Coming soon via , "Pintura", the sophomore album from Norwegian improvised chamber act 1982, an ensemble consisting of harmonium, drums and hardanger fiddle: http://www.hubromusic.com/index.php?cmd=17
Considering 's other stellar recent releases (see: Splashgirl, Huntsville), I have to say that I'm extremely excited to hear this.
Beautifully simple; simply beautiful. Everything a folk duo should be, though not all can claim such eloquence. Pettersson & Fredriksson are the pairing of nyckelharpist Daniel Pettersson and mandola player Daniel Fredriksson of Umeå, Sweden where they have played together since high school and "Sotali" is their 3rd album and my first introduction to the group. I don't spend much (any) time chasing down new folk music on my own despite my interest, so I'm always grateful when something this good drops in my lap and of course, am more than happy to share alike. I've spent a good deal of time listening to hardanger fiddle music this past year or so, but I must say that the buzzing of the nyckelharpa is more pleasing to my ears, 2nd only to the hurdy gurdy, to which is more closely related. The resonating effect of the sympathetic strings aptly fills the soundspace, likewise the double-strings of the mandola, so that the two are more than enough instrumentation on their own. Listen to "Brand", the first song on the album, and pay attention to the way they maintain space, consistently shifting and stepping aside to let small parts shine through. The track builds significantly as it progresses too, but they always hold back just enough so that it never gets overwhelming. Like I said, it all sounds so simple, so easy, but it is anything but. Listen to the rest of the album (or order a copy for yourself) at BandCamp: http://petfred.bandcamp.com/
Pettersson & Fredriksson - Brand
"In the large deserted woods on both sides of the Swedish-Norwegian border, Finnish people settled down in the 15th- and 16th century. These areas are now called "Finnskogen", the Finnish woods. The settlers came from difficult times in Finland, and burned down forest to cultivate rye in the ashes. In these vast forests it was hard to tell if you were in Sweden or Norway. Culture does not know borders either, and the music is a common Swedish- Norwegian tradition.
So reads the intro text on "Finnskogen brinner", the collaboration between Swedish fiddle artist Patrik Andersson and his Norwegian counterpart Vegar Vårdal. I am by no means attuned to the many regional differences in Scandinavian folk tradition, so I can't begin to explain how the music of Finnskogen, but these gentlemen play beautifully together. Some of the more minimal folk records I've been listening to as part of my "Listen to Norway" exploration (this is #5) can get grating, especially with the uncertain harmonies of the hardanger Fiddle, but this one never falters. Two players and their instruments, maybe a little foot-tapping; that's all you need. "Dette var sagt at når Halteguten, Ola Porkkala, spilte denne valsen kunne ikke folk la vaere å gråte."
My apologies for not keeping up with weekly posts in this series, but my dayjob workload has been astounding. Rest assured, there will be lots more music (folk and otherwise) posted in weeks to come.
Patrik Andersson & Vegar Vårdal - Gråtaren
The good folks at MIC Norway sent me a big box of CDs earlier this week as part of their "Listen to Norway" music promotion program, so to oblige them I will attempt to do some sort of weekly feature on one of the contents therein. I'm planning on listening to most of it anyway, so why not give it focus? Now as for the types of discs they sent me, there's a good selection of pop, rock, indie and metal stuff that I've either heard before or at least somewhat familiar with, so I decided to jump into the other stuff first. I know some Norwegian jazz, mostly through artists affiliated with or , and we'll get to those in coming weeks, but it's definitely the folk music that intrigued me the most. As regular readers should know by now, I love traditional Scandinavian folk, especially when it's done in contemporary fashion ala Detektivbyrån, but I'm also quite fond of the trad stuff, it's just that I barely know where to start with it so let us consider this to be a mutual exploration. There's a lot of folk music out there and I've listened to a damn lot of hardanger fiddle this week and while I couldn't begin to tell you the history of the style or anything about the various regional variations, I know what I like and Valkyrien Allstars are a group I definitely can get into. According to the liner notes of their self-titled debut (2007), the trio got their start as the house band at The Valkyrien Restaurant in Oslo though they definitely seemed to have moved beyond that now, having been nominated for a Norwegian Grammy and toured Japan (and released a new album "To måner", which I do not have yet). Musically speaking, they are at their essence, a hardanger fiddle trio, though they do mix it up by adding a few extra instruments and vocals. But what I like best about them is their energy and enthusiasm, a similar trait I heard in Swedish act Hedningarna, the band that first got me interested in Nordic folk. "Å gjev du batt meg" is one of the group's mellower tracks, but I just love the vocal on it, especially frontwoman Tuva Livsdatter Syvertsen's rough-edged tone. It reminds me of Hajen/Jaw Lesson a bit, in fact they even kinda look similar as far as hairstyle is concerned. Anyhow, it's those little cracks at the edges that make it, and that's why I'm sharing this song today.
