PIIRPAUKE 2

Piirpauke's second album is the same sort of beast than its predecessor, despite not being a carbon copy either. Proposing eight shorter tracks (as opposed to five longer ones), the general musical mood also shifts to a jazzier feel, sometimes bordering on the gypsy-klezmer realm. Graced with a psych-folk artwork, the album features the same multi- instrumental line-up than its predecessor, and was released on the inevitable Finn label Love Records the following year (76).

Again, a good deal of the tracks are traditional folk music from around the planet, but their adaptation and rearrangements make Piirpauke's second album just as interesting as their first for adventurous progheads, because instruments like the Bouzouki, Egyptian violin, tambura, ethnic percussions, . Opening on the dronal Celtic Laulu and following on the Greek trad Sirtos, the album remains in the general artistic lines of the band. Fyssouni has a certain Spanish or flamenco slant crossed with a raga rhythm, but it's more in the klezmer realm. Plenty of instrumental interplay and a great alto sax solo to boot. The following band-written original Pazider Adeus is a pure jazz piece with plenty of tenor sax and electric guitar solo and is the perfect way to close the A-side.

On the flipside, we're transported in the Indian subcontinent with the short band-written Agjek, with ethnic flutes and percussions. Tambura are laying delicate dronal layers in Pealdoaivi, but the main attraction are the ethnic percussions and shrill flutes. The lengthy 11-mins two-parts Penang is definitely in the African sonic realm, and if I understand Finnish well enough, they have a few (unnamed) African musicians guesting. We're in the Niger River basin (Mali and Guinea) and it's rather fun to travel so far from your living room for so cheap, being carried away by the sonic waves emerging from your speakers. The middle section is more dissonant and tends to digress into Indian realm, but the closing part head into a fantastic 100-mph JR/F frenzy where Walli's electric guitar soars like an eagle over Kukko's electric piano and jazz-funk rhythm. The closing Imala Maika is apparently a Bulgarian piece, but it's not immediately obvious because it's got a general but undefined eastern European folk, but one can hear some western (read Celtic) flute solo.

In some ways, I tend to prefer the debut over their second, but it's rather clear that Piirpauke progressed, especially that the band wrote over half the music, and in doing so, also presented a lightly jazzier slant that's quite welcomed. If you're into Embryo, Archimedes Badkar and other bands playing "world music" avant-la-lettre (since the term would be coined with Peter Gabriel's Womad thing in the mid-80's), no doubt that Piirpauke's first few album will delight you, and I gather that the group's present (they're still together as a band) sonic realm remains fairly similar nowadays.

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.

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