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Tasavallan Presidentti
Tasavallan Presidentti
Finnish band
1
Eero Koivistoinen
Eero Koivistoinen
Finnish musician
2
Sakari Kukko
Sakari Kukko
Finnish musician
3
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett
American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer
4
Charles Davis
Charles Davis
American musician
5
John Surman
John Surman
British saxophonist and clarinetist
6
Phil Woods
Phil Woods
American saxophonist
7
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
American jazz musician; saxophonist, composer
8
John Tchicai
John Tchicai
Danish free jazz saxophonist
9
Claudio Fasoli
Claudio Fasoli
Italian musician
10
Kaj Backlund
Kaj Backlund
Finnish musician
11
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
American jazz saxophonist and composer
12
Juhani Aaltonen
Juhani Aaltonen
Finnish jazz saxophonist and flautist.
13
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Finnish composer
14
Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell
American composer, arranger, jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist
15
Dave Holland
Dave Holland
British musician
16
John Taylor
John Taylor
British jazz pianist
17
Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
American jazz baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer
18
Billy Harper
Billy Harper
American musician
19
Don Weller
Don Weller
English jazz musician
20
Pekka Kuusisto
Pekka Kuusisto
Finnish musician
21
Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
American saxophonist
22
Verneri Pohjola
Verneri Pohjola
Finnish jazz composer and trumpeter
23
Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
American jazz double bassist
24
Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Davis Quintet
American jazz quintet led by Miles Davis
25
Arthur Blythe
Arthur Blythe
American musician
26
J. J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson
American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger (1924-2001)
27
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Finnish conductor and composer
28
Larry Stabbins
Larry Stabbins
British musician
29
Jorma Hynninen
Jorma Hynninen
Finnish singer
30
James Moody
James Moody
American jazz musician
31
Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas
American jazz trumpeter
32
Norris Turney
Norris Turney
American musician
33
Horace Silver
Horace Silver
American jazz pianist and composer (1928–2014)
34
Jon Irabagon
Jon Irabagon
American musician
35
Tony Levin
Tony Levin
English jazz drummer
36
John Gross
John Gross
American saxophone, flute and clarinet player
37
Tomasz Stańko
Tomasz Stańko
Polish trumpeter, composer and improviser
38
Tapani Rinne
Tapani Rinne
Finnish jazz musician and composer
39
Yusef Lateef
Yusef Lateef
American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
40
Don Rendell
Don Rendell
British saxophonist
41
Ellery Eskelin
Ellery Eskelin
musician
42
Jesper Thilo
Jesper Thilo
Danish jazz musician
43
Paavo Heininen
Paavo Heininen
Finnish composer and pianist
44
Pekka Sarmanto
Pekka Sarmanto
Finnish musician
45
Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
American jazz flautist, saxophonist, clarinettist
46
Norman Symonds
Norman Symonds
Canadian musician
47
Carola Standertskjöld
Carola Standertskjöld
Finnish singer
48
Eric Ineke
Eric Ineke
Dutch musician
49
Kendrick Scott
Kendrick Scott
American musician
50
Michał Urbaniak
Michał Urbaniak
Polish musician
51
Al Gallodoro
Al Gallodoro
American musician
52
Atle Nymo
Atle Nymo
Norwegian jazz saxophonist
53
Wigwam
Wigwam
Finnish rock band
54
Bobby Wellins
Bobby Wellins
Scottish jazz musician
55
Jacques Di Donato
Jacques Di Donato
French clarinetist
56
Glenn Spearman
Glenn Spearman
American musician
57
Eddie Daniels
Eddie Daniels
American musician
58
Sharel Cassity
Sharel Cassity
American musician
59
Gerd Dudek
Gerd Dudek
German musician
60
Atso Almila
Atso Almila
Finnish conductor, composer and trombonist
61
Jukka Perko
Jukka Perko
Finnish saxophonist and music educator
62
Art Themen
Art Themen
English saxophonist
63
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
American musician
64
Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle
British saxophonist
65
George Adams
George Adams
musician
66
Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
American musician
Pekka Pöyry
Finnish jazz and rock saxophonist and flutist

Pekka Pöyry

Intro
Finnish jazz and rock saxophonist and flutist
Music
Pekka Pöyry in 1967.

Pekka Juhani Pöyry (10 December 1939 in Helsinki – 4 August 1980 in Helsinki) was a Finnish jazz and rock saxophonist and flutist. He was part of the Pekka Pöyry Quartet and Quintet.

Pöyry became interested in jazz music at school and began studying the violin and clarinet playing. He was, however, more taken with playing the alto saxophone, inspired by Charlie Parker. In addition, he played the flute and soprano saxophone. After graduating with a Master of Laws in 1966, Pöyry decided to become a professional musician. In the same year he represented YLE, EBU's concert in London. The mid-1960s he had his own quartet with pianist Eero Ojanen, bassist Teppo Hauta-aho and drummer Reino Laine. They performed at the 1966 Pori Jazz Festival and were joined by the Norwegian-Finnish singer Pia Skaar to form a quintet. In May 1967 the Quintet appeared at the Tallinn Jazz Festival. In a 1969 interview, Bill Evans described the quartet's performance (although couldn't remember the name) at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival where they won as "marvellous" and "highly professional". He increasingly became interested in progressive rock and jazz fusion in the late 1960s and 1970s. With his later groups he attempted international breakthrough, including the Reading Festival in England in 1973. His band, Tasavallan Presidentti, however, broke up in 1974. He also played with Wigwam.

In 1975, Pöyry toured northern Europe with the North Jazz Quintet, and later he joined the orchestra of Heikki Sarmanto, later the UMO Jazz Orchestra, playing the Ljubljana Festival in what was then Yugoslavia in 1976. He also performed in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States with other bands. A manic depressive, he committed suicide in 1980. The Pekka Pöyry Award is named in his honor and given to young, talented saxophonists in Finland, awarded since the early 1980s.