Verneri Pohjola (FI)
Trumpet player
Verneri Pohjola (born 1977) is one of the most creative, distinctive and respected European jazz soloists, an expressive trumpet virtuoso, master of the slightest subtlety and effect, composer with a unique sound, improviser and bandleader. For more than a decade, Pohjola has enjoyed a magnificent career full of international tours and releases. In his recording career we can see a constant progress: from an excellent debut album (Aurora 2009) he has moved towards an increasingly mature and perfected core of jazz. Pohjola’s latest album with his quartet, The Dead Don’t Dream (2020), can be seen as the high point of his solo career to date. Work with the band has come to the fore, resulting in a vigorous and fresh dialogue between the four musicians, with delicate electronic nuances and effects. A self-assured soloist, Pohjola fronts the band with a playing style that has been described as emotional intelligence, like a human voice.