PIIRPAUKE

Undoubtedly the best known albums of this legendary Finnish group mixing world music, folk, rock, jazz and even classical music are the first two, Piirpauke (1975) and Piirpauke 2 (1976). Recorded in 1979, Yö Kyöpelinvuorella / Night on Bald Mountain was the group's third studio album and featured a new line-up. The founding members Sakari Kukko (saxophones, flute, clarinet, keyboards) and Jukka Wasama (drums, percussion) were joined by guitarist Juha Björninen and Jukka's brother Olli-Pekka Wasama on double bass. Gone were some exotic instruments heard on the first two albums. The music is somewhat tighter and more in line with the groovy jazz fusion of the era. So, at least for the fusion listeners, inclusing those who are perhaps less keen on the band's ethnic/world music orientation, this is absolutely among the most recommendable Piirpauke albums.

'Macedonian Twist' is a joyful piece with Kukko's selection of wind instruments in the spotlight. Jazz/fusion with folk elements, slightly comparable to swedish Kebnekajse. The next piece is a gorgeous interpretation of a Finnish classic piano composition, Oskar Merikanto's 'Soi veinosti murheeni soitto' (Sweet Is the Sound of My Sorrow) from the 1890's. The melancholic melodies soar passionately, highlighting the electric guitar work that even the fans of Pink Floyd/ David Gilmour would enjoy.

'Anglais Ranne Mo Mari' bursts with happy jazz fusion energy and contains solos from both Kukko and Björninen. 'Juhan biisi' (Juha's Piece) was composed by Björninen. It's a dynamic, happy-natured and elegant fusion piece with juicy solos for electric piano, soprano sax and electric guitar. The 7½-minute title track composed by Kukko combines mysticism and vital jazz-rock very fluently. 'Zumba Que Zumba' draws from Latin rhythms. The long and lovely flute solo is followed by a Santana-reminding guitar solo.

The album's cosmopolitan musical journey finally takes us to Eastern Europe. 'Búzam Szól a Kecskeméti' is originally by a Hungarian gipsy musician Pista Dankó who lived in the 19th century. For the type of the material this one and 'Bulgarian Dance' represent the lively ethnic orientation typical to Piirpauke also in the later decades, but the fusion listeners will have better time here. This line-up was over even before the album was released. Björninen joined Pekka Pohjola's group.

This Finnish band has released over 20 studio albums and counting and this is their debut from 1975. Quite an impressive run I must say. This record is more Folk than anything but there is a Jazz flavour for sure. We get sax on a couple of tracks and some guest french horn on the closer. Flute on the three middle tracks which is the bulk of the album. Flute is one of the more prominent instruments on here. A four piece band of bass, drums and guitar with the bass player adding harmonum. The fourth member adds the horns, flute, piano and some steel drums on one track. Two guests adding that french horn on one track I mentioned earlier and synths on three tunes.

The opener is pretty much piano and soprano sax throughout. It's okay. "Lelong" is very much flute led and the flute gets a little crazy around 2 1/2 minutes. Bass only comes out of a calm then some distant spoken words can be heard. Percussion only 5 minutes in and it goes on for far too long ending well after 8 minutes. It comes alive again late with flute and more. "Cybele" opens with harmonium and sax and eventually the soprano sax starts to solo over the harmonium. A change 4 1/2 minutes in as piano, synths and percussion take over. Guitar around 6 minutes. The closer is my favourite. It opens with the wind blowing as piano joins in. The wind dies down and guitar arrives around 1 1/2 minutes in. Guitar will lead as other sounds join in. French horn around 3 1/2 minutes and it leaves after 4 minutes as the piano leads again late.

Folk music is one of my least favourite sub genres and even though this is well done and also quite different at times in a good way, in my musical world I just can't go higher than 3 stars.

Piirpauke have well established themselves as probably the most important Finnish world music band. Their discography is well varied and this 2010 album features a couple of original songs and several classical music pieces arranged in their own style.

Of the 12 tracks three are written by band mastermind Sakari Kukko, two are traditional Finnish folk songs and one is by Finnish folk music past stalwart Konsta Jylhä. The other half is classical music adaptations. One from Toivo Kuula (Finnish early 20th century composer, died young and violently), one from Tchaikovsky and four from Jean Sibelius. All are performed in Piirpauke's own style that combines jazz and world music full of feeling. According to liner notes (by Kukko), classical pieces here were originally inspired by folk music and thus perfect fit for Piirpauke.

Rhythmic interplay of percussionist Ismaila Sane and drummer Rami Eskelinen is superb and Jukka Orma's guitar playing covers many styles from gentle to flamenco-furious acoustic stylings to channeling Hendrix on fuzzy electric freak-outs. Sakari Kukko's reeds take most melodic responsibility and solo spots, and his playing is exemplary. What else you'd expect with decades of experience with this kind of music.

