Niku, Teija / Kujanpää, Juha - Aamunkoitto CD

EAN 1990665587680

Teija Niku (b. 1982) is a Finnish accordionist, known for her expertise in Nordic and Balkan folk music.

She has been described as a composer with excellent sense of melody as well as an inventive arranger

and her lyrical style of playing the accordion transcends technical accomplishment or pose. Niku has

released three solo albums under her own name: Hetkessä (2019), Memento (2017) and Finsko Pajdusko

(Rockadillo Records 2011). Niku has performed all over Europe with her various ensembles and toured

twelve times in the USA.

Juha Kujanpää (b. 1974) is a Finnish composer and musician who operates masterfully in the no-man’s

land between folk music, jazz and rock. Kujanpää’s works include his solo albums Old Ways, New Ways,

2022, Niin kauas kuin siivet kantaa (To Where My Wings Will Take Me, 2017), Kultasiipi (Goldwing, 2015)

and Kivenpyörittäjä (Tales and Travels, 2013). Kivenpyörittäjä was selected as one of the best albums of

2013 by the leading Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat. The band, Juha Kujanpää Ensemble, was

also chosen as the Band of the Year of Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 2014. Kujanpää has composed

music for various ensembles, theater and short films and he is an active musician in a number of ensembles

in Finland.

Niku and Kujanpää have collaborated for over fifteen years. With folk music group Karuna they released

two albums Hyvää matkaa (2011) and Tuulispää (2017). They toured in Scandinavia, Germany and USA

before going on a hiatus. Niku also appears as a guest musician on all of Kujanpää's solo albums and

Kujanpää on Niku's second solo album. During the pandemic they came up with an idea to compose new

material for piano-accordion duo.

”It felt liberating to start working on music together without a strict schedule or a clear vision of what we

wanted to create. Gradually, however, it became clearer what kind of sound we wanted for the album,

and about half of the material ended up in the drawer, waiting for a better time. For example, among my

compositions, the most folk-influenced pieces didn’t seem to suit this ensemble, so it was ultimately easy

to leave them out. It has been important to think of the instruments as equal partners and to make full use

of their tonal palette in the album as a whole”, Teija Niku says about making of the new album.

”In this project, we didn’t want to exclude any musical styles or influences; instead, our duo rehearsals

functioned like a laboratory where we could bring in any kind of songs. Sometimes new compositions

were fully thought-out, while other times they were short, half-finished ideas that we could experiment

with. I believe this approach is beneficial for any creative work—ideas that I might have gotten stuck with

on my own often took an unexpected new direction when played with someone else, bringing them to

life”, says Juha Kujanpää.