”Esa Pietilä´s concerto Graffiti Play for tenor saxophone, contemporary jazz trio & orchestra which we premiered together, sounds like if Frank Zappa and György Ligeti had married themselves and had gotten a child together” – Esa-Pekka Salonen
“Great musician, highly recommended”
– Risto Nieminen – Director, Music Service Gulbenkian Foundation
Liberty Ship´s new album with new FIN-NOR line-up
Jazz Musician of the Year 2016 awarded saxophonist Esa Pietilä leads his quartet Liberty Ship to the waters of free improvisation again. The renewed Liberty Ship consists of a Finnish-Norwegian... Read more
Pietilä receives the prestigious Yrjö award from Finnish Jazz Federation
The Yrjö Jazz award 2016 was given to saxophonist Esa Pietilä (b. 1964) for his original, genre-defying work in the field of avant-garde jazz. “Pietilä is known as a fearless improviser and... Read more
New Solo Saxophone album released
Esa Pietilä´s solo album Times & Spaces connects the acoustic expression of solo saxophone with live-electronics. The double album is a strong artistic statement and exploration into the world... Read more
Pietilä performs the world premiere of Kalevi Aho´s new tenor saxophone concerto in march 2016
Esa Pietilä premieres Kalevi Aho Tenor Saxophone Concerto. Internationally acclaimed Finnish contemporary composer Kalevi Aho wrote a tenor saxophone concerto and dedicated it to Esa Pietilä. Esa... Read more
LIBERTY SHIP RELEASES NEW DOUBLE ALBUM
Liberty Ship returns in spring 2015 with their second double album for Eclipse Music. After the undenieble artistic statement which was the 2013 debut Approaching, the band continues to seek uncharted... Read more
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Excerpts from Pietilä´s tenor saxophone concerto Graffiti Play
Samples from Pietilä´s concerto Graffiti Play for chamber orch. & contemporary jazz trio. The first performance of the concerto in oct. 2014 with Esa-Pekka Salonen & Avanti! Chamber orchestra
See list of composed works by Esa Pietilä