Jaska Lukkarinen: Elements of Jazz Drum Comping

Entire title of the doctoral degree: El­e­ments of Jazz Drum Comp­ing: Shap­ing Mu­si­cal Form and Dra­maturgy

• Custos: Doctor of Music Markus Ketola
• Board: Prof. Jukkis Uotila (chair), Prof. Dana Hall, Prof. Keith Waters, guitarrist Teemu Viinikainen, drummer John Riley

Programme

• Opening of the public examination
• Lectio praecursoria  
• Statement of the artistic components
• Statement of the written component 
• Discussion  
• Audience questions 
• Final Statements  
• Closing of the public examination

About the doctoral project

This artistic research project investigates the practice of jazz drum comping and its role in shaping musical form and dramaturgy within performance. The inquiry aims to deepen my ability to interpret and complement musical structures through drumming. The research consists of one peer-reviewed article Breaking Down Five Core Elements of the Improvised Comping of Philly Joe Jones (2024) and four artistic components – the studio recording of One for Joe (2022) and the concertsTextures (2023), Odd Times (2024), and Rainbow Blue (2025) – each of which has served as a testing ground for my theoretical and practical findings. Central to the study are what I see as the five core elements of jazz drum comping, which I first picked out from analyzing the comping of Philly Joe Jones: goosing, active accenting, structuring the form, riffing, and intuitive call and response.

Through a combination of aural analysis, transcription, improvisation, and reflective writing and research material consisting of recordings, transcriptions, books, articles, interviews and learning diaries, this thesis explores how these five elements are intuitively learnt and then assembled according to the demands of improvisation, thus adding to the musical form and dramaturgy of a jazz composition. Analyzing the elements of comping from the perspective of the 1950s

Hard Bop era has provided me with tools that remain highly relevant to today’s jazz drumming. The five elements have not only helped me to improve my own comping but also to interpret the comping of other drummers. Ultimately, this research highlights the drummer’s role as an accompanist, and comping itself as an expressive, interpretive, and communicative act.

The artistic components

One For Joe (recording)

• Jaska Lukkarinen One For Joe
• Timo Lassy, tenor saxophone
• Varre Vartiainen, guitar
• Antti Lötjönen, bass
• Jaska Lukkarinen, drs

10.5.2023 Textures

Jaska Lukkarinen Trio:

• Jussi Kannaste, tenor saxophone
• Antti Lötjönen, bass
• Jaska Lukkarinen, drs

21.11.2024 Odd Times

Jaska Lukkarinen Odd Times Quintet

• Mikko Innanen, alto – and baritone saxophone
• Ville Vannemaa, tenor saxophone & bass clarinet
• Kari Ikonen, piano
• Antti Lötjönen, bass
• Jaska Lukkarinen, drs

25.9.2025 Rainbow Blue

Umo Helsinki Jazz Orchestra

• Mikko Hassinen, conductor
• Teemu Mattsson, 1^st trpt (lead)
• Timo Paasonen, 2^nd trpt
• Mikko Pettinen, 3^rd  trpt
• Tero Saarti,4^th  trpt
• Kasperi Sarikoski, 1^st  trbn
• Mikko Mustonen, 2^nd  trbn
• Pekka Laukkanen, 3^rd trbn
• Heikki Tuhkanen, 4^th trbn
• Jouni Järvelä, lead alto saxophone
• Joonatan Rautio, 1^st tenor saxophone
• Olli Ojajärvi, 2^nd tenor saxophone
• Max Zenger, 2^nd alto saxophone
• Mikko Mäkinen, baritone saxophone
• Filemon Von Numers, bass
• Kirmo Lintinen, piano
• Jaska Lukkarinen, drs

Breaking Down Five Core Elements of the Improvised Comping of Philly Joe Jones

Peer-reviewed article in https://etnomusikologia.journal.fi/article/view/143368Yearbook of Ethnomusicology Vol.26, 2024)

Jaakko Lukkarinen

Jaakko Lukkarinen (b. 1982) is a Finnish jazz drummer, composer, and educator who has worked as a professional artist since 2001. He is widely recognized as one of the leading jazz drummers of his generation in Finland, noted for his strong stylistic versatility, deep swing feel, and long-term collaborations with both small ensembles and large jazz orchestras.

Lukkarinen holds a Master of Music degree in Jazz from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, and has further studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. In addition to his formal education, he has studied privately with internationally respected jazz drummers such as John Riley, Adam Nussbaum, and Dana Hall.

He is currently active as a drummer with several prominent Finnish and international groups, including Dalindeo, Timo Lassy Trio, Manuel Dunkel Quartet, Valtteri Pöyhönen Nonet, and Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen Sana, and regularly performs as a freelance drummer with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. His extensive performance career includes long-term work with artists and ensembles such as Värttinä, Honey B. & T-Bones, NYConnection, and Jukka Eskola Quintet, as well as collaborations with international artists including Phil Markowitz, Zach Brock, Kurt Elling, Joel Frahm, and Aaron Goldberg.

Lukkarinen’s central artistic project is the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio, for which he composes and arranges music and produces concert programs. The trio has released three albums (Trane Ear, Neutral Terrain, and Origami) and has performed at major festivals such as Pori Jazz, April Jazz, We Jazz, and on international tours in Europe and Brazil. In addition, he has recorded extensively with leading Finnish jazz artists and big bands, including multiple productions with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra.

Alongside his performing career, Lukkarinen is an active educator and cultural contributor. He has taught jazz drums at the Sibelius Academy since 2009 and founded the Helsinki Drum Academy. He is also the founder of the JASKAA record label and serves as Artistic Director of the Porvoo Jazz Festival and Porvoo Jazz Club. His work has been supported by major Finnish arts foundations, and he has received several distinctions, including the Sony Jazz Award, Pori Jazz Artist of the Year, and a Jazz Emma Award.

Peer-reviewed article Breaking Down Five Core Elements of the Improvised Comping of Philly Joe Jones (Yearbook of Ethnomusicology Vol.26, 2024)

More information

Jaska Lukkarinen
jaska.lukkarinen@gmail.com