Sweden - Dalarna

 Next we are heading for the county of Dalarna, which literally means valleys, in central Sweden.  It is a large, sparsely populated county the size of Belgium.  First stop is the capital city Falun, where the folk music association Falu Spelmanslag was founded in 1989.  The group has about 70 active members, mostly fiddlers, from all over the Nordic countries and anybody is invited to join.  They tour widely with their material of traditional music from Dalarna and other regions, although they haven't actually recorded much.  This tune I uploaded onto YouTube some years ago, but I can't for the life of me remember where I got it from.  It's called Nylandssetet, Polska fran Bingsjö and comes with some scenes from Dalarna:

Also born in Falun was young fiddler Anna Ekborg.  Her 2021 debut album Solo has gained her much praise for her deft touch in interpreting a deep pool of traditional tunes from her home region, learned both from her teachers and dug out from old archives. Or to put it into her own words:

 And here is a tune from the album called Polska efter Höök Olle:

English guitarist Ian Carr is originally from Cumbria, but he moved to Falun in Sweden in 2001.  His unique finger-picking style has accompanied the likes of Cumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell (who is his cousin) and many others.  in 2022 he decided to record a solo album of traditional folk tunes of his new homeland called Covers Traditional Melodies of Dalarna - Sweden.  One reviewer apparently likened it to John Fahey having moved to Sweden, and I have to agree with that assessment.  Here is a tune of that album called Knöl Lars Polska, recorded live at his allotment:

Violinist Ellinor Fritz was born in Hedemora in southern Dalarna in 1988.  She started at a young age and in various genres, but always with Swedish folk as her starting point.  Together with Belgo-Argentinian cellist Leonor Palazzo she formed the string duo Ellinor & Leonor playing folk tunes from south Dalarna.  Palazzo trained in classical cello decided to widen her horizon by playing traditional Swedish folk and added a 5th string to her cello.  In 2019 they released their second album called Årsringar.  Here is a tune from the album called G-moll polska efter Jon Åman:

Two of the 3 members of folk trio Frifot are from Dalarna.  The trio formed in 1987 and apparently are still going, although they haven't actually released any new music in the past 15 years.  The members are Lena Willemark (born 1960 in Älvdalen, north Dalarna) on vocals and fiddle, Per Gudmonson (born 1955 in Falun) on fiddle and bagpipe and Ale Möller (whom we already met in Scania County), all of whom also have successful solo careers and collaborations.  Here is a piece that was released on the 2000 edition of The Rough Guide to The Music of Scandinavia, (which may no longer be available) and is called I denna ljuva sommart:

This is it from Dalarna for the moment.  Wishing you all a happy New Year and see you next year back in Norway on our way north.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Sweden - Uppsala & Gävleborg Counties

 Next on our virtual journey through Sweden we stop at the university town of Uppsala.  This is where folk group Väsen started off way back in 1989 and they are still going strong 20 odd albums and numerous international tours later.  They were founded by Olov Johansson (nyckelharpa) and Mikael Marin (viola) and were later joined by André Ferrari (percussion) and Roger Tallroth (guitar).  The two original members still perform together as a duo.  Their long collaboration has lead to them having an almost telepathic understanding of each others playing.  Here are 3 of their tunes from their 2017 album Brewed at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert:

Swedish/Estonian folk band Fränder are also based in Uppsala and were founded in 2015.  The quartet, made up of flute, fiddle, Swedish mandola and double bass, bring fresh modern nuances to the folk traditions of their respective countries to give a fresh sound to their songs both sung in Swedish and Estonian.  Here is a song from their 2017 self-titled album called Sjömansbrud (Sailor's bride):

Next we are heading to the county of Gävleborg and our first stop is the municipality of Bollnäs where fiddler Lena Jonsson was born in 1986.  She is part of a new generation of Swedish folk musicians, bringing in contemporary influences to traditional Swedish tunes and own compositions, including elements of rock, pop, jazz, American old-time and bluegrass.  She usually performs with her trio and exudes a fresh and joyful charisma.  Her 2020 album Stories from the Outside has won a Swedish Grammy for best album.  Here is the opening track of the album called Rallpersgubben kör timmer:

