Two squirrels playing in a tree, the sound of snow underneath your feet, the first signs of spring. That’s KAMA; the Finnish word for “things” or “stuff”.
KAMA Kollektiv takes these small everyday life gems and captures their beauty in songs. The smallest things in life, that are so many times overlooked, are the essence of KAMA’s music; small sounds and noises make the group’s unique timbre.
The international musicians of the group are mixing vocal and instrumental, Nordic jazz and pop-scented melodies creating a sonic landscape of ancient Scandinavian chant melodies and tribal grooves. Folk songs from the deepest forests and highest mountains interweave urban rhythms of contemporary jazz and popular music.
The bandleader, composer, vocalist and trumpet player Kirsi “Kiki” Harju grew up surrounded by Finnish nature and musical heritage, so as the pianist Aurora Hentunen. Both of them have a long history of musical collaborations both in Finland and Netherlands. Aurora released her first album with her own quartet in April 2018.
Even though the Israeli drummer Yoad “Santeri” Korach has a jazz-based education, he took part throughout his carrier in a broad range of musical projects. With every new project he takes part in, he tries to incorporate all the different styles in order to make fresh and unique style. Jonathan Nagel is trained as jazz bass player, but over the last years he has been active in various improvised and interdisciplinary performance contexts in the experimental art scenes of Berlin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam as well as all over Europe.
KAMA Kollektiv recorded its first album “KOTI” in October 2018 at Fattoria Musica in Osnabrück (Germany) which will be released 29th or March 2019.
KOTI - album out NOW!
You can find us also in iTunes, Amazon Music and many more platforms!
Want to get the CD or vinyl? Order here
Line-up:
Kirsi Harju – trumpet, vocals, mbira, composition
Aurora Hentunen - piano
Jonathan Nagel – double bass, composition
Yoad Korach – drums
Listen to our first single, "Turvapaikka" in Spotify
KAMA Kollektiv's "Dragonfly" on Youtube
KAMA Kollektiv's "Bloemendaal" on Youtube
Composers are not necessarily dead. They also do not necessarily write symphonies in D flat minor in a 4/4 time signature.
Tim Smith, frontman of the British band called Cardiacs is a great composer who wrote lots of music permeated with energy, humor, beauty, britishness.
By people who only partly open their ears (or their minds for that matter), his music has been defined being ‘chaotic’.
The opposite is true, however: it is strongly organised music and all one needs to be able to do is count past four (and not forget about prime numbers).
This challenging mix of punk, progrock, orchestral and live electronic music (also known as ‘pronk”) will be performed by BarmyFiveseveN; a small bigband from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam of around 15 players, armed with live electronic extensions.
KIKI-O is a sympathique and fresh Finnish band which plays Kirsi-Marja Harju's music. Songs are little tales of everyday life's little moments, and musically they are attempted to mix old and new. There are influences for example from jazz, pop and finnish folk music. Singing language is finnish. The band is formed in autumn 2013 in Helsinki. Individual, but still natural outcome arises from not only Harju's minds landscapes but also from every player's visions and influences, from musicalelements which band members have grown up with. Let us take you to a trip from crosswalks of Helsinki to Marian's grave, from there to snowy landscape and even all the way to the sun!
Kiki-O is:
Kirsi-Marja Harju: voice, trumpet, compositions and lyrics
Eetu Palomäki: piano
Maria Lamminen: bass
Otto Poutiainen: guitar
Johannes Pakkala: drums
Kiki-O in Soundcloud
Kiki-O's "Suojatie" in Youtube
Kiki-O's "Kuuletko?" in Youtube
Kiki-O in Facebook
Duo Kiki-J is fresh, original and professional duo with two people but four instruments: trumpet, vocals, piano and flute. With different combinations we are able to keep our repertoire always fresh and interesting. Jazz standards, classic pop songs with own arrangements, our own compositions…..you name it and this duo will make it unforgettable!
