Uptown feat. Susanna Mesiä

(FIN)
song-oriented 50’s mainstream jazz

Uptown is a fresh new band that aims to play solid swinging mainstream jazz with a 50’s feel. Their set is based around Duke Ellington; his small group recordings of that time are the main inspiration here. The compositions are Duke’s or by musicians, like Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Hodges, who worked closely with Ellington.

The band leader is guitarist Petri Krzywacki from Helsinki. On top of Uptown he plays in the Riverside Rascals, the Third Ear, the Reija Lang Trio and in the bands of Wade Mikkola and Antti Sarpila, to name a few. Petri has also honed his chops with Ed Thigpen, Leroy Jones, Ulf Johansson-Werre and many other notable musicians. He has just released his second trio album with bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Mark Ferber.

The members of Uptown are well-established professionals, whose combined credits include everything from the Riku Niemi Orchestra and the Great Helsinki Swing Band through Nat Newborn to Antti Sarpila and Leroy Jones. Vocalist Susanna Mesiä brings a special element to the whole with her choice of killer songs and her strong interpretation skills.