MUSIC/PROJECTS/LISTEN
This page presents some of my works as a composer and arranger or as a musician. Scroll down and dive in to:
SOLO PROJECTS
Älä pelkää is my second solo album. Happy and proud about this one. I released it in 2023. I produced it together with Joonas Saikkonen.
My band:
Sigurdur Rögnvaldsson - guitar
Jaakko Murros - guitar
Matias Tyni - keyboards
Kalle Ylitalo - bass
Janne Mathlin - drums
Recording and mixing: Joonas Saikkonen
Mastering: Jarno Alho
Heikolla jäällä (On a Thin Ice) is a single release I made in 2022. Song did not end up on the album, felt more right to release it as a single. It's produced in co-operation with Mikko Renfors.
I made an acoustic lo-fi cover of Heikolla jäällä in 2022.
Unituulia – album made in collaboration with Finnish big band Sointi Jazz Orchestra, was being released in October 2021. Happy about this one, all arrangements and compositions (except track no 7) made by yours truly.
Keväthuuto is the second single release from album Unituulia (released in 2021, Eclipse Music). Composition & arrangement by yours truly, lyrics by my friend Tero Pajunen. Lovely collaboration with Sointi Jazz Orchestra, looking forward to gigs!
On the first (!) corona spring we made this cover of legendary Joni Mitchell song with amazing Casey Driessen and Esko Järvelä. We for sure had a blast with this one! Go and check out Casey Driessens adventorous Otherlands project too!
Vocals: Aili Järvelä
5-stringed fiddles: Casey Driessen, Esko Järvelä
Recorded and mixed by Antti Järvelä, mastered by Minerva Pappi
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SOLO ALBUM LAINATTUA, SINISTÄ, OMAA (2020)
My solo album consists of three EP:s & two single releases.
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Omaa -EP completed the album, EP got five star review in Helsingin Sanomat.
The lovely band on the album:
Sigurdur Rögnvaldsson - guitar
Matias Tyni - keyboard, piano
Kalle Ylitalo - bass
Janne Mathlin - drums
Additional musicians:
Sami Kurppa (programming in Etkös oo, Ei tyynny syömmeni, Sisäpiha)
Tommi Asplund, Iida Savolainen, Anna Pulakka (strings in Kivee)
Kanssasi matkaa jaan (2017)
(Composition Roger Tallroth, lyrics, arrangement Aili Järvelä)
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Vocals, fiddle: Aili Järvelä
Piano: Timo Alakotila
Bass: Vesa Ojaniemi
Tenor guitar: Esko Järvelä
Strings: Inka Eerola, Tuuli Toivanen-Gripentrog, Aili Järvelä
Mixing: Tuomas Haimakainen
Mastering: Vesa Laasanen
This is a tune composed by Roger Tallroth, who wrote the tune (orig. Kom hem) for Väsen. I have always been attrackted by the melody of this, so I wanted to turn it in to a song. I made the lyrics and the arrangement a few years ago, and on 2016 we recorded it with wonderful musicians.
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Kaikesta kaukana (2016)
(Composition, lyrics, arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Lead vocals: Aili Järvelä
Piano: Heidi Suonio
Bass: Juho Kivivuori
Drums: Touko Ruokolainen
Strings: Tuuli Toivanen-Gripentrog, Tommi Asplund, Anna Tanskanen, Klaara Pyrhönen, Virpi Taskila, Alina Järvelä, Inka Eerola, Maarit Holkko, Pasi Vuoti, Mila Laine, Anna Pulakka
Wind instruments: Tomi Nikku, Kalle Kataja, Mikko Haanpää, Paula Suhonen, Outi Van Treeck, Pekka Seppänen, Mikko-Pekka Svala
Backing vocals: Camilla Bäckman, Jenny Virkkunen, Jukka Nylund, Joaquín Hernández
Harp: Maaria Pulakka
Recording: Esko Grundström, Touko Ruokolainen
Mixing: Esko Grundström
Mastering: Riku Kantola
I made this song in purpose to participate the Finnish Eurovision song contest UMK in 2016. Though it never got chosen to the actual competition, it became one of the most important and unforgettable experiences I've ever had as a composer or a musician. Though I'm not that satisfied with the vocal track (I was sick so we made only one take) I'm still being grateful, still feeling blessed! I made the composition, lyrics and the arrangement.