Also born in the Bollnäs municipality, or more precisely in the village of Arbrå, is fiddler Anders Hall.  He is part of the folk trio the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc alongside Norwegian Hardanger fiddler Olav Lukengård Mjelva and Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson.  The three of them got together in 2009 to amalgamate their respective traditions to produce a uniquely Nordic sound, respecting their varied traditions, all 3 of them being masters of their craft.  Here you can meet the boys in a video released on the occasion of their 10th anniversary as a band:

And here is a tune from their 2020 album Bonfrost called Bas-Pelles Eriks Brudpolska: 
  

That's it from this part of Sweden for today, next stop is the county of Dalarna.  Until then you can follow my virtual journey on my tripline map.

Sweden - Stockholm Part II

 

For the second part of our virtual visit to Stockholm we'll be exploring some of the more international influences on the local music scene.  Let's begin with multi-national world fusion collective Fågel Roc, which was founded in 2006 by Swedish guitarist Petter Blundell.  The members hail from all over the globe and their music is influenced by Arab pop, Swedish folk and Balkan music although more often than not veer into fairly safe pop territory and is mostly sung in Swedish.  Here is the title track from their 2018 album Sista Sommaren:

Six-piece fusion band Katzen Kapell play a highly original blend of tango, cabaret, Balkan sounds and experimental elements.  They list their influences as Astor Piazolla, Frank Zappa and Arabic music amongst others.  Here's a track from their 2007 album Si Tu Veux called Taxin:

Stockholm native KG Westman was and is a guitarist for a '70's style rock band until his father moved to Kerala in India.  Following him he fell in love with Indian classical music and specifically the sitar.  He went on to study under Pandit Rabindra Narayan Goswami and is now one of the leading European proponents of the instrument.  In his latest project he teamed up with a group of musicians from India and Egypt to create a mash-up of the traditions of India, Egypt and Sweden.  The result is the 2022 album KG Westman & Zaعfaran, which received much critical acclaim. He describes it as imagining a Swede, an Egyptian and an Indian going on a road trip through the desert together, this would be the music coming out of their tape deck.  Here is a preview of the album:

and here's a song from the album called Into the Desert:

Finally we head north out of the city to the suburb of Sollentuna, where piper Olle Gällmo hails from.  You probably didn't know that Swedish back pipes were a thing, nor do most Swedes, but apparently some 150 years ago they were considered a national instrument alongside the nyckelharpa.  Olle has made it his life goal to revive this ancient tradition.  Here is a tune from his 2008 album Med Pipan i Säcken called Hamburska efter Pehr Ericsson:

That's it for today, next we are heading north again.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual travels on my tripline map.

Sweden - Stockholm Part I

Storgoret in Gamla Stan, the old part of Stockholm

 We arrive in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.  I spent a week in Stockholm a couple of years ago visiting an old friend.  It's a very pretty city, very chilled, and even worth visiting in February.  As usual for a capital city, there's plenty of music to discover here as well as great food such as here at the Hötorgshallen market:

This fabulous fish restaurant:

...and they even have a shop that only sells liquorice!

But on to the music.  We begin with folk band Ranarim.  Sofia Sanden, Ulrika Boden, Niklas Rosswall and Jens Engelbrecht were studying together at the Royal Academie of Music in Stockholm and got together to play both traditional folk songs and own compositions.  Sadly they no longer seem to be active.  Here is the opening track from their 2006 album Morgonstjärna called Maj Vare Välkommen:

Folk rock band Hedningarna (The Heathens) were formed in 1987 with the members coming from various parts of Sweden as well as Finland.  I'm not sure where they got together, but many of their songs on the early albums were sung in Finnish.  Their aim was to go far back to the roots of old Norse culture, including the use of ancient instruments.  Having luthier Anders Stake on board meant they make many of their own instruments.  Here is a song from their 1994 album Trä called Täss'on Nainen (Here's a woman in Finnish):

Stockholm folk trio Bazar Blå take a contemporary twist on traditional Swedish folk tunes.  The trio got together in 1996 and consists of Johan Hedin (Nyckelharpa), Björn Meyer (bass) and Fredrick Gille (percussion).  Here's the title track from their 2004 album Nysch, which is short for Den nya schottisen, the new schottis, a popular dance form in Sweden:

