The paths of musical history are decorated with the rare jewels known as ‘super groups’, those stellar musicians who pooled their collective talents with results even greater than the sum of their parts.
In the world of Finnish tango – yes, they have tango in Finland! – one group stands above all others. Tango-orkesteri Unto is made up of Pirjo Aittomäki (vocals), Timo Alakotila (piano), Johanna Juhola (accordion), Mauno Järvelä (violin), Petri Hakala (guitar) and Hannu Rantanen (bass), all stars of the Finnish music scene in their own right. Individually, they’re marvellous. Collectively, they’re unbeatable.
From Finland’s dream team to its dream women… accordionist Johanna Juhola also joins singer Kukka-Maaria Ahonen and pianist Milla Viljamaa to form the trio Las Chicas del Tango (‘The Tango Chicks’). Providing a fresh and open minded approach to the genre, their album Tango de Norte a Sur unites the worlds of Finnish and Argentine tango.
Tango has been embraced by the Finnish people over the course of the last century, incorporating elements of local music and folklore. With Unto and Las Chicas del Tango the genre has a bright future.
