JUKKA PERKO
Photo: Matti Pyykkö
BIOGRAPHY
Jukka Perko(b.1968) came to the attention of the general public at the 1986 Pori Jazz Festival. At the age of 18, the young man, who had studied jazz saxophone and Charlie Parker's music by himself, received rave reviews and his career skyrocketed almost by accident.
The very next year, Perko's abilities as a sovereign player of bebop jazz were put to a tough test when he was invited to join Dizzy Gillespie's 70th Anniversary Big Band, in whose ranks he played_cc781905-3194cde -136bad5cf58d_ for two years in Europe and the United States. Since then, Perko has performed as a soloist and with his bands in more than 30 countries on all continents.
Perko's talents are also known in classical music circles. That is why he has appeared as a soloist in front of most Finnish orchestras. In these concerts, his breadth has come to the fore as the presented repertoire moves from baroque music to modern concert music.
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In Perko's art, the rhythmicity of jazz and the flight of thought have over the years been accompanied by the heart sounds of Finnish music, from the rooting harmony of hymns to the music of Olavi Virra. Despite the style of the music performed, Perko's own, improvisational style always remains recognizable. In recent years, he has been heard in the most diverse contexts, along with various jazz ensembles, both as a soloist in symphony orchestras and on pop/rock recordings.
In addition to his deep knowledge of the jazz tradition, Perko is known in music circles as a hard-working thinker of ideas. He has several large-scale projects underway and planned. Among these, for example, the Viapori Jazz festival, of which he is the artistic director, should be mentioned. In addition to his versatile work as a musician, Perko has also been a sought-after lecturer in companies and communities for years.