Heikki Sarmanto

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Heikki Veli Uolevi Sarmanto (born June 22, 1939 in Helsinki ) is a Finnish jazz pianist and composer.

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From 1962 Sarmanto studied composition with Joonas Kokkonen and piano with Martti Paavola at the Sibelius Academy . In 1968 he was the first Finnish student at Berklee College of Music . Here were Herb Pomeroy , Charlie Mariano and Margaret Chaloff his teachers.

Sarmanto worked in Esa Pethman's band in the 1960s and recorded with jazz singer Carola Standertskjöld . In 1969 he led his own sextet; in 1970 he was voted jazz musician of the year in his home country . In 1971 he won first prizes at the Montreux Jazz Festival ; 1973 the composition competition of Pori Jazz . In the same year he was at Rock Jazz involved recordings of the Hungarian cellist Károly Garam and Finnish jazz vocalist Maija Hapuoja. As a pianist, he has worked with musicians such as Art Farmer , Helen Merrill and George Russell . He arranged and orchestrated Sonny Rollins' Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra , which he also directed in 1986.

Sarmanto composed works for symphonic and chamber music. His New Hope Jazz Mass for mixed choir, jazz ensemble and soprano was performed for the dedication of Saint Peter's Church in New York. Ten years later he performed his symphonic jazz poem Suomi , which premiered in 1983 and describes Finland's landscapes, at Carnegie Hall in 1988 with his jazz quartet with the soloists Juhani Aaltonen and Pekka Sarmanto and the New York Pops Orchestra . In 1995 he recorded his concert for symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble Hearts with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra . The following year he completed the opera Manon for the Finnish National Opera . He also composed music for poems by Eino Leino and Lauri Viita and for films.

As a jazz composer, he wrote primarily for his brother, the double bass player Pekka Sarmanto, and the saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen. He released more than thirty albums. Between 1998 and 2000 he directed the UMO Jazz Orchestra .

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personal data
SURNAME Sarmanto, Heikki
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sarmanto, Heikki Veli Uolevi (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish jazz pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Helsinki