Piazzolla Passage

Johanna Juhola (accordion) and Milla Viljamaa (piano) are urban fusion-folk musicians of the young generation. They began their collaboration at the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy, where they both continue to study, in 2001.

Most of the pieces on this disc are by Astor Piazzolla and Johanna Juhola. Overall the duo's repertoire does not have an overriding theme or any special restrictions to what they perform: the duo's idiosyncratic arranging and performing style merges influences from tango nuevo, jazz and the folk music of various countries. There is also room for variation and improvisation.

In October 2002, the duo achieved significant recognition by winning the international Astor Piazzolla competition in Castelfidardo, Italy. Johanna and Milla have also been appearing together with 'Tango Princess' Kukka-Maaria Ahonen under the name as Las Chicas del Tango since 2002.

Johanna Juhola (b. 1978) is at home with a variety of ethnic musical styles - tango nuevo, Nordic fiddler music, Brazilian forro, klezmer and the folk music of Ireland and the Balkans.

Johanna's own compositions also display hints of circus music and film music. Johanna's musical history includes the groups Grupo Café, Troka, Keystone Cops, Novjaro, Golem, Käki-orkesteri, Las Chicas del Tango and Jukka Kuoppamäki's Taika band. She has also collaborated as a musician and composer with the Q Theatre, The Hurjaruuth Dance Theatre, the Zodiak contemporary dance centre, the Circo Aereo group, the Turku Art Academy and the Keski-Uusimaa Theatre.

Milla Viljamaa (b.1980) has explored many styles of music, from folk music through classical and tango nuevo to pop and rock. She currently plays with Routa, Grupo Café, Käpy and Las Chicas del Tango. She has written, arranged and performed music in various drama productions and concerts, for instance as a member of the house band of the Kulkuri ja kaunottaret (The ladies and the tramp) TV series on MTV3 on Finnish TV. Apart from the piano, Milla also plays the harmonium and the ilimba (African finger piano). She is also a vocalist, and she has further appeared as a percussionist and dance soloist in the Finnish-Tanzanian production Bandu Bandu.