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Hiljainen joululaulu (2017)
(Martti hela, arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Vocals: Aili Järvelä
Kantele: Irina Cederberg
Piano: Matias Tyni
Bass: Tarmo Anttila
Strings: Riku Vartiainen, Mila Laine, Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Aili Järvelä
Mixing: Tuomas Haimakainen
Mastering: Riku Kantola
Hiljainen joululaulu is a Christmas song made by a Finnish composer Martti Hela (1890-1965). As much as i love the original choir arrangement, I wanted to make my own version as well, so we recorded this in Helsinki in December 2017. Hats off for all the fellow musicians who participated to the early morning recording sessions despite all the darkness!
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FEATURING
I composed Satama (Harbour) for Sähkökitarakvartetti in 2022. Very inspiring, gotta say!
BFP (used to be known as Bergå Folk Project) is a very dear band for me. We were awarded as the best folk music album of the year in the Finnish Grammies 2022. Read the story about band's history here.
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BFP:
Aili Järvelä - vocals, fiddle, harmonium
Iida Savolainen - vocals, viola, bowed lyre, fiddle, harmonium
Topi Korhonen - guitar, mandolin, vocals, harmonium
Esko Grundström - bass, kantele, vocals, harmonium
Kalevala, the Finnish national epic has been interpreted in various ways as long as I remember. This project, Kalevala elävänä tai kuolleena (Kalevala dead or alive) is one of them, where I got to be involved as one of the many artists. I composed and made a text based on Kullervo's story. I produced it together with producer Paavo Malmberg. Album was released in 2022. I'm very happy about this one!
I was featuring as a guest musician with kantele artist Jutta Rahmel in Finnish Vain elämää (The Best Singers) in the summer 2019. We participated in one of Paula Vesala's performances, as she made a version of Lauri Tähkä's song Tulkoon mitä vaan. Exciting times with the harmonium in the national TV!
Ville Kangas, multi-instrumentalist and a composer from Kaustinen Finland made this album with a collective Qwenland in 2007. I played the fiddle and sang on this folk music / fusion album as a member of the band. Great times in the studio!
New Better Spring Band (2014)
New Better Spring Band is a band I started a few years ago. Sadly NBSB hasn't been too active lately. We are planning to release new material as soon as the time is on our side. Here I picked a few tracks from our debut album, that was being released in 2014. Scroll down to get to the link to the whole album on Spotify and iTunes! Here are a couple of take outs I picked. All music is composed by yours truly.
Entry
(composition and lyrics by Aili Järvelä, arrangement New Better Spring Band)
Aili Järvelä - lead vocals
Tero Pajunen - guitar, backing vocals
Jutta Rahmel - kantele, backing vocals
Maija Pokela - kantele, backing vocals
Leena Untamala - piano, backing vocals
Touko Ruokolainen - drums
Esko Grundström - bass, programming, mixing and recording
Jimmy
(composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Additional musicians:
Strings:
Anna Grundström, Tatu Ahola, Pasi Vuoti, Elisa Seppänen, Reetta Kuisma, Päivi Hirvonen, Matti Fredriksson, Johanna Mäkitalo, Tuuli Toivanen, Inka Eerola, Laura Kuisma, Rista Tuura
Snow In Helsinki
(composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Additional musicians:
Veera Luomala - cello
New Better Spring Band
(SibaRecords 2014)
Charlie Met a Boy
(Composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Aili & Folks (2013)
In 2010 I had a songwriting project with songwriter Jussi Petäjä. We participated to the Finnish Eurovision contest UMK with Jussis song "Mun taivas". The song made it all the way to the semi finals in the UMK. After the contest we made an album together. The album consists mostly of Jussis compositions, but includes few of my lyrics. Here are a couple of take outs of the tracks we made, and the link to the album. Album was released in 2013.
