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Written in fRoots issue 273, 2006


MARIA KALANIEMI
Bellow Poetry
Aito AICD 006 (2005)

“The accordion – one of the most expressive of all instruments”, asserts Maria Kalaniemi. Some might take issue with that, but in her sensitive hands, particularly on this album, there’s evidence in support. After winning acclaim with her band and in other group projects such as Accordion Tribe, Ramunder, Unto Tango Orchestra and Airbow, this is her first almost totally solo project, just her chromatic button accordion, occasionally tracked with her vocals; the only contribution by another musician is a touch of guitar on two tracks from her husband and recording engineer Olli Varis.
      Some of her previous albums have reworked earlier themes, but this is all new material, and probably her most satisfying recording to date. Most of the pieces are her own compositions, but at their core are the shapes of the runosong, pastoral and Romany music of Finland. It’s reflective, surging, slow-unfolding; as she says, “The melody is the message”. Favouring an attractive, pure single-reed tone without mushy vibrato-couplers, using the bellows for control and articulation, occasionally bending notes, she explores the melodic threads and outlines with the technical mastery and modesty that says ‘listen to this music’ rather than ‘see how smart this is’.
      (If Kalaniemi appeals, I recommend a couple of other chromatic players, different but impressive even to an accordion-distruster: astonishing and sweet-toned Romanian piano-accordionist Ionica Minune and Swedish-domiciled, Serbian-born button-key maestro Lelo Nika)


© 2005 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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