Tuomo Prättälä entered the world on April 30, 1979, in Helsinki and has since built a reputation as a Finnish jazz and soul artist whose work stands out most prominently through his roles in Quintessence, Q-Continuum, Huba, the Emma Salokoski Ensemble, MP4, and the Ilmiliekki Quartet. He first took up the piano at seven and sustained that pursuit by enrolling at the Finnish pop and jazz conservatory. Across the groups already mentioned he has written, shaped, and overseen material while also taking the stage as both vocalist and keyboardist. Prince left the strongest mark on his vocal approach, while Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye supplied additional reference points. From 2002 to 2007 he contributed in multiple capacities to more than a dozen albums. In the same stretch he claimed victories in two international jazz contests and earned four nominations for the Jazz-Emma Awards—the Finnish counterpart to the Grammy—plus further honors. Texicalli Records issued his debut solo effort, My Thing, in January 2007, where it met with both critical praise and strong public response. Two months later the Finnish Jazz Society together with Sony Finland presented him with the 2007 Sony Jazz Award.
