Timo Alakotila

"A musical career having spent mostly in the background, Petri Hakala finally gets his reward in the form of Timo Alakotila’s compositions written directly for him and his mandolin. Mandolin Concerto provides a rarely heard line-up, a rich, although unmistakeably Nordic, amalgam of sounds, and some refreshing sonic surprises," writes Balázs Weyer in his review about Petri Hakala and Timo Alakotila's album Mandolin Concerto.

"I immediately allow myself to throw all thoughts of genre out of the window and just enjoy the music. The communication between the musicians is the key here."

"Kromos is a rewarding listening experience. This is, naturally, due to Eskelinen’s splendid musicianship, but also much to the diversity of styles and ideas in the chosen six works."

Musician and composer Timo Alakotila has found the perfect balance between working alone and with other musicians.

The accordion belongs to a huge worldwide family: the Basque country’s trikitixa, the Malagasy sound of the late Régis Gizavo, the bandoneón music of Astor Piazzolla, iconic French café music or American Cajun music – the list is endless. But isn’t the accordion also the voice of Finnish tradition? In this world of ever-developing technology, downloading and social media, does the accordion still have a place?

Once a year the Folklandia cruise gathers Finnish folk music and dance lovers together for a 24-hour journey on the Baltic Sea. In January 2019 Simon Broughton got on the board.

"A finely crafted exploration of each other’s music and style bringing out the richness, the elegance and the wit of their playing and writing."

Both Karen Tweed and Timo Alakotila are supreme lyrical performers who have a true gift for uncovering the spirit and text of the tunes they play.

Poignant, witty, agile, mischievous, thoughtful, beautiful: this is Timo Alakotila and his piano, alone at last.

The world music market has seen a boom in Celtic, African and Latin American music. Many people believe that it is the turn of the Nordic countries next.

"In 2015, JPP is still alive and kicking, and playing with as high quality as ever. They don’t play too often, but when they do there is a nice relaxed touch, and they don’t take it all too seriously. "