Antti Kujanpää (b. 1979) is a versatile pianist and keyboardist equally at home on stage with symphony orchestras and in intimate duo settings. A Master of Music in jazz performance, he feels at home in folk music, pop/rock, and film music.
Kujanpää composes and arranges music across genres for a variety of ensembles, from symphony orchestras and big bands to choirs and smaller groups. He performs with numerous ensembles, including Yona, Reporters, Jaakko Laitinen & Lapin Lisä, Talambo, Jargoslavia, Duo Aili Ikonen & Antti Kujanpää, Lauri Porra’s Seasons in Moominvalley, Huojuu Elämän Puu, Esa Onttonen Lab and Niina Hannula.
In addition to his musical pursuits, Kujanpää works as a video producer, filming and editing music videos, short films, live concerts and livestream productions.
Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anttikujanpaa
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/anttikujanpaa
Kujanpää’s recent projects include contributions to Yona’s Teosto Prize-winning album Uni johon herään, for which he composed and arranged two symphonic orchestrations for Tapiola Sinfonietta. He also filmed and edited Klockriketeatern’s Päähenkilöt video project and short documentary films about Jaakko Laitinen and Juho Kanervo. Currently, Kujanpää is working on his debut album, set to be released in the fall of 2025.
“Originally recognized as a finely nuanced pianist with Kvalda, Kujanpää continues to expand his artistic identity. I recently had the chance to witness his performance at Kerava Jazz, where he showcased his powerful expressiveness, mostly from behind the grand piano, in a duo setting with Joakim Berghäll. In recent years, Kujanpää has also embraced the Hammond organ, and his playing on the organ during the Gröntz gig was equally impressive. Kujanpää is one of those organists who takes on the bassist’s role with his left hand. While nothing truly replaces a dedicated bassist, an organ-driven band like this must be seen from a different perspective. The basslines created by the organist add a unique character to the group, with their stripped-down intensity and a distinctive groove. What’s truly remarkable is how independently Kujanpää’s hands seem to ‘think’: while his left hand remained disciplined and loyal to rhythmical precision, adorned with subtle accents, it placed no constraints on the freedom and creativity of his right hand. For a non-musician, the autonomy of such coordination is almost incomprehensible!” – Pentti Ronkanen, Suomijazz.com
Discography:
Yona: Eden (2024, Johanna Kustannus)
Lauri Porra, Dalia Stasevska & Lahti Symphony Orchestra: Stormskerry Maja (2024, Platoon)
Jaakko Laitinen & Lapin Lisä (2023, Playground Music)
Yona: Uni johon herään (2021, Johanna Kustannus)
European Jazz Motion: Live at Südtirol (2021, PM Records)
Talambo: Delusions of Grandeur (2020, Eclipse Music)
Nicole Willis & Banda Palomita: My Soul Sensation (2019, Persephone Records)
Yona: 7 (2018, Universal Music / Johanna Kustannus)
Jargoslavia: Jargoslavia (2017, Kuu Records)
Stadin Kadonneet: On rookis kalsa hima (2016, Playground Music)
Big Blue: Shooting Star (2016, CAM Jazz)
Antti Velin: Yhteys (2016)
Reporters: Reporters (2015, Kuu Records)
Yona: Naivi (2015, Kaiho Republic)
Big Blue: Strange Wonder (2013, CAM Jazz)
Yona & Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet: Vaikka tekee kipeää, ei haittaa (2012, Timmion Records)
Jorma Kalevi Louhivuori & Antti Kujanpää (2012, CAM Jazz)
Lucie Niemelä: Doses (2012, Zeitart)
Flora Et Labora: Flora Et Labora (2012, Konnex Records)
Big Blue: Big Blue (2011, CAM Jazz)
Auteur Jazz: The Cunning Album (2011, Suomen Musiikki)
European Jazz Motion: Odysseia (2011, PM Records)
Kvalda: Blindfold (2011, Kuu Records)
Yona ja Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet: Vaikenen Laulaen (2011, Timmion Records)
Hanne Pulli Space Machine (2010, Texicalli Records)
Auteur Jazz: Aphorisms (Ricky-Tick Records, 2008)
Kvalda: Leia (2007, Texicalli Records)
Hanne Pulli & Space Machine EP (2007)
Kvalda: Kvalda (2004)
Tähtelän Valot: Bluetango (2003)
J. Jyrä: Kumma Maailma (1999)
