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.