Mika Pohjola

Mika Pohjola (born December 1, 1971 in Helsinki ) is a Finnish jazz pianist and composer who works in New York.

Live and act

Pohjola grew up in Vantaa near Helsinki and attended a Rudolf Steiner School. He first began to learn the violin, then switched to drums and finally to the piano, where he received his first lessons from his father, the jazz guitarist Heikki Pohjola . He sang in the boys' choir of Helsinki Cathedral and studied classical piano at the Conservatory in Vantaa. In 1987 he continued his studies in Stockholm, where he graduated from the Royal Conservatory with a degree in jazz in 1992 . He then went to Berklee College of Music , where he studied with Gary Burton , Phil Wilson , Hal Crook and Herb Pomeroy , among others . After graduating in 1994, he recorded his debut album Myths and Beliefs with the quartet , which was released by GM Recordings . In 1995 he moved to New York, where he took brief lessons from Sal Mosca and then performed in well-known jazz clubs such as Birdland and Blue Note (where a live album was made, which was released in 2000).

He toured with his own bands composed of New York musicians in Europe, for example at the invitation of the Finnish Foreign Ministry in Ukraine. At the same time he appeared in the duo Sound of Village with the percussionist and flautist Yūsuke Yamamoto , who improvised freely and often performed in the Knitting Factory . He knew Yamamoto from Berklee. In 2000 the duo recorded the album Sound of Village . In 2002 he released his album Landmark with the Finnish singer Johanna Grüssner . In 2003 (in Swedish, 2005 in Finnish) a song album followed, also with Grüssner, based on the Moomins comics popular in Finland and Sweden (by Tove Jansson ). His album A Lark in the Snowstorm contains tango music. He released a solo album Great Tunes from my Friends (with pieces by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Ben Monder, among others ) and Northern Sunrise in 2009 (with Steve Wilson , Ben Moder).

In addition to Grüssner, whom he knew from Berklee, he also works with other singers such as B. Jill Walsh . Pohjola also plays Argentine chacara music and jazz with bassist Fernando Huergo ( Provinciano album 2008 on Sunnyside Records). He also works as a mixer and recording technician for other jazz musicians. He also composes classical music.

Since 1993 he has also been teaching frequently in Scandinavia, for example at the Nilsiä Summer Music Camp.

Web links

• Homepage
• All about jazz
• Mika Pohjola at Discogs (English)