Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a great Finnish artist and creator of the historic Jupu Group, welcome to Juhani “Jupu” Poutanen.
Hi Jupu how are you?
Great, thank you. Country life, looking after the sheep on a forest farm and repairing an old farmhouse.
You are a violinist and composer, how did your passion for music and this instrument come about?
My passion for prog music was born through Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. Before that I was already very into blues, which I played at home on the piano. I attended violin lessons and played classical music every day.
The band was formed in the early ’70s from your idea, how did this project come about?
I met guitarist Janne Louhivuori, who had his own band and he asked me to play with him. The boys played music by Cream and Jetro Tull, among others. Once we played a gig at Tavastia and met other musicians there, including pianist Jukka Linkola and bass player Ilkka Hanski who agreed to go to the practice room to jam with us. We also asked the drummer Upi Sorvali to join us. That’s how it started. I had some tunes ready and we played them at first. Linkola and Sorvali also wrote their own tunes for the gigs.
In those years Progressive and Rock sounds were forged, what memories do you have of that magical period?
Prog musicians often played in many different bands. I myself played in Jukka Hauru’s Super Kings and in Edward Vesala’s band, with whom I toured in France and elsewhere. I often went to listen to the jams of Jukka Tolonen, Jukka Gustavson, Pekka Pohjola, Pekka Pöyry and Vesa Aaltonen, among others, which left me with a real passion for prog music. Jukka Hauru’s band would also have been a really great line-up for me, but me and my wife had our first child in 1975 and I decided to let go of my dreams and move far away to the north to Rovaniemi to play in a string quartet and teach. A year later I came back to Helsinki and started working with the Finnish National Opera orchestra. The work at the opera was so intense combined with family life that there was little time left for prog.
“Ahmoo” is a milestone for Prog collectors and lovers, what can you tell us about the record?
The recording took place at Mainos-TV Studios and Finnlevy Studios in the summer and was recorded in a couple of days. At the mixing stage I was already in Rovaniemi and didn’t have time to come and edit the songs – something I regretted.
The debut album “Ahmoo” was released in 1975 what themes was the album dealing with?
For my part, I tried to create music that, like my role model Zappa, would also have some memories of the music of Varese, Anton Vebern and Bartók. My family had a cottage in Ahmoo at the time, and I tried to capture the quiet atmosphere of that cottage in one of the songs. The compositions of the other musicians had a slightly different aesthetic, but in their own way they complemented each other. Personally, I still like Linkola’s Drops of Rain.
Intense were the live activities and festivals at the time, is there any particular concert that marked your experience?
I think I was at Ruisrock in Turku in the early years, but the clubs in Helsinki (Tavastia, Eso, Vanha
ylioppilastalo, Natsa, Botta) and the school parties and youth centres at the time offered so many opportunities to play and listen to live music that I didn’t have much time to travel elsewhere.
You recently released a new album that I reviewed with pleasure on my webzine, how do you describe “Umpeen kasvoivat polut”?
It is carefully rehearsed with skilled players. The original plan was to assemble the band for a teaching period at Metropolia, but after a few changes of players it was decided to go for a disc release. The band practiced a lot and the songs got better. This album is much closer to my own idea of prog and I listen to it very often myself. Although some of the songs are relatively difficult, the potential for more challenging compositions could have been realised. There are a lot of great instrumental solos on the album, the vocal parts are very important, they tell the message of the album about loneliness and the human longing to be close to another.
The album is very intense and full of ideas, will there be the opportunity to listen to these compositions live?
Hopefully, the band will have the opportunity to play gigs already this autumn.
Music has changed a lot over the years and is constantly evolving, how do you see the future of the Prog genre?
Besides Jupu Group and Vesa Aaltonen’s prog band, there are other prog bands in Finland, I’m just not that familiar with them anymore. It would be great if I could get to play gigs with them.
What advice would you give to young artists who approach music by offering more refined sounds?
Follow your dreams!
The new album has just come out and the project has come back to life, will there be other record releases in the future?
I hope so. I’m constantly working on new songs. Composing is a way of life
I thank Jupu for the valuable interview and the opportunity to review the excellent music of his band, wishing the best for the continuation of his artistic career.
Read our review of the new album here: https://progrockjournal.com/review-jupu-group-umpeen-kasvoivat-polut/