Varre Vartiainen
- Music Department
- Composer
An energetic, experimental guitarist who has studied in Helsinki Pop &
Jazz Conservatory and Sibelius Academy of Music under supervision of
Raoul Bjorkenheim, Jukkis Uotila and Wayne Krantz. He rose to fame and
leading guitarist position in Finland playing in every possible
connections; in live concerts, studio sessions, television shows and
theatre musicals among them. Varre Vartiainen is a competent guitar
player, and an excellent multitalented pop, fusion and jazz-rock
musician. Vartiainen's earlier band Gonzo toured Europe and Africa,
where gigs in Spain, Namibia, South Africa and Montreaux Jazz Festival
in France were among the highlights. Vartiainen's friend guitarist
Marzi Nyman recommended him for a vacancy with Finland's most popular
pop group Nylon Beat, and Vartiainen played with them two years. He
later worked with Jim Beard touring Finland, then joined Leningrad
Cowboys, the Finnish cult band that is known and has played in all
continents of the world. The band performed in MTV Music Awards show in
New York, Roskilde Festival in Denmark and starred several Leningrad
Cowboys movies of Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki.