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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
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Reviews

Maria Kalaniemi & Aldargaz — Ahma
(NorthSide NSD6053, 1999/2001, CD)

by Paul Hightower, Published 2000-05-01

Ahma Cover art

Use an accordion, go to jail? Not here! Like many, the word accordion conjured up for me nightmares of bad polka music and Lawrence Welk. However, just one listen to the superb music on Ahma and it didn’t take long to permanently erase any misgivings I once had about this instrument. Maria Kalaniemi is a Finnish accordionist of some renown and here she is again joined by her hand-picked quintet Aldargaz for a modern jazz tour-de-force that is getting a great deal of attention far beyond Finland (their debut, Iho, was released in 1995). The 12 tracks on Ahma generally cut one of two ways: either as up-tempo, frisky romps (“Ahma,” “Nibe,” “Kamppi”), or as placid yet harmonically challenging tone poems (“Angskär,” “Kaamos,” “Nautilus”). A good point of comparison overall is the music of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, particularly in tracks where the accordion and skittering violin duet over quickly shifting piano chords. The musicianship from top to bottom on Ahma is first-rate, though besides Kalaniemi’s own incredible playing the piano work of Timo Alakotilla and Anto Järvelä’s violin deserve particular attention. All three handle the CD’s rollercoaster harmonic shifts with an ease that is simply amazing. There’s also a cool sophistication throughout all 12 pieces that is relaxing even amidst such nimble-fingered prowess. This is modern instrumental music at its very best and I can’t recommend this disc highly enough, especially to all the Fleck-heads out there.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 19, 2001 releases, 1999 recordings

Related artist(s): Maria Kalaniemi

 

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