Continuing our exploration of the music of Tbilisi, we are including some more contemporary sounds. Jazz fusion band The Shin was actually founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1998, but by Georgian exiles. They combine jazz with funk, flamenco and a distinct Georgian flavour with some polyphonic singing. Their name actually translates as home or going home rather than having anything to do with the lower part of the leg. Here is a live version of a track from their 2006 album EgAri called Chips on the Water:
Singer/songwriter and producer Tamada combines Georgian folk with electronic dance music in a rather unusual blend. His real name is Lasha Chapel, but his pseudonym apparently is the name for a Georgian table host or toast master. He is originally from Tbilisi, but is based in Berlin these days. Here is a song from his 2024 album 9 Deadly Sins For Tamada called Jinit.
Georgian American singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze was born in Georgia, but emigrated to the USA when he was 8 years old. Now based in Brooklyn, he combines Georgian folk with American folk idioms, singing in Georgian and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar and occasionally banjo. Here is the opening track to his 2019 album Yes & No called Shenma Survilma Damlia:
Folk rock group Mgzavrebi we founded in Tbilisi in 2006 by actor Gigi Dedalamazishvili, combining Georgian folk infused with contemporary rock. After a number of line-up changes the current band consists of 7 members. Although singing mostly in Georgian, but also in Russian and Ukrainian, they were particularly popular in Russia, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine they have cancelled all concerts there. The name of the band means Travellers. Here's a song from their 2023 album Kamara called Waltz, which they used to accompany a short film on the loss of a loved one:
That's it from Tbilisi for today, next we are going to listen to the music of southern Georgia. In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.
Moldova is another country with an unresolved border dispute. A narrow sliver of land in the east of its officially internationally recognised territory, between the river Dniester and the Ukrainian border, is controlled by the de facto country of Transnistria or, as they like to be known, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. They have all the bits making them look like a fully fledged country, such as their own elected administration, currency, military, flag and national anthem, yet they are not recognised by any member of the UN, so are dependent on Moldova for access to the outside world and Russia for military and economic aid. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe defines the region as under military occupation by Russia. To be fair to them mind, they did split from Moldova, before Moldova declared its own independence, so as such has never been under Moldovan control. Apparently it is possible to visit the territory, which would be quite a cool thing to do visiting a country that doesn't exist.
Transnistrian Parliament. Photo credit: By Донор - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27580045
In the interest of completeness I have truffled out a musical act from the region, the worldbeat/hip-hop trio DoReDoS, who were formed 2011 in the northern town of Rîbniţa. They actually represented Moldova at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. This is their 2022 single One in a Million:
The rest of Moldova is culturally and linguistically the twin of Romania. The official language of Moldova is in fact Romanian and there was even talk of the 2 countries uniting at one stage. It is however one of the poorest countries in Europe. We start our journey through Moldova proper in the small commune of Pepeni in the north of the country where folk singer Nicolae Glib was born in 1949. He is the most popular living folk singer in Moldova and has gathered many awards and prestigious titles. His most famous song is Moldovean ca mine nu-i (There's no Moldovan such as myself), which features on a 2019 self-titled compilation album of his work:
The rest of the time in Moldova we are hanging around the capital Chişinău. Nearly a third of the population lives there and it hosts an annual wine festival in October, which sounds fun. Moldova after all is one of the cradles of winemaking with a history dating back to 3000 BCE. We start with something probably more authentic from folk singer and ethno-musicologist Cristina Godoroja. I don't know much about her, but she has just released her debut album in 2023 called Ciobănaş Cu Oile: Songs from Moldova and Romania. All the songs are sung a Capello and this one is called Down the Dniester to the Valley:
Trans-Balkan band Drobinska's link to Moldova is rather tentative. The band is actually based in St. Petersburg in Russia and the members are from Russia, Ukraine and Palestine, but it was founded by Oleg Drobinski, who studied and discovered Balkan wedding music in Chişinău, before travelling other parts of the Balkan peninsula. Here's a track from their 2004 album Cuie de Cirnat called Dumi mi, duni:
Folk-rock band Zdob şiZdub were established in 2011 in Chişinău and have already represented Moldova 3 times at the Eurovision song context. They mix their fun Balkan rhythms with rock and punk elements. Here's a fun video of their 2021 single Trenulețul (The Train):
And that's it already from Moldova. Next, like Zdop siZdub, we're heading into Romania. As usual, you can follow my virtual progress on my Tripline map.
Next on our virtual trip is Lithuania, which like the other Baltic states has it's own distinct traditions and language. I have never been, but it has suffered a similar fate to its neighbours in history of being overrun alternately by the Germans and the Russians. Now it is a prosperous country, proud of its traditions and looking forward at the same time. Unlike Latvia its culture seems to be less centralised and we will go on a whistlestop tour around the country.
Our first stop in the north of the country and just over the border with Latvia is the town of Joniškis, where singer and self-declared song-keeper Laurita Peleniūtė was born. She is trying to preserve ancient Lithuanian folk songs and performs in various guises including collaborating with musicians from around the world. One of her projects is the duo Maros Rijos together with Tadas Dešukas, who accompanies her pure voice gently on violin, mandolin and guitar, whilst she is on a shruti box for a gentle drone. Here's a song from their 2021 album Ilgių Dainos called Oi Eisiu Eisiu:
Another project Laurita is involved in is MaLituanie, a collaboration between musicians from Mali and Lithuania to find common ground between their respective musical traditions. The Malian contingent of the collaboration includes ngoni player Baba Sissoko and guitarist Victor Diawara and the Lithuanian half is completed by multi-instrumentalist Saulius Petreikis and singer and Baltic psaltery player Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė as well as Laurita on ocarina and percussion. Here's a track from their 2013 album called Tres Jolie:
And talking about the above mentioned multi-instrumentalist Saulius Petreikis, he was born in the north-western town of Barstyčiai near the port city of Klaipeda in 1984. He has a collection of 50 odd wind instruments from all over the world and is known as the only professional musician who can play a wide range of ancient Lithuanian/Baltic wind instruments. He has recorded 11 solo albums and has taken part in some 50 national and international collaborations. He combines his traditional folk roots with other experimental world music genres. His latest 2023 album Sapnų Vartai (The Gate of Dreams) was inspired by the lullabies his mother sang to him when he was the kid and that he now sings to his own children. Here is track from the album called Naktį lyja (At night it rains) with some beautiful art work in the video:
Next we are heading to the eastern city of Tauragė, where accordionist Martynas Levickis was born in 1990. The classically trained musician calls his instrument his box of tricks and he has been hailed as "amazingly talented [...] single-handedly reinventing the accordion" by the Independent. He first emerged onto the scene as the winner of the Lithuania's Got Talent competition in 2010. His repertoire is mostly his interpretations of classical pieces, but he also incorporates Lithuanian folk tunes, such as in this piece from his latest 2013 album Autograph called The Dawn Is Breaking / Beauštanti aušrelė:
Folk rock band Atalyja (The Rain is Coming) debuted in 1998 in Kaunas, the second city of Lithuania. The focus on the popularisation of traditional Lithuanian folk songs, in particular polyphonic Sutartinės. They combine those with contemporary rock, funk and blues elements, using both traditional instruments and modern electric guitar, bass and drums. Here is the title track from their 2009 album Saula riduolėla:
Folk band Sutaras started off in 1988 in the capital Vilnius playing and singing traditional Lithuanian village folk and have since performed over 6200 concerts in Lithuania and all over the world. Whilst much of their instrumentation is traditional including the daudytes (wooden horns), the ragiliai (reed horns) or the skudučiai (panpipes) and their songs are formed as Sutartinės, they are not afraid of experimentation and throwing a bit of jazz into their compositions. Here's a song from their 2011 album Ubagų karalystės monai called UBAGŲ SALA (Isle of Beggars):
Folk-fusion trio Merope consist of Lithuanian kanklės (Lithuanian zither) player and singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, Belgian Bert Cools on guitar and synthesizer and Frenchman Jean Christophe Bonnafous on bansuri, a south-Asian side-blown flute. Their material is based on Lithuanian folk songs, but with the unusual instrumentation and international influences have created their own style. Here is the title track from their 2022 album Naktės:
And that's it from Lithuania, next stop Belarus. As usual, you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.
We arrive in the Baltic states on our virtual travels, starting in the east with Estonia. Although declaring neutrality during World War II, they were overrun several times, first by the Germans than the Soviet Union, who occupied the Baltic states until 1991. Their language is related to Finnish and therefore totally unintelligible to the average human. I have yet to visit the country, but by all accounts it's worth a visit. Their national epic poem is the Kalevipoeg, which tells the story of a giant who throws rocks at his enemies, talks to hedgehogs and finally gets his feet cut off by his own sword.