Stockholm based folk duo Symbio was founded in 2011 by Johannes Geworkian-Hellman and LarsEmil Öjeberget.  They combine hurdy-gurdy with accordion, accompanied by kickbox.  Their style has bee described as a meeting of folk, minimalistic art music and electronic dance music becoming a cinematic experience for the listener.  It certainly is unique and different.  Here is the title track from their 2018 album Rising:

In a similar vein but at a grander scale are the Second Hand Orchestra.  Their music has more than a hint of the Penguin Café Orchestra.  Recently they have started collaborating with Scottish singer/songwriter James Yorkston.  For their first joint album in 2021 The Wide,Wide River, Yorkston flew over to Stockholm and within hours of their first meeting went into the recording studio to produce this largely improvised album based on his songs.  A second album is in the pipeline.  Here's a song from the first album called Struggle:

Young chamber folk band Trio Törn consists of Olof Kennemark (violin), Klara Källström (cello) and Petrus Dillner (Nyckelharpa).  They play own compositions, deeply rooted in Swedish folk within a chamber music setting.  Here is the opening track of their 2018 debut album 'Debut', a polka called Hundraårspolskan:

That's it from Stockholm for today, next time we explore some of the international influences of the city. In the meantime you can follow my virtual trip on my Tripline map

Sweden - Värmland to Stockholm Counties

 I visited the county of Värmland once in the 'spring' of 1984 on our way north.  I was with my girlfriend and parents at the time, and we were given the use of a cottage somewhere in the countryside, and our first task on arriving was to shovel a path through 5 foot deep snow from the house to the outside privy.  So my memories are of an undulating countryside, interspersed by lakes and covered in a thick layer of snow.  We nearly froze to our toilet seats!  

As for the music, we'll start with something traditional.  Whilst fiddler and accordionist Mats Edén was born in Stockholm county, he has roots in Värmland and his style is very much influenced by the traditions of the region.  Here is an early recording in duet with Leif Olsson from a 1977 compilation album called Unga spelmän från Värmland (Young fiddlers from Värmland).  It's a polka called Djävulspolskan från Brunskog:

More recently Mats Edén was also involved in a project called Nordic Raga, creating a fusion of Nordic folk and classical Carnatic music from Southern India together with Bangalore born fiddler Jyotsna Srikanth as well as 2 other Swedish musicians in Dan Svensson and Pär Moberg.  Here is the opening track of their 2018 self-titled album called Vildhonung (Wild honey), which is almost like a call and response conversation between Sweden and India:

Norberg in the county of Västmanland is the birthplace of jazz percussionist and composer Erik Nylander.  Amongst many projects he is also the Swedish part of the multi-national project Monoswezi (whom we already met in Oslo) along with musicians from Mozambique, Norway and Zimbabwe. Here's the opening track from their 2017 album A Je called Loko U Muka:

Kolonien is the Swedish word for allotments or community garden such as the one below on the outskirts of Stockholm.

They are designed to be a refuge from city life, a place where people can grow a few vegetables or flowers and chat to their neighbours.  Kolonien is also the name of a family band from Järna in Stockholm county just south of the capital.  They consist of 2 brothers Erik and Arvid Rask, their cousin Anna Möller and childhood friend, neighbour and blood brother Mischa Grind.  Their music is an upbeat folk / folk rock dealing with the subjects of our time such as climate change, the pandemic and war.  They have been playing together since 2010.  Their latest 2022 album Till Skogen (to the forest), marks a return to their roots of growing up on a farm in the forest and their inspiration of Dylan-esque progressive folk.  Here is a track from the album called Drömmen:

Maybe we'll just leave it at this for today, before we head into Stockholm city next time.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Norway - Innlandet County

 On the next leg of our virtual journey through Norway we meander away from the coast eastwards to the county of Innlandet.  First stop is the municipality of Folldal, where young folk singer Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen is from.  Most traditional Norwegian folk we have come across so far is instrumental led by the Hardanger fiddle.  The 26 year old Plassen however has taken a different approach by singing the dance tunes of her home region a Capello or with minimal accompaniment.  She has released her debut album Hjemve (home sickness) in 2021 and it is a real fun listening experience.  Here are a couple of songs from the album:

