M. A. Numminen

Mauri Antero Numminen (born 12 March 1940, Somero) is one of the best-known Finnish artists, who has worked in several different fields of music and culture.

In the 1960s M.A. Numminen was known particularly as an avantgarde/underground artist, stirring controversy with such songs as "Nuoren aviomiehen on syytä muistaa" ("What a young husband should remember"; the lyrics of the song were taken directly from a guide to newly married couples, and included advice on foreplay) and "Naiseni kanssa eduskuntatalon puistossa" ("With my woman at the parliament house's park"). He was also a member of the band Suomen Talvisota 1939-1940. In his early days Numminen often tried to provoke people. Here he succeeded well, for example by his interpretations of Franz Schubert's lieds, sung with his own idiosyncratically creaking voice, or managing to create a scandal at the Jyväskylän kesä festival of Jyväskylä in 1966 with his song lyrics taken from the sex guide. Numminen also composed music to the writings of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. M.A. Numminen founded in 1966 with Pekka Gronow the record label Eteenpäin! ("Forward!"), which released Numminen's own music. Later on Numminen's records were published under the umbrella of the legendary Finnish label Love Records.

Additionally, M.A. Numminen has been one of the unsung pioneers of Finnish electronic music, known for his collaborations with the composer and inventor Erkki Kurenniemi who built for Numminen a "singing machine" with which Numminen participated in a singing contest in 1964, and in the late 60s the electronic instrument Sähkökvartetti ("Electric Quartet"), the performance of which wreaked havoc in a youth festival in Sofia, Bulgaria. Sähkökvartetti can be heard on Numminen's track 'Kaukana väijyy ystäviä' (1968).

In 1970 M.A. Numminen founded with the pianist Jani Uhlenius a jazz band called Uusrahvaanomainen Jatsiorkesteri ("Neo-Vulgar Jazz Orchestra"),which is still in existence; taking its cues from the 1920s-1940s jazz, swing, foxtrot, etc. Now retired from the band are the members Aaro Kurkela and Kalevi Viitamäki. The current line-up consists alongside Numminen and Uhlenius also of the accordion player Pedro Hietanen, the fiddler Jari Lappalainen and the bassist Heikki "Häkä" Virtanen.

In 1970s M.A. Numminen became a popular favourite with his children's songs in the 1973 film "Herra Huu - Jestapa Jepulis, Penikat Sipuliks", where he also played the main role, and in the 1977 TV series "Jänikset maailmankartalle", where he played a hare. At the same time Numminen also gained success in Sweden with his song 'Gummiboll' (Numminen's Finnish version of this was called 'Kumipallona luokses pompin ain'): Numminen has recorded Swedish versions of many of his songs. He has also made several songs in English, German and Esperanto.

Lately M.A. Numminen has made a return to electronic music and modern club sound. In 2003 Numminen started M.A.N. Scratch Band featuring his long-time collaborator Pedro Hietanen with young jazz musicians Olavi Uusivirta, Lasse Lindgren and DJ Santeri Vuosara (also known as DJ Sane). The duo M.A. Numminen & DJ Sane was started in 2004.

M.A. Numminen has appeared on Radio Suomi since 1984 together with playwright Juha Siltanen on their night show Yömyöhä. In 1986 he published a book called "Baarien mies" ("The Man of the Bars") on Finnish "keskiolut" lager culture, for which he visited 350 bars around Finland. The book had a considerable role in the birth of 1980s "keskiolut" beer culture in Finland.

M.A. Numminen has taken part in over 30 films, either as an actor, scriptwriter, composer or cinematographer.

