In the early eighties, a group of young fiddlers from the tiny village of Järvelä began making some noise in local folk music circles. Järvelän Pikkupelimannit (“Little Folk Musicians of Järvelä”) 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 (most folk tunes at that time were played straight with no embellishments), their harmonies, new compositions, influences from Swedish folk music and their youth (ages 17-25). Also significant was the fact that they started to play folk tunes from all over Finland, not just from their own area, which was the standard practice.
The first big break for the group came when they landed first prize at the Finnish Championship Competition for Folk Music Groups in Mäntsälä, Finland in 1982. At this time the band consisted of: Arto Järvelä on fiddle, his brother Jouni Järvelä on acoustic bass, brothers Jarmo and Juha Varila on fiddles and Timo Alakotila on harmonium. The success at the Mäntsälä competition led to instant national fame with gigs all over Finland and soon they were playing in Sweden.
In 1983, Järvelän Pikkupelimannit financed and released their first record, an EP of eight traditional tunes from the Kaustinen area, an area long recognized as a thriving folk music center, rich in culture, tradition and talent. It was at this time that the group began to establish themselves at the annual Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, playing at dances and making their own concerts.
1984 saw the addition of two new members to the group: uncle Mauno Järvelä on fiddle and Janne Virkkala on acoustic bass. Jouni switched to fiddle, thereby making the fiddle section five strong and consequently much more powerful. By this time, word of the band’s talents had leaked to various parts of the world. Interest spread across the seas and the boys set out for tours and concerts in Portugal, Egypt, Singapore, Thailand and Denmark.
Discography
Järvelän Pikkupelimannit (1983)
Laitisen Mankeliska (1986)
JPP (1988)
I’ve Found a New Tango (1990)
Pirun Polska – Devil’s polska (1992)
Kaustinen Rhapsody (1994)
String Tease (1998)
History (1999)
Huutokatrilli! (2001)
Artology (2006)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
