A Swedish fiddling icon and a Finnish accordion innovator come together to explore the deep and wide tradition of the polska in Nordic music on Lena Jonsson & Johanna Juhola’s The Power of Polska. I’ve covered both of these musicians before, coincidentally both in 2023, on the Lena Jonsson Trio’s superb Elements and Juhola’s lively, pop-infused A Brighter Future.
This album finds them delving into their own personal takes on the dance music that crosses borders throughout the northern lands, from Estonia to Norway. There’s some debate about where exactly the music and its various accompanying group and couples dances comes from, and how much it incorporates the Polish polka, French polannaise and minuet, etc., versus how much of it is indigenous to Scandinavia and Finland. Either way, this music and its various offshoots infuses much of Nordic traditional music, and it gives these two inventive musicians a lot to play with.
The album, which is available on CD and streaming services, has nine originals (five by Juhola and four by Jonsson) and three traditional tunes, with arranging credits going to both on all 12 tracks. Immediate standouts to me include Juhola’s “Polska is My Second Language,” an engaging contemporary tune that’s very closely in touch with its traditional roots; Jonsson’s galloping “Ispolskan,” which cleverly sets the peppy melody in four beats within a larger structure of the polska’s more traditional three beats — sort of the inverse of the way a lot of jazz tunes set a triplet rhythm within a straight ahead four beats.
A couple of the traditional tunes also stand out. “Polska efter Johan Erik Taklax” is a very popular tune by a well known Finnish fiddler from Ostrobothnia. I can’t figure out quite where I’ve heard it before, possibly from the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc or maybe Arto Järvelä. Just as charming is the traditional “Sjuplåtarlåten,” a peppy dance tune that you’d expect to hear in Swedish dance halls — the notes say it is “a lively and playful Hälsingland polska, inspired by one of Sweden’s most well-known fiddle tunes, “Hjortingen.” Juhola really leans into the low range capabilities of her instrument (a rather massive five-row free bass style accordion) on this one, with a clever and engaging bass line that emphasizes the dance’s rhythmic complexity. The other trad tune is the final track, the flowery “Sjöns Hans Polska” that is the most old-fashioned tune on the album.
Some other tracks of note include the playful tango “Max Höjd,” its title a droll Swedish in-joke — “Maxhöjd” is Swedish for “maximum height,” a term you see on road signs to indicate vertical clearance for vehicles in garages, under bridges, etc.; “Childhood Hero,” Juhola’s shiny tune inspired by 1980s TV theme songs; Jonsson’s zippy “Ispolskan” and her lovely wedding waltz “Röda Valsen.” Oh, and don’t neglect the somber “Surumarssi” by Juhola. After the first few bars I said to myself, “funeral march,” and indeed the title translates to “Mourning March.”
Anyway, if you entertained the uncharitable thought that an entire album of fiddle-accordion duets would be boring, shame on you. Lena Jonsson & Johanna Juhola’s The Power of Polska is endlessly entertaining for fans of Nordic dance music.
(Nordic Notes, 2026)
