From the roots twang to the distorted overdrive, the guitar is the perfect vehicle for the delivery of the strikingly eclectic music of Olli Hirvonen. His new recording, Kielo, finds Hirvonen and his longstanding trio of Marty Kenney and Nathan Ellman-Bell focusing on the myriad possibilities inherent in the six strings, especially as the Nordic ethereality of the leader’s music becomes more and more enmeshed in the roots sounds of his adopted home in the United States.

Hailing from the city of Lappeenranta in Finland, Olli Hirvonen has called New York home for more than a decade now. After earning his master’s in 2013 from Manhattan School of Music, he worked hard and smart on the New York scene and beyond. In 2016 he won first prize at the Montreux guitar competition, where his solidbody Fender and fiery expressiveness made an impression on the head judge, John McLaughlin.

The most enduring partnerships that Hirvonen created have been with the members of his trio, bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell. Hirvonen assembled the trio in 2014, first playing straight ahead jazz but then delving further and further into free improv and avant garde, where they really forged a bond and musical trust.

The music that Olli Hirvonen makes these days is indebted to sounds that he absorbed from his youth in Finland. The Nordic feel that he brought from Europe has now been merged with the Americana influences of his new home, leading to the wonderful, earthy sound that can be heard on Hirvonen’s new recording, Kielo.

“He’s great” -John McLaughlin

“Expressively granular” -Village Voice

"Blistering guitar blasts" -Downbeat Magazine

“When Hirvonen’s guitar comes roaring in — look out” -Stereogum

Genevieve Rose is a nationally renown bass player, called to the Kennedy Center at age 23 to bring her group to a Women in Jazz program. She has played with current versions of the Woody Herman and Artie Shaw bands. Pianist Eugene Uman studied with legendary pianist Kenny Barron, and is the head of the Vermont Jazz Center. Vocalist and tenor saxophonist Jesse Carr has performed on, written, and arranged for eight Ken Burns films--“Brooklyn Bridge”, the Grammy winning “Civil War”, and “Baseball” among them. The group aims toward listener accessibility via familiar melodies, and its own interest and enjoyment via fresh arrangements.

Doors are at 7pm, music begins at 8pm. Seating is first come first served.