Vesa-Matti Loiri & Loiri All Stars

(FIN)

A national icon, no less. You could also call him some kind of a genius, as he is a brilliant singer, flautist, actor, reciter and comedian, also a top sportsman in his younger days, grabbing gold medals nationally in handball and water polo. Now Vesku, as he is affectionately known, performs his classics, and probably some rarer stuff, too, with The Loiri All Stars in a jazzy vein, so dear to him. The band, led by Kalle Torniainen and pianist Lenni-Kalle Taipale, is made of top musicians, who have worked with Loiri along the years.

Vesa-Matti Loiri hit the nation’s consciousness in 1962 at the tender age of 17 with his unforgettable role in the Mikko Niskanen movie Pojat. He has since acted with great success in over 60 films and made over 30 albums, their style ranging from Xmas carols, folk and novelty songs through Eino Leino’s poems and Juha Vainio’s pop songs to instrumental jazz. On his latest albums, Hyvää puuta and Skarabee, Vesku interprets in his inimitable way songs custom-made for him by some of the best contemporary Finnish songsmiths, like Chisu, Tuure Kilpeläinen, J. Karjalainen and Olavi Uusivirta.