Kirsi-Marja “Kiki” Harju
trumpet player, vocalist, composer & bandleader / KAMA Kollektiv & KMH
Kirsi-Marja “Kiki” Harju is a Finnish musician (trp, voc), composer, bandleader and educator living in Amsterdam. “I didn’t choose the trumpet, the trumpet chose me,” she recalls. “I wanted to play everything else, particularly violin, but as a kid I was put into the wind department and given a pocket trumpet.” Soon she found she could play beautiful melodies and started to fall in love with music and the instrument. She also sang. “My friends said I was too loud but I loved it. I was in choirs and vocal groups at school. Later I heard Chet Baker and realised I could combine the two.”
After studying music in Finland and graduating as Bachelor of Jazz Trumpet (Conservatorium van Amsterdam 2019) Harju has been working as a freelance musician and educator & writing music for her trio KMH and her quartet KAMA Kollektiv. KAMA Kollektiv is an international & quirky jazz quartet playing original music from the bandleader Harju and the bass player Jonathan Nagel. Followed by the releases of the group’s albums “KOTI” (Harju & Eclipse Music, 2019) and “TOIVO” (BERTHOLD records, 2021) the group has been touring excessively in The Netherlands, Germany and Finland. In 2021 they were one of the showcasing artists of jazzahead! digital edition.
The group’s 3rd album “As If I Lived A Different Life” will be released on May 10th 2024 with the Dutch label SONNA Records. Singles have already been released. Late May- beginning of June the group will be on tour in Switzerland and Germany.
- “I’m looking forward to meeting all the old & new friends and colleagues in Bremen! I will of course be promoting KAMA Kollektiv’s new album and hopefully creating new connections and opportunities around it! I’m looking for possibilities to expand our network & concert agenda in order to make our (album release) tours more international and sustainable. I’m also interested in new musical collaborations and friendships. I hope to meet you all soon in Bremen!”
kirsimarjaharju.com
linktr.ee/kavmakollektiv
kamakollektiv.com