Fredagar på Sibbe: Sampo Lassila Narinkka
Sampo Lassila, double bass and composition
Aleksi Trygg, viola pomposa
Markku Lepistö, accordion
Janne Tuomi, suitcases and percussion
Narinkka, from East Helsinki, is the only band playing distinctively Finnish klezmer music, whose music is influenced not only by the klezmer tradition, but also by ethno-jazz, world music and even contemporary music. The members of the band are acknowledged experts in their field – uniquely combining musicians from folk, jazz, improvised and classical music, and with a wide range of backgrounds from Värttinä to Krakatau, Sinfonia Lahti to Black Motor.
The band has released two albums in the past, both of which have landed on international world music charts. The soon-to-be-released third album, Suomiklezmer 2, has the composition series East-Helsinki Suite as its main theme, which uses contemporary klezmer to describe and interpret the harsh beauty of our East Helsinki.
Which begs the question, how is it possible to interpret or describe East Helsinki through klezmer?
Puotila Mall, Roihis Alepa, Uutela, Vartsika (Vartiokylä) and the subway line from the centre of Helsinki to It is, among others, all get their own klezmer character. In the tones of contemporary klezmer, East Helsinki – and modern suburban Finland in general – is presented in a realistic, folksy, multicultural, lush way. The narrative instrumental music does not say anything directly, but leaves the listener free to create his or her own imagination and also to interpret the sound images on a personal level.