Expect more folk discoveries and other new (to me) tunage in weeks to come.
Valkyrien Allstars - Å gjev du batt meg
The Silent Ballet reviews Norwegian hardanger fiddle player Nils Økland and his album "Monograph": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3000/Default.aspx
MIC Norway profiles hardanger fiddle player Nils Økland on the occaision of his debut solo release "Monograph" on ECM: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2009032614293275158159
Award-winning Norwegian hardanger fiddle player Åse Teigland will release her sophomore album "Stille" on October 10 via NORCD.
Watch a video of Alog premiering a new, homebuilt instrument they will be using for upcoming performances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krW_mFZwMKE
I know I've said it before, but Alog is one of my all-time favorite experimental/electronic acts and this is yet another good reason why. The instrument they build is called a "Slåttberg" and it's a strange digital/analog hybrid made to approximate the traditional Norwegian instrument, the hardanger fiddle.
MIC Norway talks to Hardingrock, the new project of Ihsahn from Emperor along with Heidi Solberg Tveitan from Starofash and hardanger fiddle-master Knut Buen: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007061313022019408560
NorthSide Records has announced that they will be releasing Ranarim's most recent album "The morning star" in the US next year as well as a collaboration album featuring Norwegian hardangerfiddle player Knut Hamre with Swedish percussionist Tina Quartey along with Minnesota-based musicians Marc Anderson (percussion) and Dean Magraw (guitar).
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/
US-based Nordic folk label NorthSide has confirmed April 6 as the release for their two new albums. First up is Wimme's new enhanced CD "Instinct" which features his usual solo joik music. Next is the new band Frigg and their self-titled debut. The group features the next generation of Järveläs, the family that started the group JPP. Expect some JPP-sounding fiddle arrangements, along with hardangers, guitars, double bass and dobro.
NorthSide also reports that because of the ever-changing record industry, they'll be pulling all but their best-selling titles from retail outlets and will be only selling them online. In an ironic twist of fate, that also means the label can release smaller runs of new CDs more efficiently, so look for exclusive web-titles to be announced in the near future.
Check out some profiles for the artists that Norway is pushing at the upcoming Womex world music fair in Sevilla, Spain. The list includes "kora master Solo Cissokho, psycho-Balkan outfit Wunderkammer, vibrant folk-trio Flukt, Sami singer/songwriter Niko Valkeapää, Majorstuen, Sami chanter Johan Sara Jr. and hardanger Fiddle master Jan Beitohagen Granli."
And that's not all that Arve Henriksen is up to in the near future - here's some more live dates he's doing coming up:
With Sinikka Langeland:
(Sinikka Langeland - vocals and kantele; Bjørn Kjellemyr - bass; Pål Thowsen - drums)
10/21 - Nøtterøy Kulturhus, Tønsberg (NOR)
10/22 - Musikkinstrument-akademiet, Sarpsborg (NOR)
10/23 - Asker kulturhus, Asker (NOR)
10/24 - Grenland Jazzklubb, Porsgrunn (NOR)
With Christian Wallumrød Quartet:
(Christian Walumrød - piano; Nils Økland - hardanger fiddle, and violin; Per Oddvar Johansen - drums, percussion)
10/23 - Hamar (NOR)
10/30 - Jazznojazz Festival, Zürich (SWI)
The latest MIC Listen to Norway profile is on hardanger fiddle player Per Anders Buen Garnås. Check it out.