J.P.P. is a group of

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

folk musicians Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

from

Kaustinen Kaustinen ( sv, Kaustby) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population about 4300 and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities ...

. The group still uses the Kaustinen traditional settings with fiddles,

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

, although their arrangements are more advanced than those of earlier generations of traditional musicians in the area. The group's repertoire consists of traditional tunes, as well as newly-composed music in old-style dance rhythms -- polskas,

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

es, schottisches, etc. -- as well as some Finnish-style

tangos Tangos may refer to: * "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain * Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines * ''Tangos'' (album), a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8 * ''Tangos'' (Rubén Blades album), a 2014 album by Ru ...

, and some

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and bluegrass influences too. ''Järvelän Pikkupelimannit'' began in the early 1980s as an offshoot of the group ''Järvelän Pelimannit'', which consisted mainly of older musicians (in Finnish ''pelimanni'') from the village of Järvelä. The group's original full name, literally "Little Fiddlers of Järvelä," was abbreviated "JPP," which then became the group's official name. JPP further developed local musical tradition with their innovative arrangements and, inspired by other folk music groups, played not only local tunes but also those from other parts of the country. Group members Arto Järvelä and

Timo Alakotila Timo Alakotila is a Finnish composer, arranger, and musician born 15 July 1959. Career Timo Alakotila's range of music styles stretches from Finnish folk music of the '' pelimanni'' style over some jazz influences to more or less Finnish s ...

have been mainly responsible for the group's original compositions and arrangements. Most of the members have studied at the Sibelius-Akatemia University, mainly at the folk music department. For many years the band consisted of brothers Jouni and Arto Järvelä, who are fourth-generation folk musicians from Järvelä, their uncle Mauno Järvelä and Jarmo and Juha Varila on fiddles, Timo Alakotila on harmonium, and Janne Virkkala on double bass. Jouni Järvelä and the Varila brothers were later succeeded by Matti Mäkelä and Tommi Pyykönen, first on tours and then also on recordings. Antti Järvelä followed Timo Myllykangas on bass. While JPP releases fewer recordings today than in its early years, the group still tours in both Europe and North America, mainly performing at folk music/ world music festivals. Group members have several additional projects, especially Arto Järvelä and Tima Alakotila who are involved in many other groups, both pure folk music and fusions with other styles. Mauno Järvelä, who used to play in symphony orchestra, is currently very active as a teacher of

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and pelimanni music. His method of teaching children to play violin, related to the Suzuki method, is nicknamed ''the sisuki method''!

Records

* ''Järvelän Pikkupelimannit'', 1983 (EP) * ''Laitisen Mankeliska'', 1986 * ''JPP'', 1988 (double LP) * ''I've Found a New Tango'', 1990 * ''Pirun Polska/Devil's polska'', 1992 * ''Kaustinen Rhapsody'', 1994 * ''String Tease'', 1998 * ''History'', 1999 (compilation) * ''Huutokatrilli!'', 2001 (mini-CD with dance music) * ''Artology'', 2006

External links

Official homepage

The JPP on hoedown.com

TVfolk.net
(Video, search under "Finland") {{Authority control Finnish folk musical groups Finnish world music groups