Sid’s Finnish-Italian jazz quintet Infinita played a thrilling performance at the Nuoro Jazz Festival in Sardegna, Italy on August 22nd.

Everything was right, the beautiful stage in the lovely garden of the museum Gracia Deledda, the light, the sound, the weather. And the band was in top shape.

The concert presented mostly material from Infinita’s debut CD ‘Time Continuum’, all music composed by Sid Hille with the exception of Lennon/McCartney’s ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ arranged (or rather re-composed) by Hille.
The CD had gotten raving reviews upon its release last year in Italy and Finland, thanks to a refreshing mixture of ‘nordic colors’, modern jazz, experimental improvisations and a fantastic sound, created by the legendary Jan-Erik Kongshaug in Oslo.

But as we’ve stated in an earlier post: Live is best!
In Nuoro the band had an at times explosive energy (as in the hip-hop grooved composition Dual Layers), or at other times a melancholic intensity (as in the beautiful Canciòn de Consuelo) that simply can’t be reproduced on a piece of plastic or even on vinyl.
(Well, okay, maybe on vinyl…;-)
But the educated and attentive audience and the charming surroundings of the Gracia Deledda garden contributed in a significant way to the concentration of the musicians and to the atmosphere of the whole evening.

The concert reached its climax in Hille’s intricate ‘Tango Mòrbido Y Cìnico’, a composition that had won him the first prize at the international composition competition ‘Scrivere in Jazz’ in the nearby Sassari, six years earlier.
This same competition by the way marked the beginning of Infinita, as it was there, when Hille and the orchestra’s tenorist Massimo Carboni met for the first time and started discussing the possibilities of a cross-european co-operation.

Since then Infinita is step by step building an international carreer, with tours in Finland, festivals in Italy and an amazing debut recording to show for.

Next, Infinita will be embarking on another Finland tour in March 2015, with the Sellosali in Leppävaara being booked already for March 6th. We’ll keep you posted.

Maybe a couple of festivals before? Any organizers reading this?

Massimo Carboni, Sid Hille, Paolo Spanu, Gianni Filindeu & Tero Saarti

This fall there will be ample opportunity to experience Sid Hille and his music live in concert.
After three productive and intense years that Sid spent to a large extent in his ‘composer’s shed’, SatnaMusic is producing a series of concerts featuring some of the new music that has been created.

On September 3rd, 4th & 5th the bandoneon concerto ‘Pohjolan neito – Maiden of the North’ will be debuted by the Lappeenranta City Orchestra, featuring as the soloist bandoneon artist Kristina Kuusisto and conductor Tibor Bogányi.

Additional to his weekly solo piano improvisation concerts at the Temppeliaukio Church (the 300th of which will take place on August 30th), Sid will perform with Infinita, his Finnish-Italian jazz quintet, at the Nuoro Jazz Festival in Sardegna, Italy on August 22nd.

The Contemporary Collective will be on a six concert tour in October/November 2014, last of which will be at the Kansi Auki Jazz Festival in Helsinki on November 13th.
(Check the complete tour schedule here)

Miles Davis had it right already in 1958: Sid’s Ahead! This was the title of one of the tunes on his Milestones album and right now Sid is at the Jazz Ahead trade fair in Bremen, Germany representing SatnaMusic and promoting his compositions, bands and CD’s.

Read more about his farings there on his own blog.

On January 24th, 2014 Sid’s orchestral composition ‘Feuer’ had its first performance in Pietarsaari, Central Ostrobothnia, Finland.

160 performers were on stage, 75 in the orchestra and 85 in the choirs, to create a ‘wildly crazy tribute to love’ as a critic described it (KP, Jan 26th, 2014).

Conductor Juhani Lamminmäki inspired the musicians of four generations (from children’s choir over full time students and alumni to grown-up choir) to give their best for this swinging contemporary modern composition.

‘Feuer’ tells the story of a foreigner visiting Finland who happens upon a traditional Finnish midsummer bonfire where love strikes him with its magical touch.
The orchestra and choir get to apply all sorts of adventurous techniques creating unexpected, mysterious ‘sound fields’, as Hille describes them.

The Central Ostrobothnian conservatory who had organized the two consecutive performances in Pietarsaari and Kokkola will be releasing a 5.1-recording by mid of 2014.
We’re looking forward to that one.

The feature film Ainoat oikeat had its premiere on Dec 27th.
The film features Sid Hille’s music score.

The romantic comedy has received controversial feedback from the critics, but was a clear success with the audience on last week’s opening weekend.

On one point, though, critics and audience agreed: Sid’s cool jazz score works and sounds great!
With musicians Verneri Pohjola, Pope Puolitaival, Teemu Viinikainen, Sid Hille, Antti Lötjönen and  Teppo Mäkynen on board the score is refreshing and retro at the same time, providing the film with a hip background!

In January 2014 SatnaMusic releases a CD that contains music from the three feature films Sid has composed music for. All three were directed by Saara Cantell: Ainoat oikeat / The two and only (2013), Stars above / Tähtitaivas talon yllä (2012) and Heartbeats / Kohtaamisia (2010).
Sid’s score for Heartbeats / Kohtaamisia was nominated for the Finnish Film prize in 2011.

Sid Hille – In the picture (SatnaMusic CD 132) will not be available commercially.
By way of business card the CD will be added as a gift to any order of two (or more) other SatnaMusic releases.

Fabio Ciminiera wrote a review of Infinita’s Time Continuum on the Italian web publication  Jazz Convention

Satnamusic’s latest release, the Finnish-Italian jazz quintet Infinita’s CD Time Continuum (2013) finds very positive response with the critics.

Anthony Shaw wrote for All About Jazz
And here’s Jouko Kirstilä’s review on the Finnish jazz publication Jazzrytmit (in Finnish language)
More reviews on the review page (Turku Daily and Salon Seudun Sanomat)

We just found a video in our archives: a complete concert version of Sid Hille’s composition Frizzle, Sizzle, Dazzle (2011) – music for jazz guitar and string quartet

Recorded live in concert at the Pitsku Culture Church on May 4th, 2012 (three days before the CD-recording session in the same place).

Teemu Viinikainen – guitar
Maija Linkola – violin
Elina Viitasaari – violin
Lotta Poijärvi – viola
Markus Hohti – cello

As the Sid Hille contemporary/jazz Collective (including Sid on piano and Heikki Nikula on bass clarinet) this band has released their debut CD ‘The Zen Connection’ (2012) on SatnaMusic.

For concert inquiries please contact SatnaMusic.

What a great band:
First rehearsals today for the upcoming gig at the Jazz Espa festival in Helsinki
on Monday July 29th at 5.30 pm

The film is ready, too, by the way:
– the romantic comedy ‘Ainoat oikeat’
– directed by Saara Cantell
– film score by Sid Hille
– performed by Verneri Pohjola, Pope Puolitaival, Teemu Viinikainen, Sid Hille, Antti Lötjönen and Teppo Mäkynen
– will have its premiere in Finland on Monday Dec 16th
– in all major Finnish cinemas for Christmas

The Finnish-Italian jazz quintet Infinita releases the track ‘Night Shift’ as a single on YouTube and Spotify for free and downloadable listening.

‘Night Shift’ is part of the upcoming album release ‘Time Continuum’

Listen to Night Shift on YouTube: