Read full news at www.fimic.fi
1. Sväng, Frigg and Lepistö&Lehti at Finland Fest, Tokyo
Three folk acts will showcase Finnish music in Tokyo in May in the framework of the yearly music business event Finland Fest (28 May-1 June). The folk music night will take place on 28 May at JZ Brat and feature the fiddle virtuoso band Frigg, accordion and bass duo Lepistö & Lehti and the frequent visitor in Japan, harmonica quartet Sväng. The Japanese promoter for the showcase, The Music Plant, has also put up an album campaign titled "Music from Finland", displaying the Finnish folk music in the five significant record stores of Tokyo. In addition to the Finland Fest showcase, all the three bands play several other gigs in Japan.
2. Wimme climbs up the WMCE chart to #3 in May
The master of Sámi joik, Wimme, continues his success story on the prestigious World Music Charts Europe (WMCE) with his album Mún. In the May 2010 listing, Mún is number 3, remaining the highest rated European album on the chart.
Mún, released in January 2010 on Rockadillo Records, features Wimme Saari (vocals), Tapani Rinne (clarinets), Juuso Hannukainen (percussion) and Matti Wallenius (acoustic string instruments). Hannukainen and Rinne are best known as the two main musicians from RinneRadio, an experimental Finnish ensemble. RinneRadio´s sound guru Tuomas Norvio adds electronics into the mix.
3. Sommelo and Kaustinen ranked among 25 best world music festivals
Two Finnish events, Sommelo Festival and Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, were chosen into the top 25 of the international world music festivals. The list, compiled by the British magazine Songlines, was published in their June issue.
Sommelo (1-5 July) will now take place for the fifth time. Even though a relative newcomer, it is already an internationally renowned folk music festival. The event has a very special nature, since it is organised on both sides of the Finnish-Russian border. The oldest folk music festival of the Nordic countries, Kaustinen (12-18 July), will focus on Kalevala tradition and the local heritage and talent of the village of Kaustinen.
Another mention of honour has been given to Haapavesi Folk Music Festival (1-4 July), which has been chosen the "Festival of the Year" by the Finland Festivals organisation. The 22th edition of the festival will feature also a special KanteleFest, now arranged for the first time.
4. Piirpauke returns to Finnish national romanticism with flair
Piirpauke, the pioneer of Finnish world music since their establishing in 1974, has renewed its line-up and released a new album, Koli (Rockadillo). In a way, the new album is a return to the group's roots as a jazz band playing Finnish folk songs, as Sakari Kukko and Ismaila Sane have here been joined by several top-class jazz musicians. The music on the album comes partly from the roots of the Finnish pelimanni music, partly from the classical compositions from the time of the Finnish national romanticism - for example Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) - all performed with a strong multicultural soundscape in a true Piirpauke style.
Short cuts
- Finnish culture will be on focus at the Shanghai Expo (1 May-31 Oct) on 27 May, the "Finland Day". The cultural programme for the day concentrates on popular music. Finnish folk music will be represented by Kimmo Pohjonen, Sväng, and Lepistö & Lehti.
New releases
- Alamaailman Vasarat has released a DVD Haudasta lomilla ("On vacation from the grave", Laskeuma Records) in May 2010, which debuted at No. 1 on the Finnish official DVD chart. The DVD includes live material from past years, music videos and lots of extras.
- Seita Music has released a CD for children with top class Finnish folk musicians. The album, titled Juurikadun Orkesteri, features for example Tellu Turkka, Anne-Mari Kivimäki and Matti Laitinen.
- The acclaimed Helsinki (2008) by the duo Lepistö & Lehti will be released in UK on 27 June.
- Two top-notch groups of Finnish folk, Sväng and Frigg are working on their new albums. Sväng's Schladtzshe! will be released in autumn, Frigg's new effort is scheduled to be out already in the late summer.
More new recordings will be updated to Fimic web site, www.fimic.fi > Recordings
Tour news
- Singer, kantele player and Carelian joik expert Karoliina Kantelinen will tour in Japan 18-20 June and perform at the Mission Folk Music Festival (British Columbia, Canada) 23-25 July.
- One of the most high-profile folk festivals in Norway, Førdefestivalen (8-11 July) has booked the Finnish-Norwegian fiddlers Frigg as well as accordionist Markku Lepistö. Frigg will also play at the Festival Inter-Celtique in Lorient, France, on 13 August.
- Colours of Ostrava, taking place 15-18 July in Czech Republic, has invited accordion artist Maria Kalaniemi and the ethno/rock fusion act Alamaailman Vasarat to their newest edition.
- The odd charm of the harmonica quartet Sväng seems to work well in both Europe and Asia. After the busy May in Japan and China, they will tour e.g. Germany and Italy.
- The Sámi joik singer Wimme took the stage in Slovenia, where he performed at Druga Godba festival on 25-26 May, and will next travel to Poznan, Poland to the Ethno Port festival on 19 June.
- The Estonian Viljandi Folk Music Festival (22-25 July) will feature Tsuumi Sound System, who take their energetic fusion folk also to e.g. Norway. Also a duo titled Antti & Esko - both members of Frigg - will be on stage in Viljandi.
- Lepistö & Lehti will play at Womad festival in Wiltshire, UK on 25 July.
For more tour news around the world, see www.fimic.fi> Event Calendar
OUR NEXT E-MAIL INFO
The next Fimic Folk Music News will be mailed in August 2010.
COMMENTS TO FIMIC
Please e-mail any comments regarding the newsletters to Communications Editor, Ms. Merja Hottinen: merja.hottinen@fimic.fi
CONTACT INFORMATION, FOLK & WORLD MUSIC
Ms. Henna Salo, Promotion and Projects, Popular Music: henna.salo@fimic.fi
Ms. Heli Lampi, Promotion Manager: heli.lampi@fimic.fi
Finnish Music Information Centre (Fimic)
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tel. +358 9 6810 1313
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