Next up we are getting our first taste of Sámi joiking (or anglicised yoiking) as we head into the southern Sámi reindeer herding district of Svahken Sijte near Engerdal on the border to Sweden.  This is where young Sámi joiker Marja Mortensson hails from.  She also is only about 26, but has already 3 critically acclaimed albums to her name.  On her latest 2022 album Raajroe - The Reindeer Caravan she is collaborating with tuba player Daniel Herskedal and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.  On it she brings the annual reindeer migration to life.  Here is the title track from the album:

The young Kjorstad brothers Hans and Rasmus come from the municipality of Sør-Fron in the district of Gudbrandsdalen.  They are both fiddlers and immerse themselves in the traditions of their home region, some of it embellished by vocals, Norwegian dulcimer, different flutes and Jew's harp.  Here is a tune from their 2016 debut album Pusishi Ulla called Redvaldhalling:

Heading south we arrive in the village of Furnes, where jazz pianist, composer and conductor Jon Balke was born in 1955.  In 2007 in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq he founded the conceptual project Siwan as a counterpoint, amalgamating sounds from the Arabic world initially with Moroccan singer Amina Alaoui, then with Algerian singer and oud player Mona Boutchebak.  Here is a track from their 2017 album Nahnou Houm with the latter on lead vocals.  The song is called Itimad:

Next we are heading to the village of Kirkenær in the municipality of Grue.  This is where singer and Kantele player Sinikka Langeland was born in 1961.  Her mother was a Karelian, an ethnic group from the border area between Finnland and Russia, who awakened an early interest in her daughter in the Finish kantele (a 39-string dulcimer).  Sinikka has since immersed herself in Rune songs and chants from Finland and Karelia, including shamanistic, ritualistic music.  Here she plays a tune called Winter Rune from her latest 2021 album Wolf Rune with some amazing overtone singing by Anna-Maria Hefele.  In the introduction there is a short and interesting interview giving some background.

That's it for today, next we are heading back into Sweden, heading towards Stockholm.  As usual you follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Norway - Vestland Part II & Møre og Romsdal

 

Next on our virtual journey we are doing a bit of fjord hopping along the west coast of Norway to the municipality of Jølster.  This is where multi-award winning Hardanger fiddle player Erlend Apneseth was born in 1990, whom we have already met duetting with Margit Myhr.  He performs solo or as part of his trio and his written music for cinema, theatre, dance performances, poetry and musical ensembles and orchestras in different genres.  His latest 2022 solo album Nova was recorded in the Vigeland mausoleum in Oslo, giving the sound an eerie reverberation.  Here is a tune from the album called Speglingar:

Staying in Jølster, which by all accounts is a bit of a hotspot of traditional music, we meet another Hardanger fiddle player in Gro Marie Svidal.  She started on the instrument aged 5 and has 2 solo albums to her name to date, plus various collaborations.  Her 2016 album Eilov is pure unadulterated Hardanger fiddle playing traditional tunes from her home region.  Here are a couple of tunes from the album, beginning with the opening track Håstabøen:

We head on further north to the municipality of Hornindal, where we meet yet another Hardanger fiddle player in Britt Pernille Frøholm.  She combines traditional Norwegian folk tunes with some contemporary and jazzy notes, adding her own compositions.  In her latest 2021 album Årringar (year rings) she collaborates with bass player Sigurd Hole, which is themed around the harsh seasons of western Norway.  Here is a tune from the album called Elerida:

Also from Hornindal is singer Unni Løvlid.  She is also rooted in Norwegian folk, but combines it with jazz, experimental sounds and influences from other parts of the world.  In her latest project she combines with Japanese musicians playing traditional Japanese instruments such as the sho, a free reed instrument, and the shakuhachi, an end blown bamboo flute.  Together they explore the classcial Japanese gagaku tradition of imperial court music and dances, together with definite Nordic inspirations.  This is a live version of a track from the resulting 2017 album Hymn called Vind, kom, which is inspired by the northern lights:

We continue our journey north along the west coast to the county of Møre og Romsdal to the small community of Mauseidvåg near Ålesund, where perhaps the most famous Hardanger fiddle player of all, AnnbjørgLien, grew up in a musical household.  She initially learned the instrument from her father, then went on to study under various masters, eventually achieving a PHD in 2019 in Hardanger fiddle at the University of Agder.  During the early part of her career she played with folk group Bukkene Bruse, whom we already covered in Oslo.  She has since a number of solo albums and has collaborated with folk musicians from all over the world, crossing musical borders on her way.  This a tune called Inoque from her 2002 album Aliens Alive:

Also check out her latest album Janus.

