Porvoo Jazz Festival collaborates with the Taimi Award and offers the winner the opportunity to step on the concert stage. The Jazz Federation’s new annual Taimi Award is given to a young musician, and in 2023 it was won by Joonatan Henriksson. With the award, the Jazz Federation aims to encourage young musicians to boldly seek and showcase their own voice. Joonatan Henriksson is an 18-year-old clarinetist and pianist who has worked extensively in various forms of jazz music. His influences include jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Miles Davis, whose music is characterized by innovation and liberated musical expression. Henriksson has been studying at the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy since 2018 and has performed with international names such as Godwin Louis and Dana Hall. For the Porvoo Jazz Festival, Henriksson brings along his own band, consisting of young stars in the Finnish jazz scene. The quintet, composed of guitarist Eero Dunkel, pianist Pessi Pohjola, double bassist Otso Huhtala, and drummer Kasper Halttunen, showcases liberated improvisation and communication among the band members.
The repertoire performed by the quintet consists of the members’ own compositions, which elegantly reflect the musical guidelines of the band while honoring the tradition of jazz music. At the Porvoo Jazz Festival in Vanha 123, the audience is offered two experiences with one ticket. The concerts start in halls 1 and 2 simultaneously, and after a short break, the audience switches halls to hear the second performer of the evening. Fridays concert features Joonatan Henriksson Quintet and EXPAND. Aatos Cafe serves treats during the concerts.