Harri Sjöström

Harri Sjöström, born in Turku, Finland, found his voice in music on the soprano and sopranino saxophone. His music and fine art studies at Lone Mountain College, University of San Francisco and San Francisco Art Institute in the 1970s led him directly to workshops by John Cage, Bill Dixon, Vinko Globokar, George Russell, and his saxophone teachers Leo Wright and Steve Lacy. Since 1978 continuous extensive work as a freelance musician, composer and initiator of interdisciplinary ensembles in the field of contemporary improvised music and mixed media projects. Back to Europe 1978 he started to work with Derek Bailey, Teppo Hauta-aho, Paul Lovens, John Russell, Paul Rutherford, Alexander von Schlippenbach a.m.o. In 1980 -1985 he lived in Vienna, Austria, which became his doorway to the European contemporary music scene; formed his first groups and organized numerous artist exchange-projects in Finland and elsewhere. Between 1990 and 2016 an extensive collaboration with the pianist and composer Cecil Taylor developed, including seven live recordings with small and larger Cecil Taylor ensembles. Energetic and with an appetite for risk he founded and co-founded many ensembles with highly interesting instrumental line-ups including such as Quintet Moderne / Sestetto Internazionale, MOVE / European Composers Improvisors Orchestra pool - ECIO / Up And Out - vario project / City Of Pyramids / The Player Is / Motström / Flight Mode a.o.