Lasting almost an hour, the album is too long for my taste (and/or attention span) and, while somewhat varied, gets too repetitive towards the end. Trimmed to 45 minutes or thereabouts it would've been near perfect.

Stylish digipak with very informative liner notes and gorgeous cover art.

Three stars. Hardly essential but well worth checking out if you like this kind of world music/jazz/prog hybrid.

Piirpauke from Finland gave their 45-year-career celebrating concert recently in my neighbour town (no, I wasn't there myself). There's no denying that this band led by multi-instrumentalist Sakari Kukko earns a very high status in the international World Music field. Right from the start in mid-70s, long before the term World Music was used, they have incorporated ethnic elements from all over the world into their unique, border-free musical expression in which jazz, rock, folk and art music have part of, in varying measures. Of the eight albums Piirpauke has now released in this Millenium I had heard two or three before getting this newest release. Especially I liked Laulu laineilla (2003) which was based on the compositions of Franz Schubert, and also Koli (2010) was a solid, instrumentally oriented Piirpauke album.

First thing to say about Hali (that's a Finnish word for 'hug') is the surprisingly big role of vocals. Each of the ten tracks feature vocals with lyrics, and they're in Finnish with one exception. Is this perhaps the first Piirpauke album ever to have such vocal orientation? Kukko himself sings on six tracks... unfortunately, I could add. There's something openly amateurish in his way of singing. Each of the musicians are credited with [backing] vocals besides their own Instruments; other main vocalists are Meissa Niang on 3 tracks and Sheila Surban on four tracks.

The opening track 'Kanteletara' is a mixture of Finnish and Senegalese traditional music, with words from Kanteletar, the "sister book" of the Kalevala. Kantele is heard also, naturally. Whether you like the singing or not, the organic music of the album is full of sincere joy. Meissa Niang does lead vocals on the Oskar Merikanto classic 'Itkevä huilu' (= Weeping flute); her very accented forming of Finnish is either charming or irritating, depending on the listener's attitude. 'Tiibetin noidat' is originally a children's song, sung here theatrically by Sakari Kukko. The composers for tracks 4 and 5 are Carl Michael Bellman and Erik Lindström, respectively. Like always, Piirpauke turns any source music into their own World Music, but I can't help thinking that the album would be better with notably less emphasis on vocals. The arrangements incorporate mostly flutes, saxophones, piano, acoustic guitar and African oriented percussion. Mika Mylläri from Finland's jazz scene is guesting on trumpet.

The peaceful ballad 'Long Time Ago', based on music of Aaron Copland and sung by Sheila Surban, sounds pretty pleasant. Her Her next vocal number 'Sinulle yksin' (again, Finnish sung with a foreign accent) leads the listener's mind to the Finnish schlager-filled dance venues of the old times. 'Hippapila' with Kukko's vocals is another take on Finnish traditional music. The tenth song is for some reason marked as a "Bonus track": Sheila Surban sings the anthem part of 'Finlandia' composed by Jean Sibelius.

Personally, I confess that this vocal-orientation is not the way I want my Piirpauke. I prefer their instrumental works. But taken from a more objective point of view, Hali is an upbeat World/Vocal album filled with borderless joy of making music together, capturing the feelgood atmosphere of a friendly gathering of people with various ethnical backgrounds. The musicians must have had merry time recording it, clearly more so than having a serious goal of making as "fine and sophisticated" music as possible.

(I'm not unhappy with the Prog Folk category, but for those unfamiliar with Finnish PIIRPAUKE: the key words are Traditional/World Music and Jazz.) It's not easy or even necessary to fully separate Sakari Kukko's solo albums from the PIIRPAUKE discography, for he is unquestionably the heart and brain of the long-living group. This 1981 album had "Sakari Kukko & Piirpauke" as the performer, and the CD edition includes also the whole 1979 album Kajastus by Sakari Kukko, with another line-up - which does feature members of Piirpauke's early years, guitarist Hasse Walli and bassist Antti Hytti. So let's just skip the question right away.

The opener 'Song of Ostiak' is the longest track (6:41), a slow and melancholic arrangement of an Ostiak traditional. Kantele and guitar both really seem to tell something sad and thoughtful, and later flute joins the conversation. Very beautiful! 'Prelude & Salsa' is a brighter tune starting slowly and getting faster & more lively in the halfway. Flute sings very high notes and percussion sounds African. 'Lamb's Polska' is a Finnish traditional tune from which Kukko has made a peaceful arrangement. This is among Piirpauke's better known repertoire, I think. The Orientally flavoured brief title track makes me think of Zen monks with its avantgardistic, meditative flute sounds and delicate percussion.

