Jazz in Helsinki

My home town Helsinki has always offered pretty good jazz with world famous players and
singers. During the years we have had the honour to listen such great stars like Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Lee Konitz, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dee Dee Bridgewater and many, many more. The latest visitor is tenor sax player Benny Golson, one of those few great names from fifties still alive, who plays in our new "Birdland" jazz club on three evenings. He entertains twice with a trio, and last Friday with UMO big band, a Finnish jazz band, 14 members in brass section and three men backing them with piano, bass and drums. I was there, and it was a fantastic jazz experience.
Yesterday afternoon I did enjoy at " Storyville's" Tin Roof-street bar Happy jazz played by a Finnish 9-members house band. And this will be for me a normal Saturday afternoon matine'e in future too, when in Helsinki.