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.