Oiro Pena is a Finnish jazz collective blending spiritual jazz with experimental and avant-garde forms of music.

“Experiencing a universal sense”

Did you start Oiro Pena?

Antti Vauhkonen: I didn’t start Oiro Pena. Pentti Oironen started it a long time ago. I don’t know the exact year, but Pentti contacted me around 2016. Oiro Pena, myself, and the current band members solely channel Pentti Oironen’s universal vision.

How did the members of Oiro Pena meet?

The band members are mainly from Helsinki’s music scene, particularly from jazz, contemporary, and experimental backgrounds. We musicians came together in response to Pentti Oironen’s spiritual calling. Our intention is not to impose our own interests, but simply to channel the universal vision of love and understanding.

Is Oiro Pena’s music composed or improvised?

We have compositions and a significant amount of improvisational sections. The primary focus is on experiencing a universal sense of togetherness among musicians and the audience, sharing emotions and spirit. I can’t categorize the music further or confine it to a specific genre—it constantly evolves with the universe.

How would you define Oiro Pena’s music? Is it free jazz, outsider jazz, spiritual jazz? Does krautrock influence Oiro Pena’s music?

Krautrock and the genres you mentioned share similar universal characteristics with Oiro Pena and have influenced us, having existed before us. Oiro Pena essentially means Pentti Oironen—it’s a fitting name for the great Pentti.

Joeri Bruyninckx

Oiro Pena Instagram / Bandcamp