Saxophonist/composer/educator Pekka Pylkkanen studied at the Sibelius-Academy in Helsinki, Finland from where he also got his Master’s Degree. Also, he spent one year studying at the Rotterdam’s Conservatory in Holland. He also did some studies privately in the US with for example, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Bob Sheppard, Gary Keller and Dick Oatts.
He has worked with dozens of different artists, orchestras and groups both in Finland and abroad, and during the last 15 years or so, has established himself as a leader, while keeping the main emphasis on Pekka Pylkkanen’s Tube Factory, a group that has toured all over the world, playing on international festivals, concert halls and clubs. He also performed at the IAJE Conference on 2007 with this group.
He has also performed (as a leader/soloist) in many concert halls on different continents, like Beijing Concert Hall, The Spring Hall (Seoul/Korea), Daegu Cultural Center/Korea, La Pavillion Blanco (Cordoba, Argentina), etc.
Has worked with as a sideman with greats such as Vince Mendoza, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Mercer Ellington, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Michael Abene, Odean Pope, and many others. With his own groups he has performed all over the world and has given workshops and master classes in dozens of universities and colleges around. Besides performing and composing he works as the Head of Pop/Jazz Music Degree Program in NKUAS, Joensuu, Finland. He has released 3 CDs under his own name and can be heard of dozens of other recordings.
His 2 first CDs were released by Naxos Jazz, with a worldwide distrubution. The latest CD called ‘Listen!’ was originally released by Art Of Life Records, on iTunes, and was distributed also as a CD on LUMINO RECORDS label.
Now the CD ‘Listen!’ is also licensed to China on Starsing Records.
Pekka has held clinics about improvisation, composition and group playing (among other topics) all around the world.
FESTIVALS:
Summer Jazz
Imatra Big band Festival
Lahti Big Band Week
Trondheim Jazz Festival (05)
China-EU Partneriat (06)
La Plata Festival de Jazz, Arg. (03) (09)
Jazz En Abril, Arg. (05)
Jazz Uruguay (05)
Jazz Peru (03)
Providencia Festival de Jazz (07)
San Pedro Festival De Jazz (07)
Beijing Music Festival (-99)
Beijing Jazz Festival (07)
China-EU Partenariat (06)
IAJE Conference NYC (07)
Water Village World Music Festival (07)
Jarasum International Jazz festival (07)
Jazz It Up Shanghai (07)
La Plata Festival de Jazz (09)
Copenhagen Winter Jazz (2010)
Hong Kong International Jazz Festival (2010)
to name some.
CLINICS:
Ingesunds College of Music (Sweden)
PAN School of Music (Tokyo Japan)
Nagasaki University (Japan)
EMU Education Musical (La Plata/Argentina)
Collegium CEIM (Cordoba/Argentina)
Souza Lima Conservatory (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Universidad de Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
EMESP Tom Jobim (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Escuela de Musica Contemporanea (Buenos Aires/Argentina)
Jazz House Lima (Lima/Peru)
ISIM Conference (Chicago/USA)
IASJ Meetings (Helsinki/Finland, Siena/Italy)
MIDI School of Music (Beijing/China)
Shanghai University (China)
Contemporary Music Institute (Beijing/China)
Institute for Performing Arts (Beijing/China)
Carl Nielsen Academy /Denmark)
Hong Kong Institute fro Education
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Koyo Conservatory /Kobe/Japan
Tokyo College of Music /Japan.
