Kari Antila & Peter Hertmans Quartet at Café De Hopper

Born in Laitila, Finland, Kari started studying classical piano at the age of 7. At the age of 12, he got his first guitar, and since then started to concentrate on playing guitar. Kari was autodidact until the age of 23, when he entered in Pop/Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki, Finland. Later Kari continued on a degree program of pop/jazz music pedagogue in Stadia, Helsinki, Finland. In Stadia Kari studied with a well-known Finnish jazz guitar player Pekka Luukka.


In 2003 Kari moved to Belgium and studied jazz guitar with famous Belgium Jazz players Peter Hertmans and Philip Catherine. 2006 Kari graduated cum laude from Royal Conservatory of Gent as a master of jazz music. Kari has also followed master classes for example with Jim Hall, Ben Monder and Michael Brecker. Kari has been also in New York many times after his Master Degree and has had opportunity to study with very many leading contemporary top jazz guitarists. For example: Jonathan Kreisberg, Lage Lund, Mike Moreno and Gilad Hekselman, to name a few......

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Born in Laitila, Finland, Kari started studying classical piano at the age of 7. At the age of 12, he got his first guitar, and since then started to concentrate on playing guitar. Kari was autodidact until the age of 23, when he entered in Pop/Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki, Finland. Later Kari continued on a degree program of pop/jazz music pedagogue in Stadia, Helsinki, Finland. In Stadia Kari studied with a well-known Finnish jazz guitar player Pekka Luukka.


In 2003 Kari moved to Belgium and studied jazz guitar with famous Belgium Jazz players Peter Hertmans and Philip Catherine. 2006 Kari graduated cum laude from Royal Conservatory of Gent as a master of jazz music. Kari has also followed master classes for example with Jim Hall, Ben Monder and Michael Brecker. Kari has been also in New York many times after his Master Degree and has had opportunity to study with very many leading contemporary top jazz guitarists. For example: Jonathan Kreisberg, Lage Lund, Mike Moreno and Gilad Hekselman, to name a few...


Kari has worked with many top Finnish jazz musicians, for example Manuel Dunkel, Jaska Lukkarinen, Alexi Tuomarila, Lasse Lindgren, Ville Herrala, Eerik Siikasaari, Aili Ikonen, Esa Pethman, Toni Porthen and Ville Pynssi to name a few.


In Belgium Kari has performed as sideman with some top commercial names and, such as Lee Towers, Ben Cramer,Sandra Kim and has performed several concerts for example in Paris Olympia, France.


In Belgium Kari has also had opportunity to work with many jazz top names, for example Peter Hertmans, Hans Van Oost, Kris Duerinckx, Bart Van Caenegem, Sal La Rocca, Jan De Haas, Marc Godfroid, Bruno Castellucci, Bart De Nolf, Jos Machtel, Steven Delannoye,Toni Vitacolonna...


Kari has also performed in Denmark, France, Switzerland, Austria, UK and Italy in different occasions.


Kari has also played with many New York based international younger generation jazz names: For example Downbeat magazine Award winner saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Victor Assis saxophone competition winner Livio Almeida from Brazil and many others like Eduardo Belo, Hironori Momoi, Lars Ekman, Alberto Pibiri, Tuomo Uusitalo...


Kari has performed in many important Jazz Festivals in Belgium and Finland for example Jazzlabseries, Jazzenede, Pori Jazz, Turku Jazz, Yll

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