ESA VIRKKULA
M U S I C I A N
I have performed with numerous bands and artists as a musician. It has been a privilege and a joy to meet such great talents and make music together. Among those I've worked with, I'd like to highlight few internationally acclaimed names:
Randy Brecker, Sinne Eeg, Robben Ford, Tim Hagans, Miho Hazama, Nils Landgren, Ed Partyka, The Real Group, Bobby Shew, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Victoria Tolstoy.
You will find some of my upcoming concerts and examples of selected previous performances from the last five years on this page.
Check some of my videos & recordings from the MEDIA -page.
YEAR 2025 & 2026
Upcoming concerts
10th & 11th December
Oulu All Star Big Band & Oulu Sinfonia: All That Jazz
- Iiro Rantala, pno
- Teemu Takanen, cond
Madetoja Concert Hall, Oulu
24th January 2026
Oulu All Star Big Band "Davvi Oktavuohta - Northern Connection"
- Ingá-Máret Gaup-Juuso, voc & joik
- Jukka Eskola, trp
Kiruna festival, Sweden
6th February
The album release concert
Oulu All Star Big Band - "Davvi Oktavuohta - Northern Connection"
- Ingá-Máret Gaup-Juuso, voc & joik
- Jukka Eskola, trp
Pohjankartano Concert Hall, Oulu
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Selected previous concerts
Oulu All Star Big Band: Tribute to Ray Charles
- Sami Pitkämö, voc
Oulu All Star Big Band: Suvi Swings!
- Suvi Teräsniska, voc. Jukka Eskola, cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band: Return of the Brecker Brothers!- Jukka Eskola, trp, Joonatan Rautio, sax
Oulu All Star Big Band & Melissa Aldana (sax)- Ed Partyka, cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band & Marzi Nyman (gtr, voc), feat. Jukka Eskola (trp) - "Kelluva katedraali"
Oulu All Star Big Band & Robben Ford (gtr, voc)
- Ed Partyka, cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band & Tuure Kilpeläinen (voc)
- Jukka Eskola, conductor
Oulu All Star Big Band & Antti Koivula (voc)
plays Frank Zappa
Oulu All Star Big Band & Niko Kumpuvaara:
Big Band Tango!
Oulu All Star Big Band feat. Tim Hagans (USA)
- Tim Hagans, (trp & cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Ola Onabule (UK)
- Ola Onabule, (voc)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Zara McFarlane (UK)
- Zara McFarlane (voc), Jukka Eskola (cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Elastinen
- Elastinen (rap & voc), Jukka Eskola (cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Sinne Eg (DK, voc)
Miho Hazama, conductor
Oulu All Star Big Band & Samuli Putro (voc)
- Jukka Eskola, cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band & Ed Partyka
Ed Partyka, cond
Oulu All Star Big Band & Jukka Eskola (trp)
Gil Evans 110 anniversary
Oulu All Star Big Band & Jarkko Ahola
Big Band Goes Heavy - Revisited
Check the video "Paranoid"
Oulu All Star Big Band & Kasmir (voc)
Festival Summer Tour
Oulu All Star Big Band & Leroy Jones (USA)
Swinging New Orleans
Oulu All Star Big Band & Camille Bertault (FRA)
Camille Bertault (voc), Teemu Takanen (cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Aili sings Ella
Aili Ikonen (voc), Teemu Takanen (cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Oulu Sinfonia
"Ritmos Latinos"
Evelio Galan, Lariza Silverio (voc), Jere Laukkanen (cond)
Oulu All Star Big Band "Tribuutti Juicelle"
Paleface, Vuokko Hovatta (vocs)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Gerard Presencer
Oulu All Star Big Band & Seppo Kantonen (pno & cond.) "Old Wine - New Bottles"
Oulu All Star Big Band & Jaakko Kuusisto (vl)
Concerto for Big Band & Violin
Kirmo Lintinen (cond.)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Peter Asplund (SWE, trp)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Tuomo Prättälä (voc, keys)
Mikko Hassinen - Conductor
Oulu All Star Big Band - Jazz Noir
Jukka Perko - sax, Jukka Eskola - trp
Jussi Lampela - Conductor
Oulu All Star Big Band
P. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite (arr. Ellington)
Jouni Järvelä - Conductor
Oulu All Star Big Band feat.
Kauko Röyhkä & Severi Pyysalo
Oulu All Star Big Band
Rajaton - Vocal Ensemble
Jaakko Kuusisto - cond.
A Tribute to Michael Brecker
OASBB feat. Manuel Dunkel (sax)
OASBB feat. Paula Koivuniemi (voc)
Kuuskan paluu -festival
Antti Rissanen-cond
OASBB feat. Maria Ylipää (voc) & Jukka Eskola (trp)
Ikivihreä Suomi
Vellu Halkosalmi-cond
OASBB feat. Gil Evans, Miles Davis & Thelonious Monk
Jussi Kannaste - sax, Ville Vannemaa - cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band & Touche Vocal Group (DK)
Jesper Holm (cond.)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Dr Lonnie Smith (org)
Oulu All Star Big Band & Nils Landgren (trb.)
Oulu All Star Big Band & The Real Group (swe)
The Real Group vocal ensemble w/ OASBB
Oulu All Star Big Band - 70's Revisited
feat. Olli Ahvenlahti (pno), Eero Koivistoinen (sax)
The CD-release concerts
Oulu All Star Big Band - Flamenco Nuevo
feat. Joonas Widenius, gtr
Oulu All Star Big Band - All That Jazz
feat. Bobby Shew, trp
Linkola meets Norby
Oulu All Star Big Band
feat. Cæcilie Norby, Lars Danielsson, Iiro Rantala,
Jarmo Saari
Jaakko Kuusisto, cond.
In the Spirit of Count Basie
Oulu All Star Big Band
feat. Lenni-Kalle Taipale, pno
Burning Bebop
Oulu All Star Big Band
Mikko Innanen, sax & Tero Saarti, trp
Punk that Jazz
Oulu All Star Big Band
feat. Pelle Miljoona, voc
Some Skunk Funk
Oulu All Star Big Band
feat. Randy Brecker, trp & Joonatan Rautio, sax
Tribute to Burt Bacharach
Oulu All Star Big Band & Oulu Sinfonia
Koop Arponen & Inga Söder, voc
Groovehunters plays Headhunters
tribute to Herbie Hancock
feat. Jukkis Uotila, keyb.
