Finnish Air Force Big Band & Olli Soikkeli: Django!

Information

Finnish Air Force Big Band & Olli Soikkeli: Django!
Conductor: Mikko Hassinen
Fri 11 Sep 2026 at 7:00 PM
Tampere Hall, Small Auditorium

Tickets
Standard ticket €29.50
Children up to 16, students, pensioners, unemployed, and conscripts/civil service personnel €20.50
Wheelchair tickets €29.50 / €20.50, assistant included with the same ticket

Finnish Air Force Big Band & Olli Soikkeli: Django!

Conducted by Mikko Hassinen

The Finnish Air Force Big Band and internationally acclaimed Finnish swing guitarist Olli Soikkeli join forces in a concert that elevates the music of Django Reinhardt to new heights. Soikkeli’s virtuosic, stylistically refined, and deeply Django-inspired playing meets the rich and energetic sound of the Big Band, resulting in an exceptionally lively and swinging performance.

The program is built around some of Reinhardt’s most beloved compositions, including Belleville, Blues en mineur, Appel indirect, and many more. Big band arrangements bring new colors, broader dynamics, and modern rhythmic energy to these familiar melodies, while Soikkeli adds the authentic spark, agility, and joy of improvisation rooted in the Django tradition.

Django! is a tribute to a legend whose music has left a lasting mark on the history of jazz. The concert offers audiences both nostalgia and a fresh contemporary feel, featuring elegant swing, dazzling virtuosity, and the joy of ensemble performance.

Olli Soikkeli

Guitarist Olli Soikkeli is originally from Nurmes but is now based in New York. He is known as a virtuoso master of his instrument. His journey began with discovering the music of Django Reinhardt and gypsy jazz, which has since become his trademark style. Over the past decade, he has toured jazz clubs and festivals not only in Finland and across Europe but also extensively in New York. He has performed at renowned venues such as Birdland, Blue Note, Iridium, and Lincoln Center.

Soikkeli has also released music prolifically, with 12 albums to date, many of which have received critical acclaim in the international music press. His most recent releases include Olli Soikkeli New York Trio (2025) and Olli Soikkeli & Cesar Garabini: Choro Novo (2024).

Mikko Hassinen

Mikko Hassinen is one of Finland’s leading jazz musicians. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in both jazz performance and composition/music theory programs. Over his 30-year career, he has performed with many of Finland’s top jazz musicians as well as numerous international artists. In addition to Scandinavia and Europe, he has performed in South America and the United States.

Hassinen’s compositional work mainly consists of pieces for big band, choir, and electronics. He is also a highly sought-after arranger and conductor.

In 2014, his album Elektro GT received the Teosto Prize. From 2017 to 2018, he served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the UMO Jazz Orchestra. In 2021, he was awarded the Yrjö Award by the Finnish Jazz Federation. Since 2025, he has been the Artistic Director of the Turku Jazz Orchestra.

The Finnish Air Force Big Band is Finland’s only military band specializing in rhythm music and is known for its energetic performances with leading Finnish soloists. The ensemble consists of 21 musicians, and its concert season includes the AALTO series big band concerts and the Defence Forces’ MILjazz tour, as well as music education projects, national defence events, and Air Force PR activities.

The Air Force Band, based in Tikkakoski garrison in Jyväskylä, was founded in 1977 and has a long tradition of performing big band music.

Duration: approx. 2 hours, including an intermission.

Event details subject to change.

Production: Finnish Air Force Band