Sami Leponiemi has rapidly risen to the forefront of the Finnish jazz scene. Leponiemi’s ruthless enthusiasm and activity in music have attracted the attention of audiences and many jazz pioneers. His uncompromising pursuit of excellence in musicianship led him to a year-long trip to Paris, where he immersed himself intensively in saxophone playing and composition at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire. During this time, Leponiemi had the honour of performing with jazz legend Chuck Israels, both in Paris and in his native Finland. Leponiemi has been recognized by achieving 2nd place in the Markku Johansson Composition Competition 2023 & 1st place in the Huittinen Hullu Puhallus Wind Instrument Competition 2017.
In composing, Leponiemi’s compositions, the whole and imaginativeness are important to him. With his new quartet he aims to combine the best of improvised and fully composed music. In particular, his inventive use of the piano with its various tuning techniques keeps the listener’s interest constantly engaged.