MANUEL DUNKEL

Manuel Dunkel (b. 2.11.1971) comes from the city of Vantaa, Finland. Since mid-90´s he has established himself as one of the strongest voices in Finnish jazz scene. Dunkel´s playing is charcterized by rich saxophone sound, melodically strong lines and intense swing. Dunkel got heavily into jazz in his teens, absorbed jazz language from the records and studied first at the Oulunkylä Pop & Jazz Conservatory. He was fascinated especially by saxophonist John Coltrane, who became one of Dunkel´s main influence. After the conservatory Dunkel entered the Sibelius-Academy jazz department in Helsinki, where he earned his Master´s degree in 2004 and started to teach later on. Since 1994 he has been a member of the UMO Jazz Orchestra (the leading professional big band in Finland). In the -90´s Dunkel build his reputation as an adaptable and expressive musician in various musical settings from funk to straight-ahead jazz. Dunkel`s skills and intense playing were read more...