We conclude our tour of the west coast for the time being in the municipality of Kristiansund, where singer and composer Lynni Treekrem grew up, although she was born in Seattle in the USA in 1958.  There isn't much information out there about her, except that she won a Spelemanprisen award for her 1995 album Haugtussa, which is based on a selection of poems by  Arne Garborg.  So here is a song from the album called Den Snilde Guten:

That's it for today, next we are heading back inland to the appropriately named county of Inlandet.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual route on my tripline map as usual. 

Norway - Vestland Part I

 

Bergen in 1982

We arrive in the county of Vestland and in the main city of Bergen.  Apparently it's one of the rainiest cities with at least 300 days of precipitation every year.  I visited briefly back in the summer of 1982 and was lucky to catch one dry day.  

Anyway, onwards with the music.  Nordic dark folk band Wardruna were formed in Bergen in 2003.  They are in the pagan folk genre, playing traditional instruments like deer-hide frame drums, flutes, kraviklyra (lyre), tagelharpe (another lyre), mouth harp, goat horn and lure (another type of horn).  This is the title track from their latest album from 2022 called Kvitravn (White raven):

Jazz trumpeter Karl Strømme was born in Bergen in 1976.  With his band the Karl Strømme Quintet he combines the American standard jazz tradition with Norwegian folk music and other rhythmic inspirations, influenced by the likes of Miles Davis, Kenny Wheeler and Joe Zawinul.  They have only issued the one album in 2018 called Dynalyd.  This is the title track from the album:

Singer, composer and producer Heidi Torsvik was born in Bergen in 1982.  Her background is mostly jazz and she has played with Toots Thielemans as a teenager.  She has had some success as a solo indie artist as her alter-ego Heidi Goodbye.  In her latest venture she combines with American producer Lazerus Winter to produce an album inspired by the fjords of her home country.  The 2020 album Hidden Soul of the Fjords paints a soundscape in 4 movements which veers between classical, jazz, Nordic folk, rock, ambient electronica and trip-hop.  Here's the 4th Movement: Heart.  It's a bit long, but definitely worth listening to the whole thing:

For something completely different Bergen based world fusion band Meelodi started of as a duo of Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Ole Andre Farstad and Iranian singer Medi Farmani.  For their latest 2021 album The Great Blue Wheel they added musicians from Syria, the UK, Senegal and Canada to their line-up for a truly international collaborations.  Instruments that feature include the oud, banjo, Indian slide guitar, kora, nyati (kenyan lyre) and guzheng (Chinese zither) all held together by the strong lead vocals of Farmani.  It's a beautiful combination.  Here is an extract from the launch concert of the album:

Next we are heading to the village of Eidfjord in the beautiful historical region of Hardanger, which gave its name to the Hardanger fiddle, which is now incorporated into Vestland county.  This is where Handanger fiddle player and composer Benedicte Maurseth was born in 1983.  Her latest 2022 album Hárr is inspired by the nature and sounds of her home region, comparing hiking in nature and music composing as similar activities.  She is a follower of 'ecosophy', which was founded by Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss.  This is based on the fact that humans are integral part of the eco-system and interdependent on it, something I can only endorse.  The album is not traditional folk, but is rooted in the landscape and history of the place Maurseth calls home.  Here is a track from the album called Reinsdyrbjøller with some reindeer bells ringing:

So as not to make this post too long, we will continue our journey through the county of Vestland next time,  Until then you can follow my virtual journey on my tripline map.

Norway - Agder & Rogaland Counties

Before leaving the Vestfold og Telemark County we stop in the coastal city of Sandefjord.  The above picture was taken there, when I had the pleasure of spending a few days on a private island there back in 1982, attempting to learn to windsurf and waterski.  Jazz guitarist Andreas Haddeland was born here in 1977.  In his latest project he combines with folk singer Liv Ulvik and percussionist Ulrik Ibsen Thorsrud to form a band called Østerlide.  On their 2020 self-titled debut album they re-invent traditional Norwegian folk songs enveloping them in an eerie, haunting soundscape.  Here's a track from the album called Varulven: 

We're heading back south, rounding the nose of the Scandinavian bear to arrive in Agder county.  Hardanger fiddle player Ånon Egeland and viola player Mikael Marin explore the darker side of the traditions of the region with their instruments tuned an octave down.  They call their style folk noir and the tunes are associated with songs of grief, godly reverence and lost love.  They are both considered legends of the Scandinavian folk scene in their own right and got together for a couple of albums, including their 2020 recording Farvel Farvel. Here's a tune from the album called Adam den første:

Singer/songwriter, record producer and novelist Jenny Hval was born in Tvedestrand in Agder county in 1980.  She has dabbled in various genres, including alternative rock, experimental folk and avant-garde, having started her music career in Gothic metal.  She cites Kate Bush as one of her main influences.  She is known for controversial lyrics tackling subjects like pornography and the patriarchy and felt a bit of a hypocrite when she got married recently, given that she has previously been critical of conventions around love and relationships.  She dealt with those conflicts in her own persona with her latest album Classic Objects and particularly with this song of the album called Year of Love:

Back to something more traditional, folk singer and silversmith Kirsten Bråten Berg was born in Arendal in Agder County in 1950.  Trained as a silversmith she got into singing traditional Norwegian folk songs in the 1970's.  She has given concerts and recorded numerous albums since.  In 1990 she met jazz bassist Arild Andersen (whom we met in an earlier post) and has joined his band since.  Her last solo album was in 2010 called Songen and this is a song from it called Astrid, mi Astrid:

Moving on to Stavanger, the main city of Rogaland County for something a bit different.  Here we meet a band called Naaljos Ljom, who play what they call "Traditional Norwegian Microtonal Dance Music".  Essentially it's another complete re-invention of Norwegian folk music, by giving it the electronic dance floor treatment.  I'm not entirely sure it's my cup of tea, but I'll leave it out there anyway for yourselves to judge.  This is from their 2021 self-titled debut album called Langeleikslått:

Singer/songwriter Aurora Aksnes, known simply as Aurora, was born in Stavanger in 1996, although grew up in Høle in Rogaland and a remote village in the Os Mountains near Bergen.  Being surrounded by nature in a relatively isolated location has very much influenced her outlook on life and musical style.  She has achieved some considerable international success with her Nordic folk influenced pop.  She also sites Kate Bush as her influences, as well as Bjørk, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.  Here's the opening track to her 2016 debut album All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend called Runaway:

    `Finally we revisit Slovakian-Norwegian Gypsy orchestra Angrusori, whom we met before in Slovakia.  They are a collaboration between 2 cultural centres involving the Kitchen Orchestra from Stavanger and a group from Slovakia's Roma community.  They got together to record an album at a venue called Tou in Stavanger in 2021, which then appropriately was named Live at Tou.  This is a track from the album called Pre ada baro svetos:

This is it for today, next we'll head up the west coast of Norway towards Bergen.  In the meantime, as usual you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Norway - Viken County Part II & Vestfold og Telemark

 Before leaving Oslo we meet Sámi yoiker Kajsa Balto who was born in Oslo to parents of the Sápmi nation which covers the north of Scandinavia with its own language and culture.  The music of her ancestral country, which is based on yoiking or joiking, a Sámi chanting style similar to native American chanting, blended with more modern urban pop and folk are what inspires Kajsa.  Here's a song from her 2020 album Buot eallá (Everything is alive) called Min máttuid rávvagat (The advice from our ancestors):

Next we are heading northwest from Oslo to the small village of Torpo in the Ål municipality, where actor, dancer and folk singer Margit Myhr was born in 1990.  She has released a few albums as leader of the Kvedarkvintetten and last year collaborated with Hardanger fiddler Erlend Apneseth, who is from Vestland (more of him later), to record an album of traditional Norwegian folk songs called Slåttesong.  Here's a live performance of a song off that album called Gro Gudmundsrud, although Erlend is just sitting by in this one, but as I say more of him in a later post.

