Concerts are slowly starting to happen, and I’ll be conducting Oulu All Star Big Band in April, and Air Force Big Band in May. In Oulu we are doing a Gil Evans/Miles Davis tribute with trumpeter Jukka Eskola, and with the Air Force BB we are doing my Jazz Noir concert in Jyväskylä and Tampere in early May.

Also, finally, after two years of moving and cancelling, we should have three concerts of my music with the Kokkola Youth Wind orchestra, together with soprano Mari Palo and Jukka Eskola. The concerts are mid-March in Kokkola, Ylivieska and Pietarsaari.

We had a chance to document a couple of my wind ensemble pieces with Lohja City Orchestra’s wind ensemble, two videos below.

Lots of things coming up! I will be concentrating mainly on composing for the whole 2021-22 season, thanks to a grant by SKR (Finnish Cultural foundation’s Ostrobothnian regional grant).

Lots of music to be released which we have recorded during this year:

In the summer we recorded my project “Jazz Noir” with Turku Jazz Orchestra, featuring Jukka Perko and Jukka Eskola. This is set to be released in Sep 2022, together with the Turku Jazz Orchestra.

The Bothnia Rhythm Orchestra spent a couple of days at the Midas studio doing a promotional video, the video should be out sometime this fall.

We also recorded a couple of my compositions with Lohjan kaupunginorkesteri (Lohja City Orchestra) for wind ensemble, featuring soprano Mari Palo and Jukka Eskola on trumpet.

New things happening, and some new music also published. Check out my string quartet nr. 1, plus the first release from my new ensemble.

String Quartet nr. 1, featuring Tempera-quartet:

Laura Vikman, violin
Silva Koskela, violin
Tiila Kangas, viola
Ulla Lampela, violoncello

Recorded at Snellman-sali, Kokkola, Finland, February 2021.

Recording: Markus Isojärvi
Video: Oskari Hannula

Jussi Lampela Ensemble:

Ocean In Motion (comp: J. Lampela)

The musicians:

Reijo Tunkkari, vln 1
Annika Brännkärr, vln 2
Ari Hanhikoski, vla
Ulla Lampela, vc
Jonas Kuhlberg, bass
Timo Roiko-Jokela, percussion
Jussi Lampela, synthesizers, loops

Recorded at Kokkola, March 22, 2021
Recording: Markus Isojärvi
Video: Oskari Hannula
Mix: Miikka Huttunen

Besides the upcoming string quartet premiere, a couple of things should also happen when the corona-restrictions just ease up a bit:

-My suite for big band and two soloists, Jazz Noir, will get recorded this spring, details later

-My wind orchestra concert will probably be in the spring, a new date is set soon.

-And also, I was awarded a second prize for my wind orchestra composition “If We Must Die” in the composition contest organized by Pirkanmaan Pinna ry, with a distinguished jury, headed by conductor Atso Almila. More info soon…

Happy New Year! Like many others, I’ve had some time last year to write new music, and although some concerts have been cancelled/postponed, this will happen in some form (streamed or live). I have a long history with the quartet, and am really happy that they decided to take my quartet for their concert.

More details at:

https://kamariorkesteri.fi/tempera-kvartetti/

Did some arranging for the finals of the VOF, for this track from Vesala I was asked to do the string arrangement:

Uusia unelmia

The current pandemic has postponed most of the concerts, but in the meantime I have made some original compositions for wind band available for purchase.

Two items for flexible wind band instrumentation are available at my webshop:

Jussi Lampela – Webshop

Also one of my full concert band scores is now available from Sheet Music Plus:

If We Must Die – for full Concert Band

New season starts with some arranging commissions, I am at work with the Vantaa Pops/Vantaan Viihdeorkesteri on several projects, and also writing a couple arrangements to Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri (Osthrobothnian Chamber Orchestra) plus other miscellaneous jobs. Also finishing my compositions for wind band, to be premiered in Kokkola next march, featuring Mari Palo on soprano and Jukka Eskola on trumpet. Other announcements shortly as they are public…