'Answer, Friend' should have a Finnish title since it contains Marketta Saarinen's vocals in Finnish. Again flute is in the lead role. This isn't among my favourite tracks, it feels somehow angry. 'Factory' is a jam-like hectic track. 'Cry' returns to the slow, melancholic style of the opener; this time with a saxophone instead of flute. Ilpo Saastamoinen's bass playing is delicious. Nice and deeply emotional music that demands a lot of concentration from the listener. The final tune is from the circus world, the worst track in my opinion.

On to the 1979 album, which isn't stylistically far from Kirkastus, but is weaker with some half- baked tracks that sort of wander aimlessly. Titles are in Finnish, I'll use English for your convenience. (9) 'On the Village Road' composed by someone called Blantez is sung here by two women. (10) 'Longing' is a traditional tune from Inkeri, Karelia, accompanied here with birdsinging. The flute-centred sound is pure Piirpauke. The joyful (11) 'Sunday' is also a Trad. (13) 'Worries Are Not Felt' is written by and features the Lappish vocal artist Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. Yawn...

(15) Traditional 'Sitter on the Shore' is among the better tracks on this uneven album. Sax and electric guitar have a melancholic dialogue. On later tracks there are some more natural sound effects, e.g. water. The title track 'Sarastus' (=Dawn's Light) is a beautiful, calm but bright composition by Kukko. On the whole the album gets a bit boring in its lazy approach. Both albums have many numbers from the traditional origins (more Finnish-oriented than cosmopolitan PIIRPAUKE in general) and include many good tracks. Separately they maybe wouldn't be quite worth four stars, but together on a single CD, why not.

The most mature and beautiful effort of Piirpauke was about to come.But this wouldn't meant to include Antti Hytti as a member, as by 1978 he had left the band with Olli-Pekka Wasama handling now the bass and Jukka Wasama jumping over for percussion duties.The fresh Piirpauke quartet would display its abilities on a 78' live album, simply entitled ''Live''.As with the second album this would be released in Finland and Sweden on Love Records.

Piirpauke worked well within the adaptions of traditional songs and their transformation into Folk/Fusion pieces and this was another case of their inventive spirit.The Moldavian-oriented ''Moldavialainen laulu'' with its lovely, delicate, mournful flute lines sets the tone for an impressive orgasm between Ethnic and Jazz Music, kicking off actually with the fantastic ''Makedonialainen laulu'', a 13-min. journey through the Balkans with marvelous sax and guitar solos and a psychedelic rhythm section in a style very reminiscent of KRAAN, which develops eventually into a chaotic mix of piano, electric guitar and sax jams.Stunning.''Rypistys'' is propably a Nordic-influenced piece, the more jazziest part of the album, with contrabass and piano in the forefront, offered in a rather improvised mood.'' Tizeta'' is a track based on Ethopian traditional music, another monumental performance by the band, swirling around the happy, smooth guitar acoustics and the African soundscapes created by Sakari Kukko and his flute, while yet another highlight is delivered through Walli's impressive guitar soloing.The Greek-based ''Fyssouni'' was already presented by the band in the previous album, but its live execution is simply outstanding with a superb performance on clarinet by Kukko, supported by an evergrowing trio of bass/guitar/drums, outstanding instrumental magic to say the least.''Syssymmalla'' is closer to the more classic lines of Scandinavian Psych/Prog with great piano and guitar work in a jazzy enviroment, offering nice rhythmic lines and sharp solo parts.

A complete, almost classic work of Folk-Fusion.Traditional tunes mixed with electric, instrumental madness, creating a charming amalgam of sights and sounds.Highly recommended.

The legendary Jazz / World Music hybrid PIIRPAUKE from Finland is still going strong, this is one of their recent albums. Sakari Kukko (saxes, flutes, keyboards) and percussionist Ismaila Sane are accompanied this time by the rhythm section from the jazz group TRIO TÖYKEÄT and guitarist Jukka Orma, who has a many-sided career in rock (such as Hassisen Kone and Sielun Veljet) and jazz. Guest appearances are made by a trumpetist on three tracks and a vocalist (Meissa Niang) on four other tracks. They don't have very big roles in the arrangements, except the African vocals on one track.

'Blue Alma' is composed by Toivo Kuula (1883-1918) but the arrangement and the sound is unmistakably Piirpauke's. Orma's electric guitar has brought a new ingredient into it. 'Paimenen polska' is a cheerful traditional, resembling some early Piirpauke stuff from the mid-seventies, but the percussion is very lively, almost African-sounding. The flute part is pure Nordic folk. Kukko composition 'Kaustinen-Dakar' flows at first peacefully like a river but grows into very lively African- style music featuring also the African male vocals.

