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. From all of those, I would like to mention some of the internationally most acclaimed ones:
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
Upcoming concerts & gigs
26th April
Oulu All Star Big Band & Annette Sinclair (voc)
- Ville Vannemaa, cond.
Oulu City House
23rd to 25th May
@ recording studio with Oulu All Star Big Band
4th & 5th June
Oulu All Star Big Band: Suvi Swings!
- Suvi Teräsniska, voc. Jukka Eskola, cond.
- Hupisaari summer theatre, Oulu
August
Oulu All Star Big Band & China Moses (voc)
- Elojazz festival
- OASBB 20th Anniversary Concert
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Selected previous concerts
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)
Hupisaari theatre, Oulu
Oulu All Star Big Band & Ed Partyka
Ed Partyka, conducting
RioLive, Oulu
Oulu All Star Big Band & Jukka Eskola (trp)
Gil Evans 110 anniversary
RioLive, Oulu
Oulu All Star Big Band & Jarkko Ahola
Big Band Goes Heavy - Revisited
Check the video "Paranoid"
Oulu All Star Big Band & Kasmir (voc)
Elojazz Festival, Oulu
Satama Open Air Festival, Kemi
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 (trp)
National Horn Players Conference
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)
Oulu All Star Big Band
OASBB feat. Paula Koivuniemi (voc)
Kuuskan paluu -festival
Oulu All Star Big Band
Antti Rissanen-cond
OASBB feat. Maria Ylipää (voc) & Jukka Eskola (trp)
Ikivihreä Suomi
Oulu All Star Big Band
Vellu Halkosalmi-cond
Gil Evans, Miles Davis & Thelonious Monk
Oulu All Star Big Band
Jussi Kannaste - sax
Ville Vannemaa - cond.
Oulu All Star Big Band & Touche Vocal Group (DK)
Jesper Holm (cond.)
Dr Lonnie Smith (org)
Oulu All Star Big Band
Nils Landgren (trb.)
Oulu All Star Big Band
Oulu All Star Big Band & The Real Group (swe)
The Real Group vocal ensemble w/ OASBB
70's Revisited
feat. Olli Ahvenlahti (pno), Eero Koivistoinen (sax)
Oulu All Star Big Band
New CD-release concerts
Flamenco Nuevo
Oulu All Star Big Band
feat. Joonas Widenius, gtr
All That Jazz
Oulu All Star Big Band
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.