Albums discography

* "M.A. Numminen In Memoriam" (Eteenpäin! 1967)
* "Taisteluni" (Love Records 1970)
* "Swingin kutsu" (Love Records 1970)
* "Iso mies ja keijukainen" (Love Records 1970)
* "Perkele! Lauluja Suomesta" (Love Records 1971)
* "Niemisen pojat ja naapurin äijä" (Love Records 1971)
* "M.A. Numminen på svenska - Äkta finsk negerjazz på svenska" (Love Records 1972)
* "Olen nähnyt Helga-neidin kylvyssä" (Love Records 1972)
* "Haren satt i gropen i Finland" (Love Records 1973)
* "Aarteeni, juokaamme likööri! Saksalaisia ja amerikkalaisia jatseja." (Love Records 1973)
* "Jestapa jepulis! Herra Huun Ihmeelliset Seikkailut" (Love Records 1973)
* "M.A. Numminen in English" (Love Records 1974)
* "Jag har sett fröken Ellen i badet" (Love Records 1974)
* "M.A. Numminen Auf Deutsch" (Love Records 1976)
* "Kumipallona luokses pompin ain"' (Love Records 1976)
* "Som en gummiboll kommer jag tillbaks till dej" (Love Records 1977)
* "Fårskallevisor" (Love Records 1978)
* M.A. Numminen, Sinikka Sokka & Seppo Hovi: "Jänikset maailmankartalle!" (Love Records 1978)
* "Itsy Bitsy ja muita taidenautintoja" (EMI 1979)
* "Itsy Bitsy och andra konstupplevelser" (Columbia 1979)
* "Kuu mies kookospähkinä"(EMI 1980)
* "Månen mannen kokosnöten" (EMI 1980)
* "Silmälasiapina" (Johanna 1983)
* "Koomikon kahdet kasvot" (Johanna 1984)
* "Kamelilaulu" (EMI 1988)
* "M.A. Nummisen suosituimmat lastenlaulut - Pedro Hietasen uusina sovituksina" (EMI 1985)
* "The Tractatus Suite" (Eteenpäin! 1989)
* "Ollaan eläimiä" (EMI 1991)
* Underground Rock Orchestra: "Suomi nyt(t)" (Eteenpäin! 1993)
* "Lempo soikoon! - Lempäälän kunnallislaulut 1994 ja muita lauluja" (Lempäälän kunta 1994)
* "M.A. Numminen Goes Tech-No – Jag vill inte vara prinsessa" (Olarin Musiikki 1995)
* "M.A. Numminen Goes Tech-No – En tahdo olla prinsessa" (Olarin musiikki 1995)
* "Gommin ja Pommin metsäkarnevaali" (Fazer Records 1995)
* "M.A. Numminen Goes Tech-No – Yes sir" (Ellipsikujan levy-yhtiö 2001)
* "Rytmirunoja" (CD & book) (Rockadillo 2002)
* M.A. Numminen & Sanna Pietiläinen und Das Neorustikale Tango-Orchester: "Finnischer Tango" (Trikont 2003)
* "M.A. Numminen singt wüste wilde Weihnachtslieder" (2003)
* "Didi-WAH-Didi" (Zen Master Records / Rockadillo Records 2004)
* "Singt Heinrich Heine" (Trikont 2006)
* "M.A. Numminen gör ont i Sverige" (2008)

Compilations discography

* "Uudet lastenlaulut 1" (1974)
* "M.A. Nummisen suosituimmat" (1974)
* "M.A. Nummisen 60-luku" (1985)
* "Den flygande mannen" (EMI 1985)
* "Klassikot - Ne Parhaat" (Castle Finland 1990)
* "Den eviga årgången - M.A. Numminens bästa" (Amigo 1990)
* "Suosituimmat lastenlaulut" (EMI 1998)
* "Kiusankappaleita 1: 1966-70" (Siboney Records 2000)
* "Kiusankappaleita 2: 1973-88" (Siboney 2001)
* "Kiusankappaleita 3: 1989-2001" (Siboney 2001)
* "Dägä Dägä Finnwelten" (Trikont 2001)
* "Valtava Jänis – Gommin ja Pommin kaikki seikkailut" (EMI 2002)
* "Suomihuiput – lastenlaulut" (EMI 2005)

Bibliography

* "Kauneimmat runot" 1970
* "Lastuja" 1971
* "Satuja" 1975
* "Jänikset maailmankartalle!" 1977
* "Terässinfonia" (together with Esa Saarinen) 1981
* "Passio Libertatis" 1983
* "Baarien mies" 1986
* "Kirjeitä virolaiselle runoilijalle" 1987
* "Etsivätoimisto Andrejev & Milton" (together with Markku Into) 1991
* "Tango on intohimoni" 1998
* "Helsinkiin" 1999
* "Der Weihnachtsmann schlägt zurück" 2001
* "Naapuri" (together with Markku Into and Jarkko Laine) 2002
* "Rehtorin päiväkirja – Interaktiivinen kalenteri vuodelle 2004" 2003

External links

* [http://www.ma-numminen.net/ The official M.A. Numminen site]
* [http://www.perunamaa.net/sarjakuvarock/man/ Unofficial discography]
* [http://www.phinnweb.org/early/index.html#NUMMINEN M.A. Numminen @ pHinnWeb]