Also from the Ål municipality and possibly a relation is Hardanger fiddle player and singer Helga Myhr (born 1995), who works in the field of Norwegian folk as well as contemporary and experimental music, both as a solo artist and as part of various projects. One of her projects is folk band Morgonrode (old Norwegian for the red sun rising at dawn), combining traditional tunes with original lyrics and parts of improvisation, reflecting the various musical backgrounds of the band members.  Here's quite an hypnotic tune by them called Huldresull, which is the opening track to their 2020 album Du milde verden:

 

Moving on we arrive in Geilo in the Hol Municipality, still in Viken County for something quite unique.  This is where Jazz percussionist Terje Isungset comes from, who has been hailed as the world's first and only ice musician.  He has been experimenting with building instruments from all kinds of natural materials, such as arctic birch, granite, slate and sheep bells, but it was a commission to play and compose inside a frozen waterfall in Lillehammer in 1999 that led to his growing interest in making music from blocks of ice cut from glaciers.  He has since gained international fame, touring indoor venues as well as playing in situ and releasing numerous albums of his compositions.  Here is a tune from one of his concerts called A Glimpse of Light:

There is even a film out about his exploits, which sounds interesting to have a look at:

And this is from his latest album Glacial Poetry called When Ice Sings, recorded inside an igloo:

Next we are heading back south into the county of Vestfold & Telemark to the municipality of Notodden where folk singer, anthropologist and pedagogue Frode Nyvold was born in 1949.  He is head of department of folk culture at the Rauland Institute.  He has recorded numerous albums of Norwegian folk songs and his latest 2020 album is called Soldater og Redelik Sjømen (Soldiers and honest seamen), which has a hint of the sea shanty tradition.  Here's a song off that album called Soldaten:

Finally we stop in Heddal in the Telemark, where veteran harmonica player Sigmund Groven was born in 1946.  Groven has become known as one of the world's leading classical harmonica players, playing anything from classical music, to pop and Beatles covers and Norwegian folk, touring the world doing so.  In 2020 he returned to his roots and recorded an album with fiddler Knut Buen (born 1948 in Kongsberg, Viken County) of tunes from his home region, The Sound of Telemark.  This is the opening track to the album called Bruremarsj frå Seljord:

That's it from this part of Norway for today, next we are heading back down towards the coast to circumnavigate the nose of the 'Norwegian bear'.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Norway - Oslo Part III

 We continue our exploration of the music of Oslo.  The Hardanger fiddle or hardingfele is central to much of the traditional music of Norway and trio Valkyrien Allstars take it in to folk-rock territory.  They were formed in 2003 in Oslo and have varied in personnel, often backed by bass and drums.  Here's a song from their 2007 self-titled debut album called Å gjev du batt meg:

A couple of years ago Norwegian fiddler Hans Kjorstad invited Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts to Oslo to collaborate in a project with Norwegian band Völvur for a session combining their respective traditions.  The result was a performance at Celtic Connections and the 2021 album The Old Fabled River.  This is one of 2 songs on the album sung in Norwegian called Nu rinner solen opp:

Another Scottish collaboration sees Shetland native fiddler Sarah-Jane Summers, who has made Oslo her home, and Finnish/Norwegian guitarist Juhani Silvola get together to produce an energetic and invigorating Scottish/Nordic instrumental folk amalgam, peppered with improvisation and experimental elements.  Their self-titled 2021 album Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola has received rave reviews, including a Top of the World in Songlines Magazine.  Here is one of the slower tunes from that album called Portobello Smile:

Norwegian Christian choir SKRUK was founded in 1973 by conductor Per Oddvar Hilde.  They have recorded some 25 albums since then and have collaborated with musicians from all over the world.  A particularly interesting collaboration took place in 2010 with Persian classical singer Mahsa Vahdat (born coincidentally also in 1973 in Teheran) interpreting Sufi poems by Rumi and Hafez.  The resulting album was called I Vinens Spel (In the mirror of wine) and lyrics are partially in Farsi, partially translated into Norwegian.  This is a song from the album, called Brevet Til Vinbæreren (Letter to the wine bearer).  I often write letters to wine bearers myself: "please send more wine, I'm thirsty"

