Martti Vesala Soundpost Quintet
Martti Vesala (b. 1981) is a Helsinki-based jazz trumpeter and composer, and a long-standing presence in Finland’s modern jazz scene. A Sibelius Academy graduate of the Nordic Master in Jazz programme, he studied under Tim Hagans, Gerard Presencer, Laurie Frink and Peter Asplund. His playing draws on Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, with more recent influences from Dave Douglas and Kenny Wheeler. As a writer he keeps returning to Wayne Shorter and the groove of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet, building catchy melodies on lush harmonic frames and the rhythmic vocabulary of the Afro-American jazz tradition.
Vesala leads Martti Vesala Soundpost Quintet, formed in 2011 with Petri “Pepa” Puolitaival (saxophones, flutes), Joonas Haavisto (piano, rhodes), Juho Kivivuori (bass) and Ville Pynssi (drums). The name nods to the soundpost inside a string instrument, the small wooden dowel that transmits vibrations and gives the instrument its voice; in Vesala‘s quintet, his compositions play that structural role. The group released three albums on the German label Ozella Music: Helsinki Soundpost (2016), Stars Aligned (2018) and Landmarks (2022). The releases earned reviews from DownBeat, Finnish Music Quarterly, JazzThing and JazzThetik, and Helsingin Sanomat awarded Landmarks four stars. Pendulum (MMM011), set for release in October 2026, is the quintet’s fourth album and its first for Mustik Motel Music.
Beyond the quintet, Vesala writes for ensembles ranging from small groups to big bands. His works for large ensembles have been performed by UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Klüver’s Big Band in Aarhus, the Big Band of the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and Jyväskylä Big Band. He was a finalist in the Esko Linnanvalli Big Band composition competition three times, in 2011, 2013 and 2015. He also leads the Vespera Quartet, plays as a sideman in Njet Njet 9, and works regularly across the Finnish jazz scene.
Martti Vesala (trumpet, flugelhorn & modular synth)
Petri Puolitaival (saxophones, flutes)
Joonas Haavisto (piano, rhodes)
Juho Kivivuori (double bass, electric bass)
Ville Pynssi (drums, percussion)