Fredagar på Sibbe: Niklas Winter “African Skies” feat. Steve Abeni & Ismaila Sane
18.09.2026 19:00 – 20:15
Standard price 27€ + + order fee (from 1,50 € + 0,65 % of the order)
Pensioner, student, child, unemployed 20€ + + order fee (from 1,50 € + 0,65 % of the order)
Steve Abeni – vocals, guitar, percussion
Niklas Winter – guitars
Kari Ikonen – piano, moog
Kaisa Mäensivu – bass
Ismaila Sane – percussion, vocals
Guitarist Niklas Winter joins forces with singer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Abeni and percussionist and vocalist Ismaila Sane in a concert where the joy of jazz improvisation meets the vibrant rhythms of West Africa. Also featuring the versatile pianist Kari Ikonen and bassist Kaisa Mäensivu, one of Finland’s most exciting double bass players on today’s jazz scene. Audiences can look forward to a warm and energetic musical journey where melodic jazz, traditional West African sounds, and infectious rhythmic vitality come together in a vibrant and boundary-crossing musical encounter.
Niklas Winter is a jazz guitarist, composer, and educator from Turku, Finland, and one of the country’s most established jazz musicians. He has released numerous albums as a bandleader and collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Kenny Wheeler, Henry Lowther, and Severi Pyysalo. After studying at the Turku Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, he built an extensive international career, performing at major jazz festivals and concert venues across Europe and Asia.
Alongside his artistic work, Winter has taught guitar and led workshops around the world. He founded the record label Abovoice in 2000 and has received several cultural and artistic awards. His latest album, Graduale (2023), draws inspiration from the medieval Graduale Aboense hymnbook, and a new album of original compositions is scheduled for release in spring 2026.
Niklas met Steve Abeni for the first time at Villa Karo in Grand-Popo, Benin, in August, when Steve came to introduce himself. Already the following evening they performed a duo concert on the villa’s terrace, and the collaboration continued throughout Niklas’s months-long stay in Benin. During this time, Steve showed great generosity and introduced him to different parts of the country and its culture. Steve is a guitarist and singer with a wide vocal range and a distinctive timbre. Since his breakthrough in 2015, he has built a growing international career with concerts, music videos, and collaborations with Finnish musicians. His debut album was released in 2021, followed by tours in Finland and Estonia. Today, he is active between West Africa and Europe.
Ismaila Sané is a Senegalese percussionist, singer, solo dancer within African ballet, choreographer, and educator. Niklas first met him at Barker Theatre in connection with a dance project by Marjan Raar many years ago. The encounter marked the beginning of a musical acquaintance with Ismaila, who, in addition to being an outstanding percussionist, is also a phenomenal singer. Ismaila has, among other things, performed with the bands Piirpauke and Galaxy in Finland.
Award-winning Finnish composer, pianist, and moogist Kari Ikonen (b.1973) is one of the leading voices in the European jazz and improvised music scene. A unique musical innovator, he has performed across the globe with artists from Lee Konitz to Louis Sclavis, and his work is documented on over 50 albums. Inspired by Arabic music, he invented the revolutionary Maqiano™ Microtuning System, enabling playing
microtones on the acoustic piano.
Kaisa Mäensivu is a Finnish jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader known for her creative and distinctive musical voice. She is the founder of Kaisa’s Machine, a group that has performed at renowned jazz festivals and venues around the world. Raised in Finland, Mäensivu began her musical journey at the piano before being inspired to take up the double bass. She studied jazz at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later earned a Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York in 2017. As a prolific composer and bandleader, she has released four albums under her own name, while several recordings featuring her work have received nominations for Finland’s Emma Awards. Her achievements have also been recognized with awards including first prize at the International Riga Jazz Stage bass competition in 2018 and the Rising Star award at the Pori Jazz Festival.
Tickets can be purchased at the museum shop starting from August 5.