J.P.P. is a Finnish

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

group. It still uses the Kaustinen traditional settings with

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

and

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, 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 extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

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 (Spanish ...

s, etc. -- as well as some Finnish-style

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

, 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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 Korpiklaani ( Finnish for ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti that was formerly known a ...

. 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 am ...

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 ...

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 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 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 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 "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, is currently very active as a teacher of

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

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

Suzuki method The Suzuki method is a mid-20th-century music curriculum and teaching method created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki. The method claims to create a reinforcing environment for learning music for young learners. Backgroun ...

, is nicknamed ''the

sisu is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a single-word ...

ki 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

References

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