SIMM Series - Heikki 'Mike' Koskinen Quintet ~~78 Years~~

A fun filled night of new music and arrangements for Quintet in various formations celebrating Heikki Koskinen's seventy eighth trip around the planet!

Heikki 'Mike' Koskinen Quintet ~~78 Years~~
Donald Robinson - drums
Safa Shokrai - double bass
Eria Oba - piano/flute
Rent Romus - saxophones
Heikki Koskinen - e-trumpet, tenor recorder

Heikki "Mike" Koskinen has played a key role in the completion of the cycle. His cultural insight and extensive performance history made it possible for Romus to put the final touches on the cycle through literary translation, clarification on the Kalevala storylines and background, and musical consultation. He has been a key musical figure in the Bay Area jazz and Finnish music communities. Chosen in “Rytmi” magazine critics polls as Finland’s top jazz trumpet player in the 1970’s. He left his native Finland to study jazz at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1973. He later moved to San Francisco in 1977. Koskinen is the recipient of several Finnish composing grants, recorded several albums, and won awards as an innovative children’s music teacher. His 1980’s Bay Area bands, with Heikki on trumpet featured such musicians as Hadley Caliman, Steve Heckman, Mark Levine, Joe Bonner, Bennie Green, Larry Hancock and Michael Spiro. In 2019 Heikki received Finnish Music Archive’s “Jazz Legend Award” #34. In addition to performing and teaching he writes, arranges and produces music for media and live groups. Heikki continues to be an active participant in Bay Area’s Finnish community. He is currently the Chairperson of Finnish Heritage Society’s Cultural Committee in Berkeley CA. He was the coordinator and host of the weekly radio program “Studio Finland” for ten years and is a past vice president of FF Bay Area Chapter.