We start at the north-eastern town of Rakvere, where violinist & singer Maarja Ruut was born in 1986. She is classically trained, but started experimenting in different genres, most notably Estonian village folk, but also Hindustani music, and electronica. Her interest in Estonian folk came when she discovered an archive of 78's from pre-Soviet times, which became her inspiration to create her more contemporary folk using a loop station to add layers to her music. Here is a track from her 2016 album Une Meeles (In the hold of a dream) called Siidisulis Linnukene (The Silken-feathered Bird):
Next stop is Talinn, the capital of Estonia. I'm not actually sure where folk-rock band Trad.Attack! are based, but they were formed in 2013, taking archival folk recordings and adding their own rock tunes and rhythms to them. They spine of the group is a trio consisting of Sandra Vabarna on vocals and torupill (Estonian bagpipe), Jalma Vabarna on guitar and vocals and Tõnu Tubli on drums. Live they really rock the place, especially in their home country, but they have toured internationally. Here is a live version of the song Jaan'kene from their 2015 album Ah!:
Multi-instrumentalist, story-teller and anthropologist Polina Tšerkassova was born in Talinn in 1986, but is ethnic Russian. First and foremost she tells fairy tale-like stories form all over the world in Estonian, Russian and usefully English. She accompanies those stories herself with a number of exotic instruments. She has an absolutely captivating and enchanting style. Here she gives her own version of what she does, of course in story form, from her 2017 album Singing Stories (also available in Estonian and Russian). The piece is called Who Is a Storyteller:
Duo Ruut were formed in 2017 by 2 young women, Ann-Lisett Rebane and Kateriina Kivi, who play one(!) Estonian zither between them and singing together in harmony. They were still teenagers when they were mucking about in the music room of their school trying to arrange a song together. They tried every instrument they could or couldn't play until they stumbled across a neglected Estonian zither, which they considered uncool, but tried it out nevertheless. They soon discovered that they could produce sounds on it, which are not traditionally associated with this instrument, and the rest is history as they say. Given that Estonian folk tunes appear to have a tendency to be quite simple with sometimes only 2 or 3 notes, this sounds like the result would be very sparse and minimalistic, but they somehow produce a beautiful richness of sound and atmosphere. Here is the title song from their 2019 album Tuule sõnad (Words of the Wind), which is a spell to drive away the wind. Apparently the Estonians don't like weather of any description and therefore have a spell to ward of any weather condition.
I'm not sure where Kannel Player and folk musician Eva Väljaots was born in 1986, but she is Estonian, but now resides in Helsinki. The kannel is the Estonian version of the Finnish kantele. Her music is purely instrumental and inspired by nature. Here's the title track of her 2021 album Hundinuiaõis * Bulrush Bloom:
Next stop is the small town of Märjamaa, where mouth harp player and singer Cätlin Mägi was born in 1979. She plays mostly traditional Estonian music, using a loop station to accompany herself on the parmupill, the Estonian version of the mouth harp. In fact she uses about 50 different types of mouth harps, which she interchanges mid-song giving the impression of a whole band playing along. The effect is fascinating. Here is the opening track to her 2018 album Mu Pill Parmupill (My Harp, my heart) called Koka Nokast (Wood Shavings):
Finally we visit the south eastern town of Võru, where folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Mari Kalkun was born in 1986 (1986 seems to have been a very good year for Estonian musicians, must have been something in the stars...). The region where she grew up is surrounded by woodlands and nature, which has inspired her style. She is considered one of the driving forces behind the revival of Estonian folk. She accompanies her songs on piano, Estonian zither, accordion and guitar. Here's a song from her latest 2023 album Stories of Stonia called Lend Põhjataeva All (Flight Beneath the Northern Sky): That's it from Estonia, it's only a small country. Next up on our imaginary travels is Latvia. In the meantime you can follow the journey so far on my Tripline map.
After Moscow we are heading due west to the town of Usyaty in the Pskov Oblast. This is where button accordionist Ekaterina Trusova has recently released an album of traditional music of the region called Usyaty: Russian Music From Pskov Region in Modern and Archival Recordings. It's a slightly bizarre album. The modern recordings are Trusova playing traditional tunes on the accordion, but the archival recordings were made by her in the 90's and are of bad quality, especially those of her father Dimitry Kozintsev, so we'll play a tune from the first and better quality half of the album, a short tune called In the Village at the River:
Next for something a bit more polished we are heading to the city of Pskov itself where gusli player and harpist Olga Glazova was born in 1993. Her speciality instrument the gusli is an ancient east Slavic multi-stringed zither. On it she plays her own interpretations of Russian folk songs accompanied by her own voice. Here is a song from her 2023 album Live in Alexandrinsky Theatre called Memories:
Next we are heading into St. Petersburg itself, the second largest city in Russia and the birthplace of the Russian Empire, formerly known as Leningrad. Here's a picture of the above-mentioned Alexandrinsky Theatre:
