Last modified 15.3.2011 at 13:25

Grab a tambourine!

Text: Tanja Torvikoski Illustration: ShutterStock

Under the quiet surface Oulu there is a whole world of rhythm and groove going on. Sometimes it might be playing hard to get but if you’re willing to find out, it will reward you.

Among Finnish musicians Oulu is known for its bubbly jam culture bringing both the great as well as the beginning musicians together on the same stage. These sessions take place nearly every night and if you know where to go you can jam your way through the week!

Jam sessions bring people from all music styles and musical professions together. Both the classical and jazz musicians rev up together without any prejudices and take on the challenge of creating exciting fusions in the flying moment.

Everybody is warmly welcomed to join these sessions by means of grabbing a tambourine or any instrument that is at hand. Feel free to bring along your own instrument, too, although all the basic band instruments can be found at the scene. If you feel too shy to get up on stage you can just lay back and enjoy the music from a distance.

All the jams are unique and the success of each night depends on what kind of people happen to arrive to the session. Sometimes you might find the jam host sitting alone on a stool playing some heartbreaking blues to himself but on the other hand you might end up in the middle of the most animated circus with the band getting completely out of hand and the crowd singing along.

Personally I prefer some vocal improvisation every now and then and when the night gets older I’ll swap the mic into some lightweight percussion and keep on expressing myself that way.