it is natural to work with different styles of music and combine them. She doesn’t consider herself namely a jazz musician but admits that jazz is always present in all of her work one way or another.

GEORGIE AWARD 2001: KARI “SONNY” HEINILÄ  (2001 NOV 17th)

The saxophone player Kari ”Sonny” Heinilä received the Georgie Award 2001 during the Finnish National Jazz Days held in Kuopio. Kari ”Sonny” Heinilä (born 1966) is very well known figure among the Finnish jazz scene professionals and highly respected by his fellow musicians, both young and old. In the early 90's Heinilä was several years one of the central soloists in the UMO Jazz Orchestra. Since ’95 he has worked with UMO as an arranger, composer and conductor. Two years ago he released his so far only album as a leader. On Tribus (abovoice 0003) he is accompanied by the Swedish bassplayer Anders Jormin and drummer Markku Ounaskari. Heinilä performs as a freelancer with many high-grade professionals and has been teaching at the jazz department of Sibelius Academy. He can also be heard on Edward Vesala’s album Lumi (ECM) which has been internationally considered one of the most remarkable jazz albums of the 80’s.

Kari “Sonny” Heinilä Photo: Timo Kelaranta

KARI HEINILÄ DISCOGRAPHY:
As a leader:
Kari Heinilä:	Tribus	(1999, Abovoice/Silence-0003)
As a sideman:
	Ahava	(2001, Fiasko Records FRCD-7)
	Karikko	(2001, Fiasko Records FRCD-5)
Jukka Linkola Tentet:	The Tentet	(1994)
Jarmo Savolainen:	Another Story	(1997, A-Records AL 73112)
Jarmo Savolainen:	True Image	(1995, A Records)
Jarmo Savolainen:	Blue Dreams	(1987, KOLP 82)
Edward Vesala:	Lumi	(1987, ECM 1339)
With the UMO Jazz Orchestra:
The First Seven, UMO Plays BAT Jazz in Finland		(1992, BECD 4028-BAT)
UMO Plays the Music of Muhal Richard Abrams		(1989, UMOCD101)
UMO Jazz Orchestra plays the music of Bennie Wallace		(1987, PROCD 008)
As a band member and an arranger:
UMO Jazz Orchestra:	Selected Standards	(1993, Beta BECD 4029)
As an arranger:
UMO Jazz Orchestra:	Electrifying Miles	(1998, A-Records AL 73153)
As a composer:
UMO Jazz Orchestra:	UMO Jazz Orchestra	(1998, NaxosJazz 86010-2)
As a conductor:
UMO Jazz Orchestra with Kenny Wheeler & Norma Winstone: One More Time		(2000, AL 73202)

The above mentioned bands have kept Päivinen busy and therefore it wasn’t until ’98 that he founded his own trio and started to write tunes for it. Päivinen himself plays a wide range of various reed instruments: saxophones from bass sax to sopranino, bass clarinet and a multiple selection of flutes. Hannu Rantanen on bass (both accoustic and electric) and Mikko Hassinen on drums and percussion are flexible and supportive fellow musicians for Päivinen’s wide variety of reed instruments. The trio has had big success and highly acclaiming concert reviews from the very beginning.
 

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