ABOUT
“Teemu’s compositions and piano playing are a pure delight: adventurous with syncopated surprise. ”
Pianist & composer Teemu Kekkonen creates musical adventures that are like short films. An introvert by nature, he writes songs that blend meditative storytelling with the restless pull of wanderlust, offering a space to look inward. Growing up among the pine forests and serene lakes of Finland, now searching for that same stillness in the buzzing streets of Amsterdam, he has always written from the tension between retreat and the world.
Teemu draws inspiration from a wide range of influences — the American Songbook, Japanese video games of his childhood and Hollywood films, as well as from the heavier textures of prog rock acts such as Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater. While his music is rooted strongly in jazz improvisation, it resides in its own category.
His debut album Here/There (2022), recorded with bassist Mikael Saastamoinen and drummer Roope Kantonen features seven original pieces tied to real-life stories and moments from the past decade. The CD edition also features a version of Matkustaja (traveller in Finnish), a well-known pop song by the Finnish band Egotrippi.
He previously performed with Mikko Sarvanne Hip Company and has appeared at festivals and venues including Jazzahead! (2023), Bimhuis (2020), Viapori Jazz (2016), Oslo Jazz Festival (2015) and Pori Jazz (2014).