'Romance' is originally a Tchaikovsky tune which has become familiar also as a song arrangement. Here the saxophone is in the lead role in a tasty 8-minute version including improvisational elements. The next three tracks are composed by Jean Sibelius. 'Musette' is very fresh jazz number starring flute. 'Rondino' and 'Romanssi' are beautiful, relaxed arrangements of relatively familiar classical tunes, both with a saxophone lead. After Kukko's happy-natured Sibelius tribute 'Ainola Festivo' comes one of the best known Sibelius compositions: 'Valse Triste' works surprisingly well as an emotionally strong, unique Piirpauke arrangement.

'Lo-hi' is another good Kukko composition with rich sonic texture. The instrument reminding a violin must be that gopi yantra I've never heard of. The rest of the album flirts with the traditional Finnish folklore. All in all, a very pleasant album featuring the usual Piirpauke elements, without trying to bring anything radically new. In fact, Jukka Orma's guitar could have been more upfront as it is in the opening track.

Sad to see how few reviews this Finnish world/jazz band has received here, and only for their first and second album from mid-seventies. No doubt they are the most classic ones, but Piirpauke has continued through the decades to produce good and original music that bravely crosses musical borders. Fusion, jazz and World Music are the main keywords. With this album they take art music as the starting point: twelve of the 14 tracks are originally Franz Schubert's compositions - lieds, to be more precise. The front man Sakari Kukko (flutes, tenor saxophone and tambura) is accompanied by pianist Joonas Ahonen, bassist Ville Herrala and percussionist Ismaila Sane, and the arrangement credits are shared by the quartet.

Those who know Piirpauke well, know what to expect from this music. One really doesn't need to be a fan of Schubert or lied music to enjoy this instrumental third stream jazz. It's far from any rock attitude, instead there's romantic and even pastoral feeling, and I'll always welcome those moods in the jazz context. Ahonen's piano is a great partner to Kukko's reeds that here and there add some World Music flavour. Also some funk and blues ingredients can be heard on some tracks, but the album manages to be totally coherent. This music only gets better with multiple listenings. As a Piirpauke album however I wouldn't pick it up as one of the most recommendable starting point.

Piirpauke was one of my dicoveries from finish music not long ago. The second album named simply II from 1976 is almost in mood and attitude as their first offer. Their music is quite intresting and in same time there are moments of boringness, a combination of jazzy parts with folk arrangements, the result is ok but far from excellent to my ears. There are instrumental parts with an eclectic fell to it, besides that folk/jazz inspired music, that I really like. ethnic percussions with violins, guitars and keybords all melted in a good way. A 3 star album to me, nothing more nothing less. I think the first two albums of this obscure band are intristing for prog/folk fans. Maybe at some point similar with Haikara

In May and September 1976 Piirpauke recorded their sophomore work simply entitled ''2''.The album features the familiar line-up of Kukko/Hytti/Walli/Wasama, this time though without any guest musicians helping aside.''2'' was released in November 76' on Love Records for the Finnish market and on Svenska Love Records for the Swedish one and, as stated by the group, it is dedicated to the national liberation movements worldwide.

As expected after such a statement, Piirpauke have filled an album with traditional tunes from all over the world.''Laulu'' is a short but excellent melancholic tune from East Karelia in Russia, based on the great work on sax and bells.Two Greek traditional interpretations follow, ''Sirtos'' from the district of Rumeli, based on Kukko's magnificent performance on bouzouki, and ''Fyssouni'' from the area of Epirus, which Piirpauke have transformed into a Folk/Fusion hybrid akin to ARCHIMEDES BADKAR's works.''Prazider adeus'' is a Lounge jazzy Brazilian melody with little to offer, sounds closer to a ballad, yet featuring an excellent guitar solo by Walli.The flute- and percussion-based ''Agjer'' is an archaic-styled improvised melody, exactly in the same style comes the opener of the second side ''Pealdoaivi''.The 11-min. ''Penang'' is an original Piirpauke composition, dedicated to the fight for the black people's rights in South Africa.So this piece contains plenty of African percussion and flutes for the most of its part, but towards the end it suddenly becomes an Electric-Fusion monster with superb drumming, bass and guitars in full energy.The closer ''Imala maika'' is a Bulgarian folk tune with great flutes and light piano in a delicate and beautiful melody.

Another strong work by Piirpauke, epitomizing how Folk Music can stand next to some Jazz/Fusion ideas.A great piece of art for all lovers of music with both ethnic and jazzier tastes.