Piirpauke is a

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 ...

musical group Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

combining

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

mbalax Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

, carnatic, romantic, modern, classical,

humppa Humppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and very fast foxtrot, played two beats to a bar ( or ). Typical speed is about 220 to 260 beats per minute. Humppa is also the name of a few social dances danced to humppa music. A ...

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, hindustani,

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

, Lappjoik,

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, Karelian,

, national romantic and

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

influences (among others) in their compositions. The band was founded in 1974 by the keyboardist-saxophonist

Sakari Kukko Sakari Kukko, (full Name: Jyrki Sakari Kukko, born 8 July 1953, Kajaani, Finland) is a Finnish musician. Career Kukko started his career in the early 1960s as a singer participating in several singing contests and performing in radio stations, ...

, who is the only original member left in the band today. In addition to a large number of Finnish musicians, several musicians from various countries have also played in Piirpauke. The name "Piirpauke" comes from an Sakari Kukko's

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

n father and means a noise or a racket. The band has released 20 studio albums as well as several live and compilation albums. In October 2010 their album Koli peaked number one at the World Music Charts Europe.October 2010
World Music Charts Europe. Retrieved 30 May 2014. Piirpauke's best known song in Finland is ''Konevitsan kirkonkellot'' (The Church Bells of Konevets), based on a traditional Karelian melody. It is named after the

Konevsky Monastery Konevsky Monastery (russian: Рождество-Богородичный Коневский монастырь (as it is written on the seal of the monastery), fi, Konevitsan Jumalansynnyttäjän syntymän luostari) is a Russian Orthodox monastery ...

in the Konevets island of

Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga (; rus, Ла́дожское о́зеро, r=Ladozhskoye ozero, p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə or rus, Ла́дога, r=Ladoga, p=ˈladəɡə, fi, Laatokka arlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'' ; vep, Ladog, Ladoganjärv) is a fresh ...

. The song was covered by heavy metal band Sentenced in their 2002 album ''

The Cold White Light ''The Cold White Light'' is an album by the Finnish metal band Sentenced, released in May 2002 on Century Media. Limited copies contain the video for the song "Killing Me Killing You" from the band's previous album ''Crimson'' plus a free Sente ...

''. In

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

the biggest hit is so far "Swedish Reggae". The most active period was 1979–1993, when Piirpauke was touring regularly especially in Central Europe. A typical venue was a big jazz, rock and world music festival, or a big club like Fabrik in

Hamburg-Altona Altona (), also called Hamburg-Altona, is the westernmost Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg#Boroughs, urban borough (''Bezirk'') of the Germany, German States of Germany, city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to ...

. The same stages were occupied by the biggest names of those days like

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, Astor Piazzola,

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

and

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, just to mention a few from different genres. A typical tour would last about a month with 30 gigs, the record being 45 concerts in one month. The latest album "Hali" has been released in 2019.

Band members

– saxophone, piano, keyboards, vocals *

Eerik Siikasaari Eerik Siikasaari (born 8 October 1957 in Finland) is a Finnish jazz bassist who is probably best known as a member of Trio Töykeät, a Finnish jazz trio. He is also the bassist of Espoo Big Band, and actively teaches music in Espoo-based Pop/Ja ...

– bass *

Rami Eskelinen Rami Eskelinen (born 14 August 1967 in Helsinki), is a Finnish jazz drummer who is probably best known as a member of Trio Töykeät Trio Töykeät (founded in 1988) was a Finnish jazz trio. Their music ranges from humorous ragtimes to sentimen ...

– drums *

Ismaila Sané Ismaila Sané (full name Ismaila Sané Badiane) is a Senegalese born percussionist, singer, solo dancer of African ballet, choreographer and pedagogue. He was born on January 4, 1956, in Coubalan, Casamance, Senegal). Sané lived in Spain from 1981 ...

– percussion, vocals *Nicholas Rehn – guitar

Selected former members

Hasse Walli Hannes Mikael Waldemar "Hasse" Walli was born on 10 February 1948 in Helsinki. His father Aarno Walli was a musician and bandleader, his mother Anne-Marie Strandberg a singer. Hasse Walli was about ten years old when he started playing drums. ...

– guitar (1974–1978) *

Jukka Tolonen Jukka Jorma Tolonen (born 16 April 1952) is a Finnish jazz guitarist.Lönnqvist, Niclas.Jukka Tolonen är musikern av Guds nåde (in Swedish), Hufvudstadsbladet, August 3, 2018. Tolonen became famous as guitarist for the progressive rock band T ...

– guitar (1987) *Jukka Orma – guitar

Guest members

* Sheila Surban – vocals *Meissa Niang – vocals

Discography

Studio albums

*''Piirpauke'' (1975) *''Piirpauke 2'' (1976) *''Yö Kyöpelinvuorella'' (1980) *''Birgi Bühtüi'' (1981) *''Kirkastus'' (1981) *''Ilahu Illalla'' (1984) *''The Wild East'' (1986) *''Algazara'' (1987) *''Zerenade'' (1989) *''Tuku Tuku'' (1991) *''Terra Nova'' (1993) *''Ave Maria'' (1996) *''Laula sinäkin'' (1998) *''Kalevala Spirit'' (2000) *''Sillat'' (2002) *''Laulu laineilla'' (2003) *''Kalabalik'' (2006) *''Koli'' (2010) *''Ilo'' (2012) *''Juju (2018) *''Hali (2019)

Live albums and compilations

*''Piirpauke Live'' (1978) *''Historia of Piirpauke Vol. 1'' (1978) *''Live in der Balver Höhle'' (1981) *''Soi vienosti murheeni soitto'' (1982) *''Live in Europe'' (1983) *''Global Servisi'' (1990) *''Metamorphosis (Live 1977–1995)'' (1995) *''Ikiliikkuja – Perpeetum Mobile'' (2004)

References

{{Authority control Finnish folk musical groups Finnish world music groups Finnish progressive rock groups Jazz fusion ensembles Musical groups established in 1974