Panu Savolainen & JPP will celebrate their album with a joint production tour in November
Vibraphonist Panu Savolainen and folk music legend JPP are heading out on a joint production tour to celebrate their debut album in November. The ensemble will tour Finland extensively, from Southern Finland to Lapland – and even onto the waves of the Baltic Sea.
Vibraphonist Panu Savolainen, along with the renowned Finnish folk music group JPP (formerly known as Järvelän Pikkupelimannit), released their joint album titled Panu Savolainen & JPP (Doorbell Music) on October 20th. The repertoire of this album, which combines jazz improvisation with the Kaustinen tradition of fiddling, listed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, consists of compositions by Panu Savolainen, Timo Alakotila, Arto Järvelä and Mauno Järvelä, along with two jazz standard covers. The ensemble will perform a total of thirteen concerts throughout November and December, six of which will be part of a joint production tour with the Finnish Jazz Federation.
“I first heard the JPP folk music group perform live in early 2015 while rehearsing extra collaborative pieces for a concert with the Herd trio,” Panu Savolainen recounts. “At the time, having recently completed my master’s degree in jazz music, I thought I understood something about music’s swing. However, that perception changed the moment Timo Alakotila’s ‘Kohti Pispalaa’ started playing, interpreted by the then 33-year-old band. I knew and felt that this couldn’t be our only time playing together, and shortly after, our first concert was already scheduled for the summer of 2016.”
Vibraphonist Panu Savolainen is known as a versatile and expressive musician and composer in the realms of jazz, classical, and other acoustic music. He gained recognition in the Finnish music scene through his trio, Herd, established in 2009, and especially through his collaborative project with singer Aili Ikonen, Jazzbasilli. In addition to three albums released with Herd, Savolainen has led the Toivo ensemble, celebrating Toivo Kärki’s 100th anniversary, and the Panu Savolainen Soiva Trio formed in 2017. He has also performed as a soloist with the Helsinki City Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra.
JPP, acting as a pioneer and messenger of Finnish folk music for over 40 years, was founded in 1982 in the capital of Finnish folk fiddling, Kaustinen. In addition to the violin section, the ensemble includes double bass and harmonium. Its musical roots trace back to the 18th century, originating from the musical tradition of the Järvelä family from Kaustinen. Building on this foundation, JPP has created its own surprising style and has toured actively on various continents, releasing 11 albums. The combination of Panu Savolainen & JPP has been heard, for instance, at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Haapavesi Folk, and in concert recordings for Yle Radio 1.
Panu Savolainen & JPP
Panu Savolainen – vibraphone
Mauno Järvelä – violin
Arto Järvelä – violin
Tommi Pyykönen – violin
Matti Mäkelä – violin
Timo Myllykangas – double bass
Timo Alakotila – harmonium
Tour dates
Wed 8.11. at 18:00 Hyvinkää, Kaukasten juhlatalo
Thu 9.11. at 19:00 Espoo, Louhisali
Fri 10.11. at 19:00 Turku, Logomo
Sat 11.11. at 19:00 Tampere, TTT-klubi
Tue 14.11. at 19:00 Kokkola, Konservatorion sali *
Wed 15.11. at 19:00 Oulu, RioLive *
Thu 16.11. at 19:00 Kajaani, Kouta-sali *
Fri 17.11. at 19:00 Lieksa, Brahe-sali *
Sat 18.11. at 18:00 Joensuu, Joensuun konservatorio *
Sun 19.11. at 14:00 Outokumpu, Kulttuuritalo Marita *
Thu 30.11. at 19:00 Järvenpää, Järvenpää-talo
Thu 7.12. at 19:00 Helsinki, Malmitalo
Fri–Sat 12–13.1.2024 Folklandia Cruise
* Concert part of the joint production tour with the Finnish Jazz Federation.
Jazz – heard and seen!
Finnish Jazz Federation’s essential form of operation is national touring. The annual touring activities enable approximately 100 concerts in 40 different locations all over Finland. The concerts mainly take place in their member organizations. Four of the tours are in-house productions, and five are produced in co-operation with external producers.
Photo: Ville Paasimaa