In the middle of the 1970s musicians had had enough of just waiting for something to happen. So, they decided to set up an orchestra to help their own coarse. Heikki Sarmanto and Esko Linnavalli were in front of this movement. The Finnish Jazz Music Workshop was founded 1975. The first album “Our Latin Friends” came out the same year. While recording the first album, the orchestra changed its name to New Music Orchestra, abbreviation being in Finnish: UMO.

Its first years UMO tried to find partners others than just Finnish Broadcasting Company. UMO even tried to get a status of a county orchestra with money straight from the government – with hardly any success. UMO had concerts in strange addresses, which musicians hardly knew. In the meantime, UMOs visitors were world famous, like Thad Jones. These were also times, when the famous maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen was playing French horn as one of the UMOs visiting musician.

The economically difficult times started to fade in the beginning of the 1980s. Concert with Dizzy Gillespie was one of the signs for the new era: this concert was first joint venture of Finnish Broadcasting Company, City of Helsinki and Ministry for Education. This is the economical basis of UMO Jazz Orchestra even today.

UMO was a part time Big Band until the year 1984. Then UMO became a professional orchestra with a full-day-basis, with the economical support of these three. It is not wrong to say that the city of Helsinki saved UMOs economy. Especially the citys vice manager Heikki S. von Hertzens help was irreplaceable. UMO was no longer experiment – UMO had come to stay.

Today, UMO is considered as one of the leading big bands of the world. UMO makes especially finnish jazz music familiar to audience all over the world. By ordering and performing as much new material as possible, UMO encourages and supports Finnish jazz production. For this UMO is recognized world widely.

Musicians of the Orchestra are the cream of the Finnish jazz. Orchestra works continuously as a practical higher education for the musicians of our country. UMO has also done successful concert tours all over the globe. With Natalie Cole UMO had noteworthy tour in Europe 1994. And with world famous group of singers, Manhattan Transfer, UMO had 6 week tour in Europe 1996.

At the moment UMOs repertoire consists of much more than 1000 compositions. This unique collection keeps growing yearly, when foreign conductors and soloists work with UMO, and with UMO commissioning new music. Amongst conductors and soloists there are legendary jazz artists like Thad Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Joe Williams, Mercer Ellington, Maria Schneider, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Tomasz Stanko and several others.

International co-operation is of great importance for UMO. UMOs musicians have been granted several awards and prizes both in Finland and worldwide. Concerts UMO does about 100 per year, mainly in the Helsinki-area. From 1975 UMO has published 22 own albums and it has been part of numerous other recordings, like this one. Also, UMO does educational work with schoolchildren by dismounting amongst them and giving them lessons in light and rhytm music.

UMO got home arena of its own in august 2001, when Jumo Jazz Club, was opened in the centre of Helsinki. Friends for live jazz got their long wished for club here in Finland. Office of the orchestra is now located in the same place. Jumo is UMO’s rehearsing and concerting place, but also stage for visiting finnish and foreign jazz bands. Several other organizations than just UMO produce concerts to our 200 seated club. UMO executive manager has been from spring 2002 Annamaija Saarela. UMO main supporters are still the city of Helsinki, Ministry for Education and Finnish Broadcasting Company.

Artistic directors of the orchestra:

Esko Linnavalli (1941-1991), period 1975-91
Markku Johansson, period 1992-93
Rich Shemaria period 1994-95
Eero Koivistoinen, period 1996-98
Heikki Sarmanto, period 1998-2000
Artistic comission 2000- (consisting of the musicians of UMO)