First up is the fun folk-rock band Otava Yo(Отава Ё). They started life around 2003 as a Pogues-style Celtic punk-folk inspired band called Reelroadъ, but have since moved onto Russian folk with their own energetic rock. Their breakthrough came through their funny YouTube videos, having them dance madly in costume and tell fun stories that are understandable even to those who don't speak Russian, although they often do come with English subtitles. It is also worth pointing out that they have publicly spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here's the opening track to their 2018 album Do You Love / Любишь ли ты called Once Upon a Time in a High Hill / Как на горке, на горе:
The 3 original members of klezmer and Balkan band Dobranotch (Good Night) are all from St' Petersburg but originally met busking on the streets of Nantes in France in 1997. They left Russia in 2022 in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine and are now based in Germany. Their main raison d'etre is klezmer with a good dose of Balkan brass, Gypsy tunes and Russian folk. Here is a song from their 2019 album Mercedes Kolo called Ya Rayah:
Russia's coolest female band, according to Russian Rolling Stone, folk-rock outfit Iva Nova were formed in 2002 in St. Petersburg. Whilst rooted in Slavic folk, don't expect traditional Russian songs, these ladies rock with a real urban grunge. Apart from Russian they also sing songs in Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Georgian and Tatar languages. Here's the opening track from their 2021 live album Snow White Concert called Don't Want It! / Не хочу!:
Gypsy band Loyko were formed in 1990 by Sergei Erdenko initially as a duo, then a trio, sometimes with the addition of his niece Leonsia Erdenko on vocals. Sergei was actually born in eastern Siberia in 1958 into the sub-group of Servitka Roma, but started this project in St. Petersburg. What this man can't do on a fiddle is yet to be determined, from lightning fast pizzicatos to making train noises, bird calls, horse trots and other effects. Whilst gypsy music is at the core of the group, they are not afraid to cross over into other genres such as flamenco, Celtic music, Hungarian folk or classical. Here's a song from their 2012 album Gypsy Times for Nunja called Gypsy Street:
Finally we head west a bit towards the Estonian border stopping at the town of Kingisepp, where composer and accordionist Evelina Petrova was born in 1974. Whilst vaguely rooted in Russian folk, she very much veers off into experimental music and world fusion genres. Her singing is mostly in made up language and includes hollers and whoops. One of her projects is the Evelina Petrova Trio formed in Oslo together with Norwegian trombonist Andreas Rotevatn (also supplying electronic effects) and California Hardanger fiddle player Laura Ellestad. This unusual combination took the form of an experimental lab where everything was permitted and nothing left untested. Here is a live version of the opening track Farewell from their 2019 album First Dance. Ellestad is replaced by Scottish fiddler Sarah-Jane Summers (whom we met in Oslo) on this occasion.
So much for European Russia for now.. I'm sure there's a lot more to find in this vast country, but a lot of websites there seem to be blocked here in the west and it's not easy to find stuff. Next stop is going to be Estonia, until then you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.
Photo credit: By Ludvig14 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31764182
We arrive in Russia's capital Moscow, home to the Kremlin, the centre of power, and unsurprisingly a rich music scene. We'll just scrape the surface with some local acts. First up is all female ethno-experimental quartet FolkBeat, who started life in 2012. They combine traditional Russian folk songs with contemporary pop idioms using beatbox techniques and loop stations incorporating hip-hop, drum'n'bass, jungle and punk influences. Here is a song from their 2016 album FolkBeat & Friends - The Joyful Meeting called I Can't Stand It:
Folk & jazz composer and performer Sergey Starostin was born in Moscow was born in Moscow in 1956 and is famous for his modern interpretations of archaic Russian, Tuvan and Sámi folk music often combined with jazz. He went through several phases from traditional to more jazz influenced music and back to his original roots. He collects and makes some of his own instruments including various flutes such as the kalyuka overtone flute and reed instruments. During his research he recorded thousands of tracks of authentic songs and instrumental compositions. On his 2004 album Easy As Pie he combines with percussionist Mario to produce a very pared back folk album, which was a result of a jam session. It includes a version of this song called Deep:
Singer/songwriter Inna Zhelannaya (b. 1967 in Moscow) started her career in rock music as part of various bands and writing her own material. In 1989 she began collaborating with the above mentioned Sergey Starostin, who introduced her to folk music. In 1994 she founded her own rock band called Farlander, with whom she performed for nearly two decades. In 2013 she changed direction again with a new band, incorporating more folk elements as well as psychedelic rock, producing her own psych folk style. Her 2014 double album Izvorot (The Bending) received much critical comparing her to King Crimson meeting Russian roots. This a song from the album called Palisade:
Experimental singing group the Dimitri Pokrovsky Ensemble was founded in 1973 in Moscow by Dimitri Pokrovsky himself and his wife Tamara Smyslova to research, collect and perform traditional Russian village music. Pokrovsky has since died in 1996, but the choir goes on and has recently celebrated its 50 birthday. Here's a track from their 1991 album The Wild Field (re-released in 2019) called Mosquito:
Gypsy guitarist Vadim Kolpakov was actually born in Saratov in 1981 near the Caspian Sea, but is now based in Moscow. He is the third generation in his family playing the 7-string gypsy guitar. Together with his uncle Alexander he formed the Kolpakov Duo. Here are the 2 opening tracks of their 2010 album Introducing the Kolpakov Duo called Suite of Gypsy Tunes and Dui,Dui:
