01	Hale-Bopp						04:10
	02	Koyrinkulma						03:00
	03	Antin Mikko						03:30
	04	Speedy Slam						00:56
	05	Wedding Suite - March for Juha &Kaisu/Waltz for Kaisu & Juha/Polska for Maria & Olli						08:19
	06	Engel						04:14
	07	Roros						04:27
	08	McLean's Dream						04:30
	09	Finnish Gypsies						02:46
	10	Vals efter Jan-Olof Olsson						04:12
	11	Wasulaisten Poloneesi						03:19
	12	Slangolska efter Byss-Calle						03:04
	13	Lundgren						02:42
	14	Pykala						04:01

Label website: www.noside.com

String Tease by JPP


JPP is Finland's premier fiddle band, and this is their first new recording in four years. With a core band of four fiddles, double bass and harmonium, String Tease also features the JPP String Orchestra (7 more fiddles), who create a "wall of fiddles" which fills any room with the sound of sheer ecstasy. Plus, JPP's rhythm section are also the foundation of NorthSide's Troka.

The 14 tracks are a combination of traditional and original compositions, featuring brilliant arrangements and tight ensemble playing. Highlights include "Hale-Bopp," the epic "Wedding Suite" and the complex but catchy "Engel." Vasen from Sweden join JPP on two tracks, both traditional Swedish tunes that the two bands have played together live many times.

JPP proves that creative compositions and arrangements for string orchestras can still be relevant to modern music. String Tease is JPP's sixth album in their 16-year history. Two previous recordings have been released in North America, "Devil's Polska" and "Kaustinen Rhapsody," on Green Linnet's Xenophile imprint.



"JPP proffes a polyphonic wall of sound that is as rich in high-flying lyricism as it is in earthy, rhythmic verve." - Billboard


"...four bows saw away to create a river of sound containing clearly discernible currents within the overall flow." - Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post


"JPP have led the Finnish invasion into new territory with String Tease. Excellent musicianship and innovative arrangements (tempered by a firm grasp of history) have finally come together for this band and led them to make their first truly important record." - Cliff Furnald, Rootsworld





JPP are:
ARTO JARVELA - violin

TIMO MYLLYKANGAS - acoustic bass

TIMO ALAKOTILA - harmonium

MAUNO JARVELA - violin

MATTI MAKELA - violin

TOMMI PYYKONEN - violin

In the early 1980s, a group of young fiddlers from the tiny village of Jarvela began making some noise in local folk music circles. JARVELAN PIKKUPELIMANNIT ("Little Folk Musicians of Jarvela") descended from a line of folk musicians going back to the late 1800s. Performing folk tunes from those villages, they attracted attention with their arrangements, their harmonies, new compositions, influences from Swedish folk music and their youth (ages 17-25).

Throughout the years, JPP's stature and reputation at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival has strengthened and expanded to the point where now they are top attractions every summer. Their concerts, dances and late night jams are highlights of the festival and never fail to drive their legions of devoted followers absolutely berserk.

From their beginnings in folk music, JPP have added original compositions (including a number of tangos) to their repertoire, and developed a distinctive "wall of fiddles" sound.

History charts the development of their sound, while String Tease shows the band in full flower, with music of beauty and strength.




7.5
JPP
String Tease
(NorthSide)


by Sarah Zupko
PopMatters Music Editor

Finland's premier fiddle band JPP possess both a deep appreciation for traditional Finnish folk music and brilliant musical technique honed by classical conservatory training. The formal training comes in handy because JPP's calling card is a lush, wall-of-sound that is built on precision and heart-felt playing. Often backed by an additional 7 piece fiddle orchestra, an acoustic bass, and the mesmerizing harmonium of Timo Alakotila, JPP cook up a diverse stew of polkas, waltzes, and the eastern European-flavored "Finnish Gypsies." Ultimately, it's rather like Itzhak Perlman jamming at a Nashville hoe-down with Johnny Gimble and Mark O'Connor.






JPP
String Tease
NorthSide US (www.noside.com) / Rockadillo-Finland (zenmaster@rock.pp.fi)


I have heard JPP perform many times and have always had high praise for their performances as well as the talents of individual members of the band. Harmonium player Timo Alakotila is one of Finland's best composers, and an arranger sought after by anyone there looking to add a special character to their work. Arto Jarvela is a master fiddler who has appeared on more records than can be counted. He and Alakotila are integral members of some of the nation's best new folk ensembles. Mauno Jarvela is not only an important performer on the fiddle, but has led a national crusade to make the folk music of Finland part of every day life through his school teaching and the development of a teaching system, a sort of "Suzuki of the north." They have been the core of JPP since its earliest days. The newer members of the group are no less talented; Matti Maakela and Tommi Pykonen's violins are flawless, and double bassist Timo Myllykangas can exhibit a jazzy sensitivity or the straight-time thump so critical to the classic Finnish sound.
JPP's recorded output though, has always seemed to be slightly less than the sum of its formidable parts. Save for occasional outbursts, they have kept a pretty straight course, taking the tradition seriously, playing beautifully, even brilliantly, but never really stepping out or pushing the limits. Not so here.


Hale Bopp
String Tease offers a wide variety of feeling for a band comprised of only strings and a harmonium. The Alakotila/Mauno Jarvela song "Hale-Bopp" is a gem, delivering a memorable melody with taunt energy and a restrained elegance. Equally elegant is Arto Jarvela's "Wedding Suite," which not only shows off his fiddling, but gives the JPP wall of fiddles a chance to show their wonder. The traditional "Lundgren" takes full advantage of the fiddles, and gives the listener a taste of the rarely heard full orchestra of a dozen players, usually reserved for special live occasions. String Tease also gives the band a chance to collaborate with Sweden's acoustic powerhouse, Vasen. A Swedish polska throbs with cello, bass and harmonium, driven by the fiddles and Olav Johansson's nyckelharpa. A slangspolska gives Vasen the front seat in a vibrant, lively tune with an abundance of fiddles to rival anything in Texas and adding percussion for an interesting new sound.

With String Tease JPP has really taken the leap. Excellent musicianship and innovative arrangements come together and lead them to produce the recording they were always meant to make. - Cliff Furnald