Risto Toppola

RiSTO TOPPOLA is a jazz guitarist and a composer in the forefront of the Finnish jazz scene. He combines jazz, pop and world music in versatile and experimental ways. In addition to the acoustic and electric guitars, he also plays other stringed instruments, such as bouzoukiToppola joined the ranks of the established jazz musicians in Finland in 1992 by performing as the UMO Young Soloist of the year. Since then he has played with various Finnish and foreign bands, one of them being his own Risto Toppola trio. in 1995 the trio took the second prize at the European Jazz Contest in Belgium. The new line-up of the trio, with Jussi Lehtonen on drums and Timo Hirvonen on bass, started in 2004. Apart from performing clubs and festivals, Toppola has also played in various theatre, television and studio projects.Besides Sibelius Academy Jazz Music Department, Toppola has studied under Raoul Björkenheim, Wayne Krantz and John Abercrombie