Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble

Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble was formed in the winter of 2012, when guitarist Janne Halonen, bassist Sampo Riskilä, and drummer Juha Räsänen travelled to Benin, West Africa to study local music and collaborate with singer/percussionist Noël Saïzonou. During the record making process, the quartet extended into an octet and the group’s first full album was released in May of 2013.

The group has since released several albums including Fire, Sweat and Pastis in 2014, The Road Is Long: Live at Savoy Theater in 2016, and ja We Are Together in 2018. Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble has performed in 17 countries and received lots of critical acclaim.