Elojazz Village Main Concert (Saturday)

Elojazz Village 2026 is a joyful festival of jazz and rhythm music in Oulu. The event is a co-production of Elojazz and Oulu 2026.

The festival’s stunning new venue, Tarkastamo, will host the following performances on Saturday, 1st August 2026:

Aili Ikonen Quintet, feat. Oona Airola

One of Finland’s leading singer-songwriters, Aili Ikonen, takes the Elojazz stage with her band, joined by Jussi Award-winning actor and singer Oona Airola as a special guest. The evening presents a wide selection of Ikonen’s poetic and emotionally rich music, alongside poetry specially chosen for the occasion.

The concert explores themes of intergenerational experience, womanhood, and humanity’s relationship with nature. Music and spoken word intertwine to form a seamless and distinctive artistic whole.

Nordic Stew

Saxophonist Timo Lassy and trumpeter Jukka Eskola have been collaborating since the 1990s, most notably as members of the Five Corners Quintet, which became the most internationally successful Finnish jazz group of the 2000s. After their respective solo careers, the two musicians reunited for a shared project, fulfilling a long-held dream by travelling to New Orleans to record an album with local top musicians.

Nordic Stew is a unique blend of Lassy’s and Eskola’s musical vision and their deep love for the birthplace of jazz. In Oulu, this original New Orleans lineup takes the stage with a very special guest: legendary drummer Herlin Riley, widely known for his long-standing collaboration with Wynton Marsalis.

Nicholas Payton (USA)

Nicholas Payton (b. 1973) is a trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and cultural theorist from New Orleans. One of the most influential figures of his generation, Payton has released more than twenty albums and performed and recorded with numerous world-class artists. A Grammy Award-winning musician, his style moves fluidly across swing, funk, blues, R&B, and electronic music, while remaining deeply rooted in the musical heritage of New Orleans.Nicholas Payton (s.1973)  on trumpetisti, multi-instrumentalisti, säveltäjä, tuottaja ja kulttuuriteoreetikko New Orleansista. Yhtenä sukupolvensa merkittävimmistä alan tekijöistä Payton on julkaissut yli kaksikymmentä albumia sekä esiintynyt ja levyttänyt useiden maailmanluokan artistien kanssa. Grammy-palkitun Paytonin tyyli ulottuu sujuvasti swingin, funkin, bluesin, R&B:n ja elektronisen musiikin alueille jatkaen vahvasti neworleanslaisen musiikin perintöä.

OASBB & Delfeayo Marsalis (USA)

Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis (b. 1965) is known as an energetic bandleader, composer, and producer whose music blends traditional jazz, driving rhythmic vitality, and a strong sense of communal interplay.

The Oulu All Star Big Band, composed of professional musicians from the Oulu region, is one of northern Finland’s most significant regularly performing jazz ensembles.

The concert program is built around Marsalis’s artistic vision, featuring the rich sound of a full big band, infectious riffs, inventive arrangements, and above all, powerful live energy. Inspiration is drawn from the spirit of his New Orleans-based Uptown Jazz Orchestra, where traditional jazz meets funk, blues, and the joy of street music.