In the mid 1980's, when Perestroika and Glasnost began to bloom in the old Soviet Union, 4 students around Igor Yuzov got together playing music in their dorm. Rock'n'roll was still banned, but having a rebellious streak they combined Russian folk with this decadent western genre to create their own Russian folk'n'roll. They called themselves Limpopo after the river in Southern Africa, because it sounded exotic. They were having a lot of fun together and at their peak performed at a Soviet/American peace walk. That's where Igor met an American woman, got married and emigrated to California. Soon the other band members followed him and they reformed, initially busking on the streets of Santa Monica, adding ridiculous dance moves and a good dose of humour to their performances. They became so popular that they were discovered by a producer who invited them to record their song. They went in for one session in which they recorded 20 songs, which became their debut album Crazy Russian Folk'n'Roll in 1991. Later they entered a talent competition, which they won. Nowadays they go under the name of the Red Elvises with some changes in personnel. Here is the winning entry to the talent show called Korobeyniki, which features on the debut album:
I can't find out much about singer Anna Hoffman, other than she is based in Moscow and specialises in Sephardic music, the music of the Jewish community that inhabited the Iberian peninsula until they were largely expelled by the late 15th century. They spoke their own Spanish dialect called Ladino and mixed cultural influences from Spain, North Africa, Turkey and the Balkans. Hoffman's voice is strong and expressive as her backing band Romancero Sefardi subtly accompanies her. Here is a short concert of hers showing women's songs of the sephardic tradition, some of which feature on her 2013 album Juego de Siempre:
Finally the all female vocal ensemble and internet sensation Beloe Zlato (White Gold) originally formed in the city of Norilsk in deepest Siberia, but are now based in Moscow. They all studied music and got together over their shared love of traditional Russian folk. They made a name for themselves on YouTube performing in romanticised rural settings, wearing simple dress, sometimes traditional costumes, sometimes just jeans and T-shirts, singing in beautiful harmonies a Capello or accompanied by a balalaika. Their recorded music is not available on the usual channels, but their videos are a joy to watch, as they exude a fresh and carefree energy. Here is an example of a song called A Week:
That's it from Moscow, next we're heading towards St. Petersburg. As usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.
We'll be covering a lot of mileage on this post, all the way from just east of the Ural Mountains to the Black Sea and anything else south of the capital Moscow. We start this leg of our virtual tour through Russia across the Urals in the Sverdlovsk Oblast and in what is technically speaking our first stop in Asia being located just east of the Ural Mountains. First stop is the town of Verkhnyaya Salda, where singer / songwriter and poet Olga Arefieva was born in 1966. She is very much a folk rocker, incorporating elements of reggae and hip hop. Looking at the translations of her lyrics you can see the poet in her. Like in this song called У попа была собака (The Priest Had a Dog) from her 2016 album Глина (Clay). It describes the struggles of a priest as he doubts his calling and gets crushed by the questions of the world, but his dog teaches him to live in the moment.
"The dog wiggled its tail and nose,
She asked a bunch of questions:
No, not about why he’s crying -
But about running, walking and playing ball."
Next we are heading to the administrative capital of the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Yekaterinburg, formerly known as Sverdlovsk. The fourth largest city in Russia it is considered a cultural centre, and the main musical genre associated with it is Ural Rock, which we won't go into. Multi-instrumentalist Katya Yonder was born and raised here. Living on the border between Europe and Asia she has long had an interest in musical influences from both continents. She lists her influences as anything from 80's pop to old video game soundtracks and Japanese animes, ending up with an ethereal ambient pop sound singing in Russian, English, Japanese and French, which actually is quite pleasing. Here's a song from her 2020 album Multiply Intentions called Вновь и вновь (Again and Again):
Next we are heading south a bit to the city of Chelyabinsk in the oblast of the same name. It is sometimes known as the gateway to Siberia and is therefore not surprising to hear sounds normally associated with the people from further east like Tuva and Mongolia, namely throat singing. Shaman, throat singer and mouth harp player Tyurgen Kam was born there. His mission is to bring throat singing to a younger audience incorporating electronic influences and sometimes dancefloor rhythms to his music. He even appeared on Ukraine has got talent some years ago (obviously before the current conflict). Here's a track from his 2013 album Bear Trail:
We are crossing back across the Urals into European Russia to Volgograd (formerly known as Stalingrad) in the oblast of the same name. It is part of larger region which is home to another ethnic minority, the Cossacks. Historically they were a group of semi-nomadic, semi-militarized people, who in return for military service were given a certain autonomy from the Russian Empire. During the Communist era they were disbanded and consequently some fought for the other side during World War II. Between 3.5-5 million people now identify as Cossacks.
