UMO Jazz Orchestra

The members of UMO are some of Finland's best jazz musicians; indeed, the orchestra is a veritable university of jazz and popular music for Finnish musicians. UMO has toured to great acclaim in the USA, Canada, Norway, Italy and Germany. UMO has toured extensive in Europe with Natalie Cole and with the Manhattan Transfer. UMO has performed in Canada on a promotional tour for the Sauna Palaa! album, and since then the orchestra has had several shorter international tours.


At the moment, the repertoire of UMO comprises some 2,500 works. This unique collection grows year by year as foreign conductors and soloists are invited to work with UMO. The orchestra's roster of guest conductors and soloists is impressive, including such jazz luminaries as Thad Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Joe Williams, Mercer Ellington, McCoy Tyner, Maria Schneider, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Tomasz Stanko, Nils Landgren, Lenny Pickett and many others.


International cooperation has been of great significance to the development of Finnish jazz music in general and to UMO in particular. The orchestra has released more than 30 recordings of its own, besides participating in many more recordings. UMO discs have been excellently received abroad. The orchestra was awarded the State Prize for Music in Finland in 1991 and an Emma award in 2014. Several of the orchestra's members are recipients of the Yrjö Prize of the Finnish Jazz Federation. UMO engages in music education at schools, giving classes and presentations on the world of rhythm music.


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