Anteeksi
(Composition Jussi Petäjä, lyrics Aili Järvelä, arrangement Jussi Petäjä, Aili & Folks)
Mun Taivas
(Composition & lyrics Jussi Petäjä, arrangement Jussi Petäjä, Aili & Folks)
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN / Mutaveijarit, albums released in 2016 & 2019
I completed the Master of Music degree in the programme in Music Education in Sibelius Academy 2017. Among the studies I participated a class specified to children's music and early age music education. In Finland there's a strong scene for childrens music. In Sibelius Academy we started a children's music band called Mutaveijarit. During the past few years Mutaveijarit has performed in some of the biggest festivals in Finland and both albums Ympäri ämpäri! and Nyt mennään! were nominated for the Finnish Grammies in children´s music category. I had the priviledge to produce both albums together with Veikko Muikku. Being part of the band was much fun. Here are a few tracks composed, and arranged by me.
Jolla (2016)
(Composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Ympäri ämpäri (2019)
(Composition, and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mutaveijarit)
Karibialainen kalalaulu (2016)
(Composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Seilorin epäonni (2019)
(Composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Meripartioon (2019)
(Composition, and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mutaveijarit)
Unimaailmoissa (2019)
(Composition, and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Eveliina Saikkonen)
Mutaveijarit - Ympäri ämpäri!
(SibaRecords 2016)
Mutaveijarit - Nyt mennään!
(Independent, 2019)
We got a five star review in January 2020 from the biggest Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat for our new album Nyt mennään! Yay! Felt good. Go read!
EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
'Prompters Aria' – collaboration with Helsinki Philharmonic 2020
'Kuiskaajan Aaria' - 'Promters Aria' was a collaboration with Helsinki Philharmonic in 2020. I got to work in Kuiskaajan Aaria as an arranger, and also played one of the main characters.
This has been one of the highlights of my career as an arranger / composer, would love to do some more of this!
In a nuthsell, Promters Aria presents the classics of opera and ballet in a hilarious concert for the whole family.
Work in University of the Arts Helsinki Sibelius Academy 2018-2019
Staffansvisa från Stockholm (2018)
Composition Esbjörn Hazelius, lyrics trad., arrangement Esbjörn Hazelius, Roger Tallroth, Ale Möller, Lena Willemark, Lisa Rydberg, Olle Linder, Aili Järvelä)
I was happy to get to work as a lecturer and teach folk music for one year in Sibelius Academy Music education programme 2018-2019. Here's a christmas greeting from my class! We made a version in 2018 with my students of Esbjörn Hazelius' lovely christmas song, Staffansvisa från Stockholm. Here I did some additional arranging, and worked mainly as a producer, musician and a teacher. This was a lot of fun!
Nordic Sounds - Educational material for music and dance, 2018
Vem Kan Segla
(Trad. Åland, arrangement Aili Järvelä)
I had the honour to make two arrangements for a new international music book release 'Nordic Sounds'. Vem Kan Segla ('Who can sail') is a Finnish song from Åland. The first one is an arrangement for a choir, sung by students from Kaustinen college of music, conducted by Markus Luomala.
Here's also another arrangement of a different version of the same song, made by yours truly. This is arranged for instruments and song. Credits for our lovely soloist, Alma Van Treeck!
Singing and easy violin: Alma van Treeck
Fiddles: Tero Hyväluoma, Aili Järvelä
Harmonium: Esko Grundström
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Näppärit - Educational folk music
Näppärit is a Kaustinen-based folk music phenomenon. It all started from a small kids folk music group led by Mauno Järvelä back in the 80´s. During the past decades the word about Näppärit, Mauno Järvelä and his educational 'sisuki-method' started to spread in a way no one could have predicted. Nowadays Näppäri-workshops are being held regularly all around Finland, and the phenomenon has reached its way across Finnish borders all the way to South-Africa. To find out more about Näppärit please click here!
