J.P.P. is a group of Finnish

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. The group still uses the Kaustinen traditional settings with

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

s, harmonium and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, 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 --

polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

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 wa ...

es,

schottische The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina ("chotis"Span ...

s, 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 major ...

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 Järvelä is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arto Järvelä (born 1964), Finnish composer and fiddler * Jonne Järvelä (born 1974), Finnish guitarist and singer * Maija Järvelä, Finnish biathlonist * Mauno Järve ...

. 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 Arto Järvelä (born in 1964 in Hattula, Finland) is a Finnish violin, fiddler and composer. Because of the many groups and projects he is involved in, he has been called "the busiest man in Finnish folk music". He is primarily a violinist, but a ...

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

, their uncle

Mauno Järvelä Mauno Järvelä (born 25. November 1949 in Kaustinen) is a Finnish fiddler, violinist and music pedagogue. He is the uncle of Arto Järvelä, and both of them are members in the successful folk music group JPP, whose roots are the pelimanni tradi ...

and Jarmo and Juha Varila on fiddles, Timo Alakotila on harmonium, and

Janne Virkkala Janne is a common given name in the Nordic countries. In Denmark, Norway and Estonia it is considered a feminine name, while in Sweden and Finland it is considered masculine. In Sweden and Finland it is often used as a nickname for people with r ...

on double bass. Jouni Järvelä and the Varila brothers were later succeeded by Matti Mäkelä and

Tommi Pyykönen Tommi is a masculine Finnish given name. Traditional Finnish diminutive of “Thomas”. Thomas comes from the Aramaic name Thoma, meaning ‘twin’. Used as a formal given name since 20th century, reinforced by the English Tommy. Notable people ...

, first on tours and then also on recordings.

Antti Järvelä Antti is a Finnish masculine given name derived from the Greek name ''Andreas''. In Estonia, the variant Anti is more common. It is uncommon as a surname. People with the name include: Given name * Antti Autti (born 1985), Finnish snowboarde ...

followed

Timo Myllykangas Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment *Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician *Timo Andres (born 1985), ...

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 An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

, 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 regular ...

and pelimanni music. His method of teaching children to play violin, related to the

Suzuki method The Suzuki method is a music curriculum and teaching philosophy dating from the mid-20th century, created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki (1898–1998). The method aims to create an environment for learning music which para ...

, 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