Kari Ikonen (b. 1973, Korpilahti, Finland) is a pianist, composer and Moog player regarded as one of the key figures in European jazz and improvised music. He studied at the Sibelius Academy and the Rotterdam Conservatoire, won Finland's Grammy with his debut album 'Karikko' in 2001, and received the Yrjö Award as Finnish Jazz Musician of the Year in 2013. Active across multiple ensembles - including his own trio, Wishamalii and Quartet Silta - he has collaborated with musicians such as Lee Konitz, Ingrid Jensen and Louis Sclavis. He is also the inventor of the Maqiano™, a patented portable microtuning system that allows pianists to play Arabic maqamat and other microtones on an acoustic piano.
Ikonen released a renewed version of his Maqiano™ microtonal system via a new web shop at maqiano.com.
Kari Ikonen SILTA performed in Vienna (Porgy & Bess), Munich (Unterfahrt) and Innsbruck (Treibhaus) during a European tour in January 2026.
Wishamalii played two concerts in Finland in November 2025: on 12 November in Espoo (Sellosali) and on 24 November in Helsinki (jaZZanti).
Ikonen gave a solo concert in Paris on 14 January 2026 at La Cité Internationale des Arts.
Ikonen performed on 29 November 2023 at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, with a solo set and a duo with French clarinetist Louis Sclavis.