In 2016 the Ensemble of Ancient Cossack Song Kazachya Sprava was founded in Volgograd. They perform traditional a cappella songs dressed in traditional costumes and uniforms. Many of the songs have a military theme to them, reflecting their history as an army force. Here is a live performance of a song from their 2019 album The Sun Will Give the Morrow Birth:
Next we are making another giant leap all the way to the Black Sea coast to the town of Tuapse in the Krasnodar Krai. This is where balalaika virtuoso Alexey Arkhipovsky was born in 1967. Now if Russia has a national instrument it is this simple 3-stringed instrument with a triangular body. In the hands of Arkhipovsky it becomes almost unrecognisable, so much so that he is sometimes known as the Paganini or Jimi Hendrix of the balalaika. He performs it solo with incredible skill. His most famous tune is Zolushka (Cinderella) from his 2013 album The Road to Home:
Heading 1000km north we arrive in the city of Voronezh in the oblast of the same name. This is where folk band Trio Voronezh were formed in 1993 by graduates of the Academy of Music by Vladimir Volokhin on the domra (small Russian lute), Sergei Teleshev on the bayan (a Russian chromatic button accordion) and Valerie Petrukhin on double bass balalaika. They play Russian and international folk tunes as well as classical pieces and have toured abroad extensively. In fact their springboard to international fame was when they were 'discovered' busking in a Frankfurt subway station. Here is a tune from their 2014 self-titled album called New York Tango:
Next we go west a bit to the Belgorod Oblast and the town of Prokhorovka, famous for a massive tank battle during World War II. It is also home to electro-folk outfit Staritsa. They are really only a duo although they sound like a much bigger band filling their music with electronic rhythms, but having Russian folk songs as their heart singing in beautiful harmony accompanied by electric guitar or balalaika. They have set out to break through common stereotypes of stuffy Russian folk by giving it a modern twist. The title of their 2021 album Klyukva means cranberry but is also is a Russian idiom which refers to westerners perceiving Russia as other and reinforcing stereotypes of the balalaika, borscht and bears. Here's a song from the album called Oh Polno, Polno:
Finally we finish off today in the city of Belgorod itself, where folk-rock band Narechie hail from. Narechie means adverb in Russian, which means if you google their name, you get a lot of articles and videos on grammatical rules. They combine electric guitar, bass and drum with traditional Russian polyphonic singing with a clarinet thrown in for good measure to give a touch of jazz. Here's a song from their 2021 album From the Town called Porushka Paranya - Superstar:
That's it for today, next our virtual travels will take us to Moscow. In the meantime you follow my virtual trip on my tripline map.
Russia might not be flavour of the month at the moment, but we'll ignore the politics for the moment and concentrate on its music. I have never been to Russia, nor do I anticipate visiting it any time soon, but as we all know it's a vast country consisting of 46 oblasts, 22 republics, 9 krais, 4 autonomous okrugs, 3 federal cities and 1 autonomous oblasts. We won't be visiting all of theses administrative regions, but for now just race through the European part of the country west of the Ural Mountains, taking a particular interest in music from minority groups.
We start just over the Finnish border in the Karelian Republic, where folk fusion band Va-Ta-Ga were founded in 2000 in the city of Petrozavodsk, initially under the name Reel. Their original name was due to the fact that they liked to incorporate elements of Irish folk into their Karelian and Russian folk. Here's a song from their 2002 debut album Странные люди (Strange People) called Поморская (Pomorskaya):
Next we are heading several hundred kilometres south to the Yaroslavl Oblast, conveniently located between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and more specifically to the city of Rybinsk. This is where folk rock outfit Raznotravie were formed in 1997. They combine old Slavonic poetics and music traditions with a more modern rocky sound. In addition to drums, bass and electric guitar they use a number of traditional instruments such as mouth organ and a hurdy-gurdy they made themselves from an old child's cello strung with guitar strings. Here is the title track from their 2001 album Каторга (hard work):
We take another massive leap southeast to the Republic of Mordovia and its capital of Saransk, situated between Moscow to the west and the Volga river to the east. This region is home to the ethnic Mordovians with their own culture and 2 distinct languages, namely Erzyan and Mokshan. Sadly the languages are dying out as more and more people identify as Russian and only pockets of the old culture remain in remote villages. in 2010 folk ensemble Merema set out to find and research the traditional music of the region and reviving it both in performances and recorded music, which won them the 2017 Russian World Music award. They are proudly not state sponsored. Merema in Erzyan means 'story' or 'legend'. Here's a song called Shakshata (Woodpecker) from their 2023 album Eryamon' Koytneva, which has more than a passing resemblance to a song by Swedish/Finnish outfit Hedningarna called Tuuli:
Similarly the neighbouring Republic of Chuvashia has its own language and culture, which are sadly in decline. Chuvash indie-folk band Tarai, although now based in Talinn, Estonia, aim to reverse this trend. Some of their lyrics are openly political, lamenting the loss of their culture. Their song Пуш Параппан / Empty Drum, the title track to their 2022 album, is an example, criticizing the older generation of their homeland for not upholding their language and traditions.
Next we are heading to the Republic of Udmurtia just west of the southern Ural mountains and the city of Sarapul. This is where singer/songwriter Zulya Kamalova was born in 1969, although she has since decamped to Melbourne, Australia. She is of Volga Tatar descend, which is the largest ethnic minority group in Russia. She now simply goes by her first name and, playing with her backing band Children of the Underground, is now known for her interpretations of Tatar music blended with more contemporary Australian influences. Here is the opening track from her 2019 album Six Days Loving / Алты көн ярату called First Day / Беренче:
I think we have covered enough mileage for today across the vastness of European Russia. Next time we'll pop across the Urals for a couple of stops before heading west again to explore the south of the country. In the meantime, as usual you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.
