01	Kuunnousu						03:30
	02	Legong						10:51
	03	Uusi Laulu Paimenille						05:34
	04	Cybele						10:51
	05	Konevitsan Kirkonkellot						05:07

Piirpauke [Finland]

Piirpauke (75), Piirpauke 2 (76), Yo Kyopelinvuorella (79), Birgi Buhtui (81), Live in der Balver Hohle (81), Kirkastus (81), Soi Vienosti Murheeni Soitto (82), Live in Europe (83), Ilahu Illalla (84), The Wild East (86), Algazara (87), Zerenade (89), Global Servisi (90, comp.), Tuku Tuku (91), Terra Nova (93, aka Muuttolinnut), Metamorphosis (Live 1977-1995) (95)

Finnish all-instrumental folk band. I have Birgi Butui and Vienosti.... They mainly do adaptations of traditional Finnish folk songs. However, they also cover several Turkish folk tunes and even some South American ones. Birgi Buhtui is the best of the two and combines folk, prog and jazz with interesting results. At times, it sounds similar to fellow Scandinavians Secret Oyster, but not as good. Vienosti is almost straight ahead Finnish folk, plus a cover of a Colombian song which fails to keep my interest. If you have never heard them, you are not missing a whole lot. Overall rating: nice but no cigar. -- Juan Joy


BIOGRAPHY
PIIRPAUKE has been a pioneer of World Music for so long, that some people might take the band for granted. If you think you already know Piirpauke, be ready for some surprises with the new studio CD "Ave Maria". And if you do not know Piirpauke by now, here is your chance to hear what real World Music fusion is all about. Piirpauke has always been changing - not following fashions but pursuing new fresh interests and ideas from band leader Sakari Kukko. On "Ave Maria" Piirpauke has a wide selection of songs from originals to Manuel de Falla and Schubert as well as Finnish material from joyful schlagers from the 40's and 50's to lieds and church verses. That is some versatility! Somehow Piirpauke always manages to make the diverse material sound like their own.

By now, most people are aware of World Music and realize that it simply means the appreciation of the best tunes from all over the world. Some people saw it coming years and years ago and were playing it before anybody had thought of calling it World Music or anything.

Sakari Kukko - visionary, world traveller and multi-instrumentalist from Finland - saw it coming more than 20 years ago, when he formed the first line-up of Piirpauke and was immediately awarded with a hit. Since that first success with a poignant Karelian folk tune, Sakari has guided his ever-improving line-ups on musical journeys through the delights of Balkan, Turkey, Africa, Latin America and points in between. After more than a dozen albums and many tours and concerts in Spain, Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Cuba, Soviet Union, India and Turkey the band is now ready to set their sights further afield. Sakari and his saxes, flutes and keyboards have never been content with merely polite "fusion music", but have always striven to draw the most fire and beauty from the most inspiring sources, no matter where. With his present international line-up of master musicians from Finland, Spain and Senegal, Sakari is truly an ambassador of World Music.

Since attaining accolades as one Finland's top jazz saxophone players in the early seventies, Sakari has steadily added to his array of flutes and woodwinds on his world travels - and he also plays a mean keyboard and is occasionally inspired to launch into a tongue-in-cheek vocal. The countries he has roamed for exotic musical inspiration are too numerous to mention, but he has resided both in Columbia and Spain.

While taking a temporary leave of absence from Piirpauke and playing with an another international line-up in Spain a few years ago, Sakari was enthralled by the rare beauty of Andalucian songbird Cinta Hermo. She was spirited to Finland just in time to be featured on some tracks of Piirpauke's "Algazara" album and with her soulful voice blending perfectly with the eclectic melodies, it was decided that she should become a permanent addition. With Cinta's vocals as another focal point, Piirpauke has been able to add delightful new dimensions to its many-faceted forms of instrumental fusion. A notable but natural change has now occurred in Spanish having become the band's main language both in song and in communication between the current members, as the fiery Senegalese percussionist and singer Ismael Sane, who joined Piirpauke in 1989, has been living in Spain long enough to become a Spanish citizen and Sakari speaks it fluently, of course.

Since the release of the1991 album "Tuku Tuku" Piirpauke has been operating as a trio consisting of Sakari, Cinta and Ismael with occasional guest appearances from people like Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz. They feel that the trio format gives all of them a lot of possibilities to showcase their amazing talents and virtuosity. The trio has developed into a unit that can easily fuse influences from anywhere they like. A lullaby from Finland becomes totally new when Cinta Hermo adds her Spanish lyrics to it. And a Finnish polka is as natural to percussionist Ismael Sane as any West-African rhythm. On stage Piirpauke is now more energetic and exciting than ever.

The band's first U.S. shows in March 1992 at SXSW Music And Media Conference in Austin and SOB's in New York created a lot of interest. In June 1992 the band played Tallinn and Fiesta festival in Estonia as well as WOMAD festival in Finland. In 1993 Piirpauke recorded "Terra Nova" and played in Turkey with Okay Temiz.

In 1994 Piirpauke celebrated the band's 20th Anniversary with a major tour that also featured old members Hasse Walli on guitar and Antti Hytti on bass. In Septermber Piirpauke travelled to Barcelona, where they performed to 5000 people at Placa Catedral during BAM festival and the annual Merce fiesta. In January 1995 Piirpauke was the first Finnish band ever to play a Midem concert in Cannes, France. This lead to a licensing deal with Spanish label Horus for a compilation CD called Cinta Hermo y Piirpauke: "Arbole", which was released in Spain in May 1995. Piirpauke toured in Turkey and twice in Sweden and Finland. In December a two-hour / 2-CD "Metamorphosis (Live 1977 - 1995)", a package of highlights from live performances by the band's various incarnations was released.

After playing in Spain and Portugal in May 1996, Piirpauke spent the Summer in Kajaani, north-east part of Finland, working on the new studio album "Ave Maria". The album was released in Finland in November and everybody seems to agree that it is the band's best effort in years.

Piirpauke - a never ending story of musical travel, excitement and brilliance.