Hello!
I am Mikko Pettinen, a trumpet player, singer, keyboard player, composer and an arranger from Helsinki. I have been a professional musician for over 20 years and played in dozens of bands, orchestras and vocal groups like Umo Jazz Orchestra, Helsinki – Cotonou Ensemble, Higher Ground Vocals, MP4, Nat Newborn Big Time and Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi. About a million people heard me in The Voice Of Finland television show last year.
I have recorded three albums with my jazz quartet MP4, which won the 1st prize in the International jazz group competition in Getxo (Spain, 2002), and an acoustic duo album with an amazing guitarist Teemu Viinikainen. I have also won the 2nd prize in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in 2001 and played or sang on more than 100 albums (e.g. Redrama, Paleface, Mariska, Axl Smith, Higher Ground Movement, Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi, Asa, Anssi Kela, Antti Kleemola, Sandhja) over the years.
Still Happy – The Pasila Sessions
Mikko Pettinen & Happy People is my pride and joy, my own thing. I am the lead singer, keyboard player, trumpet soloist, composer and arranger of the band.
We have played about 20 gigs with Happy People and last year after a couple of very good festival gigs I had an idea to organize a studio live session with my band. I wanted to capture the energy and soulfulness of the live performance with a good studio quality sound. As a result we recorded 8 new tunes (7 originals of mine and my soulful rendition of the Ben E. King Classic Stand By Me) live in the studio in the Umo´s practice room in YLE´s (Finnish national radio) Radiotalo (Radiohouse) last autumn, companied by a small invited audience. At the same, all of the performances were filmed with professional video cameras.
I think we certainly managed to capture the magic on these sessions. The general atmosphere and the attitude between the musicians, the lightning guy, the sound engineer, the filming team and the live audience was truly wonderful!
A teaser from The Pasila sessions
We didn´t get any kind of grant for the session and there is no record companies involved; everything was organized by me for the love of music and for the passion and commitment I have for my music. Now I wish to publish this amazing material in a cd+dvd -package with your help. The campaign has three goals: the minimum goal is 3500 euros (cd), the medium goal is 5000 euroa (cd+dvd) and the maximum goal 8000 euros (cd+dvd+lp vinyl).
Happy People
The members of the Mikko Pettinen & Happy People are amazing musicians: great team players and extraordinary soloists. Happy People features a 4-piece horn section and a soulful vocal trio TriSis. On the Pasila sessions the original member of the TriSis, Jonnu Heikkilä, who also wrote the lyrics for 5 of the tunes, is replaced by an amazing Finnish soul singer Heini Ikonen.
“If our music will make you smile, we know our job is well done.”
– Happy People Theme (Everybody Get Up, written by Mikko Pettinen)
My compositions are combination of old school soul, funk, r&b, neosoul, jazz, gospel, pop and afrofunk and still have some Finnish ingredient on it. Some of my influences are Stevie Wonder, Tower Of Power, Earth, Wind & Fire, Steely Dan, Anthony Hamilton, Snarky Puppy and Jarrod Lawson.
Audiences´responses have always been enthusiastic and highly positive and supportive on our gigs. My debut album as a singer ”2Happy” has received dozens of very positive reviews and there are less than 100 copies of the cd-album left, but you can still get one as a campaign reward from here.
Mikko Pettinen & Happy People is:
Mikko Pettinen: lead vocals, Rhodes piano, keyboards, trumpet, flugelhorn
Janne Halonen: guitars, vocals
Sampo Tiittanen: bass
Jonatan Sarikoski: drums
William Suvanne: tenor saxophone, flute
Janne Toivonen: trumpet
Ilmari Pohjola: trombone
Timo Rantanen: baritone saxophone
Jepa Lambert: vocals
Heini Ikonen: vocals
Hanna-Maria Helenius: vocals, lead vocals with Mikko on Waiting (For My Change)
In addition to Live in Pasila session:
Markus Ketola: sound engineer, mixing, mastering
Heikki Kynsijärvi & Joni Laitinen: video production
Ville Pajala/DLS Entertainment: lightning design
The Goal
Our plan is to release all of the tunes as a cd and a dvd in the same package.
– If we will reach the minimum 3500€, we will release a cd
– If we will reach the medium goal 5000€, we can release a cd+dvd
– If we will reach the maximum goal 8000€, we will have enough money to pay for a promotion and release the music also as a vinyl and pay for the musicians who spent two very long days in the studio for free
Why do we need the crowdfunding campaign for?
It is very hard, almost impossible to find a record company in Finland to release soul/funk music. The record companies release mostly commercial pop music in Finnish, yet Happy People’s music is not jazz enough for the small jazz labels (there aren´t too many of those either…). On the other hand, it is still too “pop” for the foundations that give grants for the art projects/releases. So my music is truly in the marginal and on the so called “grey area”. However, I believe that the most important thing about the development and the future of music is when the different styles and genres blend. That´s what happened in these sessions and I am really happy that we were able to do the sessions. I sincerely believe in my music and hope that it will make the world a little bit better place. Not to mention everyone wanted to do their best and even more at the sessions. So put on the good headphones, turn up the volume and listen to our videos and you´ll understand what I mean…
I truly believe that these sessions deserve to be released.
You can participate in a various ways:
1. You can preorder my cd for 20€ or the cd+dvd for 25€ with or without my autograph*
2. You can buy my 2Happy cd for 15€
3. You can preorder my cd or cd+dvd and get your name or your company´s name on the special thanks list on the cd and the dvd for 40€*
4. You can have your company´s logo printed on the cd+dvd package and on my website for 400€
5. You can order me to have a private gig at your party or at your house for 500€ (plus the travel expenses)
6. You can order my 5-piece Happy People Combo for the private gig for 2000€ (plus travel expenses)
* if we reach the minimum goal but not the medium goal, we’ll refund you the 5 euros difference
“Smoke smoke smoking!!!!!!!!!!!Please don’t call the firemen,Don’t dare to put water on this fire. Let it BURN, BURN ,BURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
-a YouTube comment for the video “Happy People Theme (Everybody Get Up)
Thank you for helping me to fulfill my dream and supporting new Finnish music.
Mikko Pettinen
