Mingled Years

When Timo Alakotila says that this is one of the most exciting projects he's ever been involved with, you just have to take notice. This composer, arranger, pianist, member of Finland's legendary band JPP and musical collaborator with such luminaries as Maria Kalaniemi, Karen Tweed, Johanna Juhola and the BBC Concert Orchestra has a seemingly unstoppable musical energy and vision that never fails to deliver music of the highest quality.

Alakotila's partner here is the accordionist Hannu Kella, and the album is a culmination of an idea they had in 2005 to bring some of their work together from the worlds of theatre, cinema and dance. While the duo are at the heart of the ensemble, there are some 20 musicians in total including a string quartet and choir but, as you might expect from these two craftsmen, the textures and colours throughout are thoughtful, jewel-like and exquisite. The tunes on this album are stunningly beautiful, whether they're breathless dance melodies, heart-breaking memories, a lullaby for squirrels, an impossibly fast quadrille, a wrong-footing wedding march, or a 40th-birthday tango. This is an album that's impossible to categorise, and impressively wonderful.