Duo Kiki-J:
Kirsi-Marja Harju: vocals, trumpet
Juho Valjakka: piano, flute
Waris band has raised from Mr. Waris’s love towards music and word art. Delicate but fierce pop/folk is going to take you for a trip to deep personal experience which is still universal in it’s humanity: love, nostalgia, furious exuberance. Humorous Finnophone compositions, with which is easy to identify yourself, are making you both laugh and set some tears.
Waris is:
Juuso Waris – vocals, acoustic guitar
Mikko Patama – keys, vocals
Heikki Hänninen – electric guitar, vocals
Philip Holm – bass, vocals
Joel Kallio – percussion,vocals
Aleksi Koivu – drums
Kirsi-Marja Harju – trumpet, vocals
More information, music and videos:
Viskain plays contemporary and original (Finnish) folk music with an unique instrumentation.
Kirsi-Marja Harju, trumpet and vocals
Jp Jyväsjärvi, guitar
Heta Kaipainen, accordion and vocals
Olli Saukko, mandolin
Events
Biography
Kirsi-Marja "Kiki" Harju (born in January 27th 1993) is a Finnish trumpet player, singer, composer, lyricist and band leader. Since 2015 this multitalent has her main focus in her Bachelor of Arts- studies in Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA), jazz trumpet as her main subject and Jarmo Hoogendijk, Ruud Breuls and Jan Oosthof as her teachers. Harju ended up in Amsterdam after starting trumpet playing in 2002 and doing music studies in The Music Institute of Porvoo, Sibelius high school and Pop & Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki. Her previous teachers have been Reijo Ruokonen, Leo Kylätasku, Tero Lindberg, Mikko Karjalainen, Raimo Korhonen, Tero Saarti and Jan Wessels. In Amsterdam Harju has enjoyed masterclasses and private lessons from world famous trumpet players, for example Terell Stafford, Ambrose Akinmusire and Alex Sipiagin. On top of that, Metropole Orchestra Academy projects/masterclasses have kept Harju busy during her studies in Amsterdam. Singing has always been as passion for Harju, and it has been as big part of her life as trumpet playing. She has performed with different kinds of ensembles in big variety of occasions and also has experience in leading her own bands (Kiki-O, KAMA Kollektiv) so as in being a side man and featuring artist (Karina, Waris). Harju is feeling very cosy working as a duo with jazz and pop repertoire, but also musicals and everything unique is close to her heart. She has studied singing with Sanni Orasmaa, Tuula Kulhua, Mikko Jokinen, Antti Koivula, Tiia Marjanen, Esther Kuiper and currently with Humphrey Campbell, and attended masterclasses, for example from Sheila Jordan. Harju has gained a major amount of performing experience both as a trumpet player and as a singer. Small and intimate venues for duo performances or big festivals and clubs, it has varied a lot in the past years. Some of the most memorable performances have been in Pori Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival (Mikko Sarvanne Hip Company), Kaustinen Folk Music Festival (Viskain, Waris), Close Encounters Festival (Kiki-O), Bryssels Jazz Festival (BREXIT Choir), AIR Amsterdam (with DJ Patchwork), RAI Amsterdam and Dutch tv-program “Het Wereld Draait Door” (Amsterdam Funk Orchestra). Harju’s talents are not only in the field of music but also in theater and acting. Drama or improvisation, you name it and she will love doing it anyway! Several theatres in different cities in Finland (Porvoo, Helsinki and Lahti) have given her such experience about performing and expressing you don’t learn just in music lessons. Harju is identifying herself first of all as a versatile musician, but she doesn’t hesitate to admit the positive consequences of theatre in her life and musical career. One of Harju’s dreams is to work in a theatre so as leading a successful, original ensemble and teaching music. We will see where this path will take this young musician along the years. ”You are very musical and nobody can ever take that away from you.” – Jan Wessels "To me it sounds like you can "f****** play the trumpet!" - Ambrose Akinmusire “Great sound!” – Alex Sipiagin