Asymmetric Lovesong
Looking Back, Reaching Forward
- 17.06.2022
- 0 Streams
- 6 min 14 sec
May 21, 2024 - Mar 28, 2022
Visa Oscar (Visa-Pekka Oskari Mertanen, 1976) Master of Music University of the Arts Helsinki dept. Of Jazz Music, doctoral student Visa Oscar has worked for over twenty-five years as a professional keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer. He leads his own jazz-fusion band Visa Oscar Fusion 4 and tours regularly with afro-beat/jazz influenced Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble. He is also the other half of indie electronica -band Binary Boyz. During his career Mr. Oscar has played keyboards in Sibis Alumni Big Band with John Scofield and Jim McNeely at the Helsinki Music Centre, written orchestral arrangements for pop bands like the Sunrise Avenue and co-composed two multimedia operas for Opera Skaala. He has toured regularly with Finnish bands Ma Baker's Soul Factory, Mistura Fina, Northern Lights Big Band, Oulunkylä Big Band, Waldo's People, Maija Vilkkumaa and Taikapeili. 2018 Visa Oscar’s TED -talk “3 Steps To Learning Improvisation” https://www.ted.com/talks/visa_oscar_3_steps_to_learning_improvisation Visa Oscar Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/vmertane Visa Oscar Group Album “Fusion Treatment” https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4be9ROEliErwBu7udM2Wlj?si=Q8P9sUeBSE-zajMhjMRrSg 2013 his big band composition "Balkan Express" received the third prize in the biannual Esko Linnavalli Composing Competition. Visa Oscar works regularly as a freelancer musician and arranger in Finnish recordings, tours and TV performances.