Maria Kalaniemi
Ahma

A few weeks ago, while I was caught up in entirely different matters, my attention was literally captured by the sound of an accordion coming from the irreplaceable Radio3. A fast yet passionate phrasing, fluid and delicate like few others, a beautiful music.
The piece ends and the speaker reveals the mystery: it's Maria Kalaniemi, a Finnish accordionist, one of the most important names in Finnish folk.

I manage to procure "Ahma", her latest work, and I am not disappointed but once again enchanted by her elegance, that emotion I remembered is all there.
"Ahma" is an acoustic record but not folk, it is composed by Kalaniemi herself and her group (Aldargaz), her strongly Nordic style is jazzy at the same time, it sometimes reminds me of "The First Circle" by the Pat Metheny Group.

Of the twelve episodes, all very beautiful, that make up the CD, one struck me in particular, "Kaamos (Polar Night)"; if you get the chance, spend a few minutes of your time listening to it, and if you like it, take the record home without hesitation. It will be a pleasant surprise.