Finally for multinational collective Monoswezi, whose Norwegian component Hallvard Godal is from Oslo.  The name Monoswezi is an amalgam of the first letters of the respective nationalities of the band members, Mozambique, Norway, Sweden and Zimbabwe and also a play on words, 'mono' for the Greek word for 'one' and 'swezi' for the South African dialect word for 'world'.  As it says on the tin they combine African sounds with Nordic jazz.  Apart from multi-instrumentalist Godal the band also consists of the vocals and Mbira of Zimbabwean Hope Masike, Calu Tsemane on vocals and percussion from Mozambique, Putte Johander on bass and Erik Nylander on percussion, both from Sweden.  Here is the opening track to their latest 2021 album Shanu called Kuwonererwa:

That's it from Oslo for today.  As usual you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Norway - Oslo Part II

Hurdy-gurdy player in the Vigeland Park, Oslo

 

Me and a friend dancing to the hurdy-gurdy in 1982

In the second part of our exploration of the music of Oslo, we will delve into some more traditional folk music of Norway.  We begin with folk band Bukkene Bruse, who were formed in 1988.  They include famous Hardanger fiddler Annbjørg Lien, whom we will get to meet in a later post.  The band plays both traditional tunes and songs as well as their own material based on the various regional folk traditions of Norway.  They have toured the world with their music and were chosen as official Olympic musicians for the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games.  Here is a tune from their 1998 album Steinstolen called Folketone fra Sunnmøre:

Chateau Neuf Spelemanslag are a folk supergroup consisting of some 18 odd members formed in 1998 at Oslo University.  They combine traditional Norwegian folk tunes with elements of jazz using traditional Norwegian folk instruments.  They don't appear to have a website and have not really been active since 2015.  This is a waltz from their 2001 album Curing Norwegian Stiffness called Vals etter Vidar Lande:

The Norwegian/Swedish trio Ævestaden are relatively new on the scene.  They play what Songlines Magazine has described as Dream Folk, playing traditional Nordic instruments such as lyres, fiddle, mouth harp, langeleiks and kantele, but interweaving it with some sparing electronic sounds and some beautiful vocals (in Swedish I believe, correct me if I'm wrong).  Here is a song from their 2021 debut album Ingen Mere Gråter called Stanna Inte:

Pianist Ingfrid Breie Nyhus was born in Oslo in 1978 as a daughter of traditional folk fiddler Sven Nyhus.  She is classically trained on the piano, but her folk influences are very much in evidence, especially with her exploration of the Norwegian slått traditions, which are instrumental folk dance tunes.  She adds contemporary influences and improvisations to develop her own unique style with contrasting dark and light moments, but unmistakably Nordic.  Here is a tune from her 2015 album Slåttepiano called Karislåtten:

The members of Norwegian folk string ensemble Majorstuen met in 2000 at the Oslo State Academy for Music.  Concentrating purely on fiddles with only the odd cello or viola thrown into the mix, they produce a fun and uplifting style to get your dance legs twitching.  Majorstuen is named after a particularly affluent part of Oslo, which in turn was named after a well known pub in the district, the stuen part roughly translating as lounge.  I like naming districts of a city after a pub, I think this practice should catch on more widely.  This is a tune from their 2020 album Jubel called Jubelpolka:

And talking about 'stuen', I'm not not sure where and when folk band Stampestuen were formed, but we'll just place them in Oslo too.  There style has somewhat of an Americana style, in the sense that their songs are mostly ballads about strong characters that have had to emigrate or have fallen on hard times, and banjo, mandolin, harmonica and Appalachian dulcimer feature alongside the hardanger fiddle and guitar.  They have recently released a new album called Bak Lås Og Slå, which takes talks about thieves, murderers and other outcasts from Norwegian society in the 19th century, including Ole Høiland, who robbed the Norwegian Central Bank in 1835:

We leave it at that for today, finishing off in Oslo and continuing our Norwegian journey.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.