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MA Numinen (1987)

Mauri Antero Numminen , better known as MA Numminen (born March 12, 1940 in Somero ), is a Finnish singer , composer , entertainer , writer and filmmaker . His musical style has been moving between Finnish tango , jazz , rock and abstract music for many decades .

biography

Early work and rebellion

Even as a child learned Numminen by US radio stations the Jazz know and love. In his hometown of Somero he learned to play several instruments and to interpret jazz, tango and classical music . He made his first appearances with the band Viisi Vierasta Miestä (Five from abroad) .

From 1960 he studied economics , sociology , philosophy and Finnish-Ugrian studies at the University of Helsinki for eight years . While still a student, he wrote his first novel Energiasäästäjä (Energy Savers), recorded pieces of music and made short films . He has long since discovered the abstract for himself; the energy saver (later translated into Swedish and German) is written consistently in the passive voice and one of his first compositions, Eleitä kolmelle röyhtäilijälle (sign for three burps), has a completely burped text.

His early musical work is strongly influenced by German philosophers . According to his own admission, Numminen learned the German language while studying in order to be able to read Karl Marx in the original. His first musical success in 1966 was his setting of the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein . In the same year he founded the record label Eteenpäin with friends ! (Forward!) And made the decision to become a professional musician.

As the name grew, Numminen turned the Finnish establishment more and more against them. TV appearances resulted in angry phone calls to the broadcaster and allegations that he perverted classical music with his terrible singing. In a corresponding way, he also took on the German songs: "Saw a boy stand a rose ...". His song Naiseni kanssa eduskuntatalon puistossa (With my bride in the parliament park) was banned on the radio for six years because the text denigrated the Finnish parliament and called for alcohol abuse . A performance in which Numminen set a manual of sex life to music was broken up by the police. In the following years he experimented with electronic music and provoked the public by musically revising Finland's role in the winter war of 1939/40.

The neo-rustic jazz orchestra

In 1970 Numminen and the pianist Jani Uhlenius founded the Uusrahvaanomainen Jatsiorkesteri (Neorustic Jazz Orchestra), a formation with which he emerged from the underground and which soon enjoyed considerable success with audiences. The album Swingin kutsu (Invitation to Swing) made the orchestra known outside of Finland, especially in Sweden , where Numminen performed more and more often at jazz festivals and where he temporarily moved.

The neo-rustic jazz orchestra still performs regularly today under the leadership of Numminen / Uhlenius and established Numminens financial independence, which allowed him to work in less popular art fields, such as literature.

Literary works

In his Swedish period, after completing his studies, he wrote his first books, the collection of poems Kauneimmat runot (The Most Beautiful Poems, 1970), the collection of novels Lastuja (Späne, 1971) and the fairy tale book Satuja (Fairy Tales, 1975). Since then, new volumes of poetry, correspondence and novels have been published at irregular intervals. His best-known publications include Baarien mies (Der Kneipenmann, 1986), an expedition through 350 Finnish beer bars (Numminen: "Dünnbierkneipen"), and the novel Tango on intohimoni (Tango is my passion, 1998). The last two publications mentioned were published in German translation.

Other fields of activity

Numminen is known as a real tango connoisseur. He appeared as a storyteller in the film "Satumaa" about the tango composer Unto Mononen , whom he knew personally and in whose ensemble he drummed at a young age.

Numminen is also known for a number of children's songs. In the Duo Gommi ja Pommi he has appeared in children's programs since 1977 as Gommi in rabbit costume with accordion player Pedro Hietanen as Pommi in cat costume. Gommi can be understood as a play on words based on the Swedish gommen , palate, and the Finnish kommari , communist. Accordingly, the name of the duo means in German about The Singing Communist and the Bomb .

In 1993 his mini-opera Rameaus brorson (Rameau's nephew) for the book of the same name by the French philosopher Denis Diderot was premiered at the Royal Dramatic Theater , Stockholm .

Prizes and awards

In 1993 Numminen received the Suomi Prize from the Finnish Ministry of Education.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Numminen, MA
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Numminen, Mauri Antero (full name); Numminen, MA
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish singer, composer, entertainer, writer and filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Somero , Finland