As we carry on our exploration of the music of Helsinki we first encounter percussionist Minna Koskenlahti. Her music is difficult to categorise. She has a back ground in folk music and plays in various bands, but as a soloist she explores the limits and limitlessness of percussion, giving her instruments a melodic approach creating a minimalistic, intensive and hypnotic sound. Here is the first half of her 2021 album Toinen/Other:
DANTCHEV:DOMAIN is a Helsinki based Finnish/American/Bulgarian outfit, led by Finnish/Bulgarian singer Anna Dantchev. They dabble in Bulgarian folk combined with Nordic Jazz and cinematic storytelling with splashes of contemporary pop and rock. Dantchev sings in English and she is supported by a nice brass section as well as a twinkling vibraphone, distorted guitar and punchy bass. This is the title track of their 2022 album The Lions We Are:
Early music trio Ensemble Gamut! are a collective of early music and folk specialists looking for new ways to perform medieval and renaissance music by combining traditional instruments and electronics in innovative ways to create their own soundscape. Their name derives from a medieval music theory by Guido of Arrezzo, but also means colour reproduction, whilst the Finnish word kamut means friends and Kamu is shorthand for Finnish folk music. Here is a track from their 2022 album Ra called Lapsed caick laolacatt:
In 1998 the contemporary dance theatre group Tsuumi was founded, complete with their own in-house band the Tsuumi Sound System, who have since recorded several albums and toured extensively separate from the dance troupe. Their music is described as world music, but sounds more like Finnish folk rock. It's definitely rooted in Nordic folk with fiddle and accordion upfront backed by a strong rhythm section and saxophone. They really seem to rock the place during live performances. Here is a 10 minute extract from a concert at the Montelago Celtic Festival in 2017. Some of those tunes can be heard on their 2013 album Floating Letters:
Saxophonist and reed player JoneTakamäki was born in Helsinki in 1955 and has been prominent Finnish avant garde and improvised music scene since the late 1970's. For his latest collaboration he has teamed up with 2 Turkish musicians, multi-instrumentalist Umut
Çağlar (of Konstrukt and Karkhana) and drummer Fahrettin
Aykut (of BABA ZULA) to record a live session as Myth of the Drum (2022). It blends free jazz with East Asian Zen sounds. Here is an extract from the album:
Finally leaving Helsinki, although we could easily spend more time here, we are staying in the Uusimaa region as we are heading for the town of Kerava, just northeast of Helsinki. This is where musician and composer Milla Viljamaa was born in 1980. Her main instruments are piano and harmonium and she dabbles in various genres from folk to chamber music, opera to film music. One of her most enduring love affairs is the tango though. She has collaborated a lot with accordionist Johana Juhola, but this tune is from her 2011 solo album Minne and is called Neiti Marplen Tango (Miss Marple's Tango):
Next we are heading east for the town of Loviisa in the region of Uusimaa, where part of the world folk band BergåFolk Project comes from, the other half hailing from Helsinki. They arrange folk songs from all over the world and give them their own interpretations, singing them in their original languages. They are quite new on the scene, but are already making waves for their energetic live performances. Here is an Italian song from their 2022 self-titled debut album called La Donna Ideale (The ideal woman):
That's it from Uusimaa for today, next we are heading to the east of Finland for our last leg of Scandinavia. In the meantime you can follow my virtual tour on my Tripline map.
Next we are heading to the city of Tampere, the capital of the Pirkanmaa region of Finland. It was once an industrial powerhouse due to its availability of water generated electricity from the Tamerkoski rapids connecting 2 lakes either side of the city. It is also known as a cultural city ranking 26th in the list of hipster cities of the world (top is Brighton apparently, since you asked) and as the world's sauna capital.
