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Written in Folk Roots issue 184, 1998

JPP
String Tease
RockAdillo ZENCD 2056 (1998)

OTTOSET
Okoolypsykone
Kaustisen Nuorisoseura KNSCD 1 (1998)

KIPERÄ
Nousu Ja Uho
Kansanmusiikki-instituutti KICD 47 (1997)

The Finnish word “pelimanni”, derived from the Swedish “spelman”, means “folk musician”. “Pelimannimusiikki” is largely traditional dance music, Finnish polkas, polskas, marches, schottisches and the like, in which the lead instrument is usually fiddle or sometimes kantele or accordion. A strong focus of pelimanni music is the region of Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa in Finnish), in particular Kaustinen.

      For many years the leading Kaustinen pelimanni band was Konsta Jylhä with Purppuripelimannit; nowadays the mantle has passed to JPP (Järvelän Pikkupelimannit). Paradoxically, though, while it’s still an excellent dance band an increasing amount of what JPP plays can’t really be described as pelimanni music. Ever since they were inspired, by seeing the Swedish Forsmark Tre in 1982, to make a new sound in which the fiddles harmonised and took parts, the band has been twisting the tradition, with new tunes and complex arrangements largely by Arto and Mauno Järvelä and harmonium player Timo Alakotila. It’s a tight, swingy, stand-up-no-music-stands fiddle orchestra, on tour usually fronted by four fiddles (but at home often augmented with at least half a dozen more) underpinned by plucked double bass and chunky, shifting harmonium chords which modulate in very distinctive Finnish/Alakotila way. String Tease shows its latest stage of evolution, including the dynamic opening Mauno/Timo composition Hale-Bopp, a slithering tune by Floridan Finn Erik Hokkanen (titled Finnish Gypsies but having little connection with their music, and a cod-Balkan/Russian gypsy intro), scampering fast pieces, a traditional Swedish slangpolska and waltz (both featuring Swedish guests Väsen), Arto’s classic Røros and, also by Arto, a beautiful elegant wedding suite - much pelimanni music found its greatest outlet in three-day wedding celebrations, and wedding marches throughout Norden are remarkably beautiful and stately.

      As Kaustinen music has moved on, so has Kaustinen dance. Ottoset, run by Ossi and Pirjo Penttilä, began as a children’s folk-dance group. As the children got bigger a new younger wave took their places, but the older ones kept on dancing - music and dance is a central part of the village’s social life. Ottoset matured, with modern choreography and ever more theatrical shows featuring new music played by its own bands. Okoolypsykone is the music from the shows, some of it traditional but much of it written by one of Finland’s most promising young fiddlers and musicians and long-time Ottoset member, Ville Ojanen. The instrumental line-up is basically the traditional Ostrobothnian wedding band format of fiddles, harmonium and bass, to which are added vocals and Kaustinen’s brass septet. Don’t get the idea that this is approximate, kids’ music-making - it’s as much the Kaustinen sound as JPP, and the playing is smart.

      Kiperä is a dance and music ensemble based down south in Helsinki, in which band and dancers have equal prominence. The band’s founder members moved on to other projects in 1996, making a CD before they went. Nousu Ja Uho is rich with the melodic shapes and sounds of today’s Finnish roots music, and would make an excellent introduction to the atmosphere of Finnish folk dance music, gypsy song and, even though there’s no kantele present, 5-string kantele variation music, all treated with the adventurous approach encouraged by Sibelius Academy folk music department. It’s highly melodic and accessible, with fine playing on fiddles (Minna Ilmonen and Kaustinen’s Mika Virkkala), diatonic accordion, guitar, mandolin, bass (JPP’s Timo Myllykangas) and percussion, and is one of the few recordings featuring accordionist Maija Karhinen’s too rarely-heard silky vocals.


© 1998 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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