I've been a "Näppäri-teacher" for all of my so called adult life. Of Näppärits repertoire especially the songs have become sort of a trademark among the years. I've also done a few songs for Näppärit in co-operation with Mauno Järvelä. Usually Mauno does the lyrics about some historically relevant subject and I do the rest. The instrumentation in Näppärit is quite wide, it includes the strings, horns, wind instruments, accordion and the accompaniment instruments, and it all is being played by kids who have music as a hobby. Here are a few of the songs I've composed and arranged for Näppärit.
Kantti kestää! (2019)
(Composition and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mauno and Aili Järvelä)
Kantti Kestää! is a song about remarkable Finnish author, journalist and feminist Minna Canth (1844-1897). Most of all it's a song about equality. Felt great and moved to get to teach and sing this song with all the kids and youngsters!
Marskin saapas (2017)
(Composition and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mauno and Aili Järvelä)
Marskin saapas is a song about Finnish president and war hero, marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951).
We made this song in 2017 as Finland was celebrating his 150th birthday.
Sana on vapaa! (2016)
(Composition and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mauno and Aili Järvelä)
Sana on vapaa! is about Anders Chydenius' (1729-1803) career and especially about his remarkable achievements for the freedom of the press and getting rid of preventive censorship. The year 2016 was the 250th anniversary of freedom of press in Finland. Serious topic with a bit of twist!
Ne Sibeliuksen sinfoniat (2015)
(Composition and arrangement Aili Järvelä, lyrics Mauno and Aili Järvelä)
Ne Sibeliuksen Sinfoniat (The Symphonies of Sibelius) presents in a nutshell all the seven symphonies the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) composed. The year 2015 was the 150th anniversary of Sibelius, and this is how Näppärit congratulated!
Venäjän polska (2014)
(Intro composed and arranged by Mauno Järvelä, the song composition, lyrics and arrangement Aili Järvelä)
Venäjän polska ("Polska from Russia") combines themes from a finnish traditional polska melody "Vanajan polska" and some themes from Stravinskys Rite of Spring (the descending and ascending wind instrument scale theme from B flat, clusters with accents, and the theme from the bassoons intro which is being used as the melody of the refrain). The lyrics are about the disastorous premiere of the Rite Of Spring balet in Paris in 1913. It also gives a short presentation of Stravinskys career, with the message in between the lines being, how we all should be open to modernism and the emansipation in music, which the audience in Paris 1913 surely was not...
Videos
Finnish singer / songwriter Jukka Karjalainen had his 60th birthday in spring 2017. As being an idol for many Finnish songwriters, artists around Finland made versions of his wonderful songs to show respect for all the music he has ever written during his career. I wanted to participate too, so I re-arranged one of my all time favorite songs "Keihäänkärki" from J:s wide repertoire. I asked one of my favorite musicians and friends, Jutta Rahmel to join me and we had a blast!
Keihäänkärki
(Composition and lyrics J. Karjalainen, arrangement Aili Järvelä, Jutta Rahmel)
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Aili Järvelä: Vocals, organ, percussion, kantele
Jutta Rahmel: Vocals, kantele
This is another lo-fi cover I made for fun a few years ago of a Leonard Cohen's song "Going Home". I recorded it in a flat in Palestine where I lived for three months, while I was teaching violin for kids in refugee camps.
The idea of making the cover came as I was feeling a bit homesick. Unfortunately I did not use too much time editing nor mixing it, and there's nothing I can do about it anymore haha, but it was a nice little therapy project for me, also despite the poor sound quality and the flu, which on the other hand enabled singing the low notes, yeah!
Going home
(Leonard Cohen)
Arrangement and all singing and instruments by Aili Järvelä