The messengers of Finnish roots music Edu Kettunen, Mika Kuokkanen and Johanna and Mikko Iivanainen will offer sensitive interpretations and life-flavoured stories on their concert tour in September–October 2024. The tour will celebrate the release of Smalltime Players' new album, due out in the autumn.

In an informal setting, the quartet will perform content from their new album, their best-known songs and selected covers. It will be an elegant atmospheric evening with no lack of emotion and tones. The result of years of musical collaboration between Edu Kettunen and Mika Kuokkanen is beautifully harmonious singing and melodious accompaniment. Johanna and Mikko Iivanainen's music conveys presence, love of music and working together.

Edu Kettunen, one of the absolute elite of Finnish singer-songwriters, needs no introduction. His many classic numbers have become almost folk songs, handed down from generation to generation. In his songs and interpretations, Edu has managed to stitch together the Finnish language, the Finnish way of thinking and the Anglo-American musical tradition in an original and skilful way.

Mika Kuokkanen is known as a singer-guitarist not only from the Hoedown band but also from J. Karjalainen's Lännen-Jukka band and his collaboration with Ninni Poijärvi. Mika has written songs for Eero Raittinen, Sami Saari and Emma Salokoski in addition to his own albums and Hoedown.

Johanna Iivanainen, who has been awarded several music industry prizes, is known to the whole nation from the SuomiLOVE programme and also as a great interpreter of music, has released three solo albums (“Kadotaan uneen” (lost in dreams), “Mustarastas laulaa” (the blackbird sings) and “Broken river”) and has been featured on more than 50 recordings.

Mikko Iivanainen is a versatile guitarist known from many bands and ensembles. In addition to being in the duo with his wife, he is also well known as a great jazz guitarist, for example in Nordic Trinity Trio. The artist has released three solo albums, the latest of which, "Lullaby For Lost Souls", was released in 2023.

Duration 1 h 30 min, no intermission

Kaikukortti event

Smalltime Players: Edu Kettunen, Mika Kuokkanen, Johanna Iivanainen ja Mikko Iivanainen

The event “Smalltime Players: Edu Kettunen, Mika Kuokkanen, Johanna Iivanainen ja Mikko Iivanainen” has ended