Three-time Grammy Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater captivates audiences with her explosive energy and unique interpretations!

The 40th April Jazz Festival opens in spectacular fashion as Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater takes the stage as soloist with the Espoo Big Band. Over a remarkable career spanning more than four decades, Bridgewater has risen to the top tier of jazz vocalists, redefining standards and fearlessly crossing musical boundaries.

Having celebrated her 75th birthday last year, Bridgewater continues to shine at the height of her powers. Her latest album Elemental (2025), recorded with pianist Bill Charlap, earned her a ninth Grammy nomination – adding to the three Grammy Awards she already holds. Throughout the 2020s, Bridgewater has consistently ranked among the top vocalists in both the critics’ and readers’ polls of DownBeat magazine.

Early in her career, Bridgewater joined the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra as a vocalist and went on to perform with jazz greats such as Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles. Her extensive career also spans musical theatre, highlighted by a Tony Award-winning performance as Glinda in The Wiz.

This concert marks a long-awaited encounter: Bridgewater has performed in Finland only rarely – at April Jazz in 1996 and most recently in Pori in 2015. Don’t miss this extraordinary opening concert – a chance to experience one of the greatest jazz vocalists of our time in peak form, celebrating the 40th anniversary of April Jazz!

Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocals (US)

Bill Charlap, piano (US)

Marzi Nyman, conductor

Espoo Big Band

April Jazz: Dee Dee Bridgewater & Espoo Big Band

The event “April Jazz: Dee Dee Bridgewater & Espoo Big Band” has ended