Photo credit: By Leo-setä - TampereUploaded by A333, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12378791
We
find quite a varied music scene here starting with a folk quartet
reviving the fortunes of an ancient instrument the Johiorkesteri,
the horse hair orchestra. They were formed in the early
noughties playing the jouhikko, a horsehair strung bowed lyre, which
has a history dating back to the early Middle Ages. The
instrument fell out of fashion by the early 20th century, but is now
being revived by the likes of this band. The sound has been
likened to a swarm of huskily raspy fiddles, but with a slithery,
edgy pitching. The jouhikko typically has 3 strings and the
strings are stopped with the backs of the fingers. Here is the
title track of the bands 2008
debut album Nikodemus:
Another proponent of the jouhikko, born in 1976 in Tampere, is musician and ethno-musicologist Pekko Käppi. His style is quite different though, being originally inspired by the Grateful Dead, he decided to delve into the folk music of his own country. Combined with the jouhikko which he amplified he developed his own style of Finnish folk rock, sometimes with inflections of the blues or psychedelic influences. Since 2015 he has played and recorded with his band K:H:H:L, which apparently stands for the Finnish for The Bones of Dead Horses Out of Control. Here is an acoustic version of the opening track of his 2019 album Väärä laulu called Ikoni:
Also born in 1976 in Tampere is composer and 'trance-folk' accordionist Anne-Mari Kivimäki. Her unique style of music combines a hypnotic pulse, rasping archival recordings and the sound of a wistful Soviet-made Notka accordion. Here's a track from her 2019 album Ilja called Kaivos (The Mine), performed in a mine and also featuring a jouhikko:
Anne-Mari
Kivimäki is also part of the ethno-electro foursome Suistamon Säkhö. They are made up of 4 non-binary individuals (could be two guys and two gals, or maybe not - who cares), who have drifted quite far from their folk music roots ("Some of us just have a degree in that music"). Their performances are energetic, colourful and just slightly mad. Their lyrics tackle contemporary issues of life and death and the tunes are eminently danceable. Here is a song from their 2021 album Varokaa! Hengenvaara (Watch Out! Danger of Death) called Kutsu:
Experimental musician Pelkkä Poutanen (actually Petra Poutanen, Pelkkä meaning 'just') is also from Tampere. She doesn't like to be pinned down to a genre, mixing different folk traditions with electronics, art pop, noise and vocal music. Her voice has been described as acrobatic which includes techniques from Scandinavian and Finno-Ugrian folk-singing to throat singing. She plays completely solo with an electronic mixing station, a loop station and a Finnish kantele made from an old skateboard. Here is a track which demonstrates that from her 2022 debut album Pyhä Veri Vuotaa (Sacred Blood Will Spill) called Manobuddhyahamkar:
Finally we head a bit south to the town of Viiala, where accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen was born in 1964. He is known for his avant-garde experimental work with his custom-made electrified and modified button accordion. He performs both solo and as part of many collaborations. Here he talks about the making of his 2015 album Sensitive Skin:
That's it from the region of Pirkanmaa for today, next we are heading towards the southwest of Finland. Until then, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.
Next we are heading back into Sweden to the province of Jämtland and its capital city of Östersund.
Folk band Triakel was founded in 1995 following a lost bet. The forfeit was that Kjell-Erik Eriksson and Janne Strömstedt had to perform using fiddle and harmonium only. The combination was so successful that they added singer Emma Härdelin and decided to continue. They perform mostly traditional songs from their home region. The name Triakel is the local name for liquorice (oh boy, I'm totally addicted to Swedish liquorice! Anybody know any dealers of this stuff?). Anyway, here is a song from their 2019 album Händelser I Nord (Real Life Stories from the North) called Sparvens Visa:
Kjell-Erik Eriksson is also involved with folk-rock outfit Hoven Droven, which was established in 1989. Their name roughly translates as helter skelter or whatever in the Jamtish dialect. They combine Swedish folk with some rocky and jazzy elements. Here's a song from their 2021 album Trad called Evertsberg:
Fiddler Elin Jonsson was born in Strömsund in northern Jämtland. She grew up in a family of musicians and apart from the traditional tunes of her homeland she is inspired by every day life experiences like making coffee in the forest or watching documentaries about the sea. She uses a loop station to enhance her music. Here is a tune from her 2021 album Drömmaren called Beluga:
Next we are heading for the county of Västernorrland, where folk rock band Garmarna were formed in the city of Sundsvall in 1990. They veered in various directions over the years including rock, trip hop and dark Nordic, but always with their roots in Swedish folk. Here is the opening track to their 2020 album Förbundet called Ramunder:
Next we head for the county of Västerbotten and our first stop here is the university town of Umeå. This where the all female a cappella folk quartet Kraja was formed in 2002. Their repertoire comprises Swedish folk songs, love songs, humorous songs, dance lilts and chorales. Their name translates as the place you long for in the Sámi language. Here is a song from their 2020 album Vinter called Det är en ros utsprungen:
I mentioned Nyckelharpa player Erik Rydvall last time out as part of the Swedish/Norwegian duo Rydvall/Mjelva. Rydvall is originally from somewhere in Västerbotten. Here is another track from their 2019 album Vårvindar Friska called Klunkelåtten:
Finally we are heading north of the county to the town of Storuman, which is also part of the province of Lapland. This is where Sámi singer/songwriter Katarina Barruk was born in 1994. She is one of literally a handful of native speakers of the critically endangered Ume Sámi language and says her and her brother might be the last 2 of their generation. She has made it her mission to revive the language and writes all her songs in it. She now spends her time between Storuman and Umeå teaching and performing. Her music combines Sámi joiking with indie pop. Here is a live version of a song from her 2022 album Ruhttuo (Boreal Forest) called Niäguoh:
It's great to see young artists preserving ancient traditions and making them accessible to a fresh audience. That's it for today, next we are heading even further north. In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.
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