Iro Haarla became famous as the wife of the great Finnish master, drummer and band leader Edward Vesala. Haarla ensured that her arrangements did justice to Vesala's restrained compositions. In this way, the pianist, composer and harpist put her own career on hold for a while. It was only after Vesala's death in 1999 that she put herself in the limelight. Haarla performs with the irrepressible Trygve Seim and Mathias Eick. Moreover, there is aspot in Haarla's quintet for an illustrious drummer. Jon Christensen, the veteran who played on countless albums for the ECM label in the 1960s, is a prominent member of her line-up. Haarla is a master of the art of exclusion and her tempered, delicate harp and piano playing combined with her well-balanced compositions make her work something special. In addition to the piano, Haarla will be playing the harp at the festival. Her playing will no doubt conjure up images of the raw beauty of the distant Finnish landscape.
"Supported by The Finnish Art Council and the Norwegian JazzFederation"
