Maria Kalaniemi

Maria Kalaniemi has been playing 5-row button accordion since she was eight. Encouraged by her grandmother, she spent eleven years in classical training, rapidly developing and fine tuning her technique. Maria's curiosity for adventure emerged early in her studies as she discovered a fascination for folk music; a genre frowned upon by classical music teachers. In spite of discouragement from her music school, Maria sought folk training and performed in public at dances. This classical/folk duality has always been quite uncommon among accordionists, as the two camps tend to remain separate, but working in both areas gave Maria a unique perspective and set the stage for what would be a challenging future.

She joined Heikki Laitinen's newly established Folk Music Department at the Sibelius Academy in 1983, while de-emphasizing her studies in classical music. The program opened up the brave new world of Finnish folk music, and this formal and innovative folk training proved to be a major turning point for Maria. She mastered a chosen instrument while studying multi-instrumentalism, composition, theory, improvisation and performance in an adventurous and borderless atmosphere. Maria also studied mandolin, violin and kantele and began composing and arranging.

One of Maria's first projects at the Academy was the formation of the group Niekku in 1983. They set out to reinvent folk music, and their three albums and numerous concerts at home and abroad established them as leaders of the "New Finnish Folk" movement. Ever searching for new challenges, Maria left the band in 1989 and headed for France to study for a short time with accordionist Marcel Azzola. Upon Maria's graduation from Sibelius Academy in 1990, her pursuit of innovation led her to investigate the use of left-hand free-bass melodies, a technique used exclusively in classical music performance. The free-bass technique Maria explored and developed opened up a whole new world of possibilities for her, in performance, composition and arrangement. Two years later she mastered the technique, thus achieving unique status in Finland and perhaps the world.

In 1995, Maria officially established her band, Aldargaz, including Timo Alakotila, Arto Järvelä, Olli Varis, Tapani Varis and Petri Hakala. (Timo and Arto are mainstays in the Finnish fiddle band JPP, Tapani has released a solo set, Jews Harp, on NorthSide.) Their first release, Iho, features mostly original pieces by Maria and collaborator, pianist Timo Alakotila. It was a dramatic leap forward in composition, arrangement and style.

Maria was an instructor in accordion at her alma mater, The Sibelius Academy, although now she devotes herself full time to composing and recording. In 1996, she was, along with Aldargaz, the first "folk music" artist in Finland's history to receive the "Prize of Finland" award for artistic excellence (an award which was exclusively bestowed upon classical, jazz or pop musicians in the past).

Maria's other projects are numerous, she is a member of the international accordion collective, Accordion Tribe, featuring five players from different traditions. She also performs in the Swedish-Finnish project Ramunder, and the Helsinki Melodeon Ladies quintet.

Perhaps only the land of Sibelius could produce a performer capable of redefining the accordion as an instrument of grace and beauty, with haunting and sensuous music that glistens and swirls like the northern lights in the Finnish sky.

Discography

1984: Kultaisen Harmonikan Voittaja Finnish Accordion Institute (Finland) FAILP 2
1987: Niekku Olarin Musiikki (Finland) OMCD 11
1988: Niekku - 2 Kansanmusiikki-instituutti (Finland) KILP 18
1989: Niekku - 3 Olarin Musiikki (Finland) OMCD 27
1992: Maria Kalaniemi ("Master of the Folk Accordion") Olarin Musiikki (Finland) OMCD 40, Finlandia Innovators (reissue) (Finland) 3984-23224-2, Xenophile/Green Linnet (U.S.) GLCD 4013
1995: Iho (with Aldargaz) Olarin Musiikki (Finland) OMCD 57, Hannibal/Rykodisc (U.S.) HNCD 1396
1995: Helsingin kaksrivisnaiset (Helsinki Melodian Ladies (EP) Kansanmusiikki-instituutti (Finland) KICD 39
1997: Accordion Tribe Intuition INT 3220-2
1998: Laitinen/Kalaniemi/Liedes - Pidot (Finland) HRCD 111
1999: Ahma (with Aldargaz) Rockadillo (Finland) ZENCD 2059, NorthSide (U.S.) NSD 6053
2000: I Ramunders Fotspår (Ramunder: Kalaniemi/Maans/Varis) (Finland) FMICD 16
2001: Lufstråk / Airbow (Kalaniemi/Ahlbäck) Amigo (Sweden) AMCD 745, NorthSide (U.S.) NSD 6058
2001: Ambra (Kalaniemi/Alakotila) Amigo (Sweden) AMCD 749
2002: Sea of Reeds (Accordion Tribe) Intuition INT 3327
2003: Viimeinen Maa / The Last Land book/CD (Finland) LUR 8902-2

The Word on Maria Kalaniemi

• "...center stage belongs to Kalaniemi, and like the late Argentinian Astor Piazzolla, she has complete mastery of the accordion, easily collapsing the barriers between musical genres. Ahma is a lesson in modern music. --Chris Nickson, amazon.com
• "This is Kalaniemi's third outing in a recording studio, and she and her band (all master players) use it to grand advantage, ranging from moments of poignancy to bursts of frank melodrama. As might be expected from that blanket description, this is not a simple album of squeezebox squishing by any means -- there is nothing hokey to be found here; instead, expect some magnificent playing from all parties involved. -- Steven McDonald, All Music Guide
• "She and her band - Aldargaz - render this 12-song collection of instrumentals with emotional depth, technical precision and the kind of raucousness that makes you believe they have fun, like to drink a little and love playing music." -- Dan Aquilante, New York Post