Esa Pietilä
Liberty Ship

Esa Pietilä Liberty Ship – where freedom, improvisation and contemporary composition meet at Tapiola Church

Saxophonist and composer Esa Pietilä brings his renewed Liberty Ship ensemble to April Jazz, presenting the premiere of a new large-scale composition. Performed at Tapiola Church, this concert is one of the festival’s most meditative and profound experiences – music in which modern jazz, contemporary composition and free improvisation merge into a single, breathing form.

Liberty Ship is Pietilä’s long-running and constantly evolving project, rooted in the idea of freedom: the freedom to sound, to listen and to respond. Founded in 2012, the ensemble gained wide international attention already with its debut album Approaching (Eclipse Music), which was selected as Album of the Year – Best New Releases 2013 by The New York City Jazz Record.

The group’s second album, The Wide Open Suite & Noises at Sea, continued this success when it received an Honorable Mention on the same magazine’s list of the best albums of 2015. In his selection, editor-in-chief Laurence Donohue-Greene highlighted the ensemble’s exceptional ability to combine collective improvisation with an adventurous musical expression that resonated strongly with an international jazz audience.

The most recent album, Signal Horn, has further cemented Liberty Ship’s position as one of the most distinctive and daring projects in Finnish jazz today.

The work heard at April Jazz represents Liberty Ship in its current form: a flexible, project-based ensemble in which acoustic and electric sounds, composed material and free improvisation exist in constant dialogue. Pietilä leads the ensemble as both conductor and soloist, while the music itself unfolds through collective listening and shared presence. The acoustics of the church function as an active element of the performance, shaping the music’s spatial and spiritual dimensions.

Esa Pietilä – tenor saxophone, compositions
Recipient of the Yrjö Award as Jazz Musician of the Year in 2016, Esa Pietilä is one of the most distinctive composer-improvisers in Finnish jazz. His work brings together contemporary composition, free improvisation and a strong artistic vision. Pietilä is known for his numerous projects and for his ability to create musical structures in which individual expression and collective thinking are in balance.

Raoul Björkenheim – electric guitar
A central figure in Finnish improvised music, known from projects such as Krakatau and Scorch Trio as well as numerous international collaborations. Björkenheim’s playing brings together the raw energy of rock and the freedom of improvisation.

Håvard Wiik – piano (NO)
Norwegian pianist and composer, known among others from the band Atomic and his own Håvard Wiik Trio. Wiik’s expression moves fluidly at the intersection of modern jazz and contemporary music.

Christian Meaas Svendsen – double bass (NO)
A versatile Norwegian bassist active in jazz, contemporary music and free improvisation. His playing combines physicality with deep listening.

Olavi Louhivuori – drums, percussion
One of the most internationally sought-after Finnish drummers, known from collaborations with artists such as Tomasz Stańko and Marilyn Crispell, as well as from leading Finnish ensembles including Oddarrang, Superposition!, Ilmiliekki Quartet, Elifantree, Verneri Pohjola Monkey Mind and the Alexi Tuomarila Trio.

Iida-Wilhelmiina Sinivalo – cello
A cellist whose work spans classical music, contemporary composition and experimental projects. Sinivalo’s playing adds a deep, string-based dimension to the sound of Liberty Ship.

Max Savikangas – viola
A violist and composer active in the fields of contemporary and experimental music. His playing expands the ensemble’s texture and spatial sonority.

Photo: Mikko Hannula

4:30 pm doors
5 pm Esa Pietilä Liberty Ship

Tickets €22 + order fee (from €1.50 + 0.65% of order), Lippu.fi
Duration approx. 45 min, no intermission.

Tapiolan Church
Kirkkopolku 6, 02100 Espoo
(Google Maps / HSL Journey Planner)