OTHERLANDS COLLABORATION #24
Date: Apr. 17, 2020 • Location: Härmä, Finland
The first time I meet Antti was at the Shetland Folk Festival while he was touring with Baltic Crossing. Since then, we've crossed paths with his former band Frigg, and he was instrumental in helping arrange my first solo gigs in Finland. At the time, he had taken on artistic direction at the Kaustinen Folk Festival which introduced me to the area—and I believe it's also that same trip when I met Maija. I spent some very memorable days in Kaustinen, so much so that it's what led me to return to here on these travels. To my delight, Antti and Maija still lived nearby.
*To learn more about music and projects from Maija and Antti, please visit:
Shortly after arriving to Finland, I had set up an online performance for Maija, Antti, fiddler Esko Järvelä (see my collaboration with Esko here), and myself to play in the Stay at Home Festival. But as we neared the date, calls for social distancing and isolation were increasing, so we decided to postpone our meeting until a safer time. We had already sent around tunes in preparation, which is how I first heard the songs we played today.
To help pass the two weeks of isolation until meeting, my family enjoyed some tips on local hikes from Antti and Maija. Once thoroughly isolated, we met them for an afternoon hike, through forests of cedar and pine, snow and moss, and with a picnic lunch stop in the middle. We got to know each other a bit more, caught up on travels and projects, and hatched a new plan to play music—while maintaining some decent social distance on the trail, of course. One week later, I was sloshing and drifting the rental wagon through back logging roads, slushy and muddy with spring snowmelt, on the way to their house. Thank you GPS.
Maija and Antti live in a small community called Härmä, about an hour southwest of Kaustinen. A popular addition to yards in Finland are small outbuildings, and their place has some nicely reconditioned older ones, either original to the property, or relocated by Antti...workshop, food cellar, firewood, and a sauna, of course. Their house dates back to the early 1900's and looks a bit more traditional from the outside. But on the inside, the ceilings open up, large wooden beams have been revealed in the walls, and the feeling is more of a log cabin. They have a lovely big bay window in their kitchen/dining room (where we used the natural light for our video), and I was excited to see a collection of seedlings sprouting in the sunlight, getting ready for spring planting. It made me miss being home this time of year, when gardens come alive.
After sharing a home-cooked lunch, we got out our instruments. I asked about playing one of the songs they had sent for our canceled gig, "Jos sä olet minun hellunani" (or as I like to call it, the "One in the Key of E.") Maija explained that it was a traditional song from the Kauhava, Finland region, where we were located. It has been sung by many musicians over the years and was a bit of an outlier as a love song—it was a happy one. Another reason she enjoyed this song is because the melody strongly supports the story of the lyrics. The title translates to “If You Would Be My Sweetheart.” There are three verses, one each for summer, fall, and winter in which the narrator promises to make a nest, a silk hat, and a silver bottle for their love. Spring isn't mentioned in the lyrics, but as Antti reflected, it's springtime while we play, so in a way we have all four seasons covered.
I had played the song with the recording, but it was a much different experience to rehearse it live. There were melodic and rhythmic nuances I hadn't caught which needed attention. I asked what the time signature was since for me there seemed to be bars of varying lengths. But, in true Finnish polska-style, it was in 3/4 throughout. I explained how I felt the bars differently. With a smile, Antti recalled that we had similar conversations years ago. In the end, it didn't matter how we each counted, as long as the feel was good and we emphasized the same beats.
They explained that the verse and chorus were similar to other known traditional versions, but they had added an additional instrumental melody in their arrangement. To adapt from a duo to a trio, Maija and I decided to play and sing one of those hooks in harmony with each other, and we found a way to open and extend a solo section for me. I had a pretty challenging time with both of those sections. With the hook, it was difficulty knowing on which beat to enter, and if I got that right, remembering which notes were anticipated or on the beat was my next goal. For the solo section, the harmonic rhythm of the chords was throwing me off for quite a while (likely every take). Even though it was in 3/4 the whole time, my polska improvising sensibilities are still in their infant stage, and I was easily thrown off.
Each take was enjoyable and I could feel that we were listening to each other well. And with each take, I got to know the song a bit deeper, being able to think ahead rather than just react. But, there seemed to be a few small details we all wanted to nail and perspectives were getting fuzzy from repeated play. We took a break to refresh, stretching and clearing our minds. Sometimes that’s all you need. This is that refreshed take.
We rounded out our day by jamming on a couple other tunes—some polskas Antti had sent me (including “Spoof #2” used in the intro bed music), another song from Ostrobothnia for a project Maija is working on, and one American tune of Irish lineage that has been on Antti's guitar lately. Before leaving Finland for good, we all got together a few more times for food, tunes, and a final quartet gig with Esko…which I’ll be sharing soon.
CREDITS
Song: Jos sä olet minun hellunani (Traditional)
Music Arranged by: Casey Driessen, Maija Pokela & Antti Järvelä
Vocal & Kantele: Maija Pokela
Guitar: Antti Järvelä
Fiddle, Audio & Video: Casey Driessen
Additional Music: Spoof #2