New release from Norwegian avant label Rune Grammofon:
Nils Økland is an innovative violinist and Hardanger fiddle specialist who is creatively expanding the range of the traditional music of his homeland. He is a renewer of folk music, consistently building bridges to classical, contemporary and improvised music. His playing combines freedom with respect for Norway's musical heritage and he is concerned both with the preservation of the oral folk music tradition and with the experimental possibilities of the music when it is charged with modern impulses. On "Bris", his third album and the second for Rune Grammofon, he has written all the music himself which is quite unusal for the genre. He is joined by Sigbjørn Apeland, his musical companion since long, as well as Mats Eilertsen (Food) on bass and Per Oddvar Johansen and Håkon Stene on percussion.
More info: http://www.runegrammofon.com/