Norway & Sweden - The Far North

 Finally finishing our long journey through Sweden and Norway, we'll be zigzagging between the two countries exploring the far Arctic north.  Our first stop is the town of Bodø just north of the Arctic Circle in the Nordland County of Norway.  This is where traditional folk musician, fiddler and composer Susanne Lundeng was born in 1969.  Her music is firmly rooted in the traditions of her home region, but has a distinctive sound of her own as a fiddler, composer and free thinker.  She has just recorded her 13th studio album called Følge, named after the guardian spirits that accompany each person throughout their lives according to Nordic beliefs.  Here's a song from the album called Sku det meir te:

Next we are retracing our steps back to Sweden and the county of Norbotten.  The small town of Kalix apparently has its own dialect unintelligible to other Swedes and even its own culinary speciality, a kind of caviar called Kalix Löjrom, which is made from the eggs of a local fish called vendace.  This is where singer / songwriter and producer Vera Vinter was born in 1981.  Her music has something of an ambient film music feel to it, creating a uniquely Nordic atmosphere with some dark undertones.  In 2022 she got together with violinist Hanna Ekström from Dalarna in central Sweden to record an album called Lios entirely in the Kalix dialect.  Here is a song from the album called SÅLT Å VATTNE (salt on the water):

Now for something completely and wildly different we are heading to the far northern municipality of Jukkasjärvi, still in Norbotten County, where organist Gunnar Idenstam was born in 1961.  Classically trained on the organ (yes we are talking about great big church organs) his mission is to broaden the instruments appeal to a wider audience and dabbling with 70's prog rock and Swedish folk.  If that sounds whacky listen out for his 2022 collaboration with Sámi hip-hop and rap artist Ola Stinnerbom, who takes Sámi joiking to a whole new level.  The resulting album is called A Saami Requiem and is described as a musical journey to The Kingdom of Death and back.  It is quite difficult to describe in words, so here is a sample called A Saami Requiem Part 1 "The Journey":Saaiva - The Door to the Kingdom of Death.

Next we are hopping back over to Norway and the northern-most city in the world Tromsø.  I visited it once many years ago, it also sports the northern-most university in the world, the northern-most beer brewery (although you need to take out a mortgage to be able to afford a pint...) and the Arctic Cathedral.  Sadly my ex-girlfriend has kept all the photos I took on that trip.  

Anyway, I digress, Tromsø is also the birthplace in 1987 of Fiddler, composer and singer Julie Alapnes.  She has been playing the instrument since the age of 5 and was immersed early on in the traditional music of the far north, which she now combines with more contemporary sounds.  Here is a song from her 2022 album Helleristning called Støa:

Next we are heading to Kautokeino in the Troms og Finmark county.  This is where the Sámi from all 4 corners of their territory gather for their annual spring festival over the Easter weekend, dressed in their bright blue and red costumes, herding their reindeer with them and racing on reindeer sleighs on a frozen over lake.  It's a spectacle I was lucky enough to witness back in 1982 and, although I don't have any photographic evidence any more, remains one of my most vivid travel memories.

Kautokeino is also the birthplace of singer, joiker and activist for Sámi rights and the environment Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska (aka Iŋgor Ántte Ánte Mihkkala Sara in Northern Sámi) in 1983.  She doesn't really have a website, but a look at her Instagram page reveals her strong activism.  Here is a video from before her visit to the Paris COP conference, where she invites everybody to join her in a joik:

She has also performed with ice musician Terje Isungset, whom we already met in Viken County.  Here is a live piece from a concert in 2019 in Oslo called Ocean Memories:

About 60 km north of Kautokeino is the village of Masi (or Máze) where young joiker John André Eira comes from.  Still in his 20's, he has been joiking since the age of 2, and is said to have a particularly keen ear due to the fact that he was born blind.  Whilst keen to preserve the ancient traditions he is also not afraid to blend it with modern influences including rock and blues, especially with his current band GABBA.  Here is a track from their 2022 self-titled debut album called Mihkkelaš:

Next we are heading almost as far north as you can get in Norway to the village of Gamvik on the northern shore of the Nordkinn peninsula, which is just east of North Cape.  This is where joiker Torgeir Vassvik was born in 1962.  His compositions are wildly dramatic, incorporating traditional drums and distorted strings to the traditional joiks.  He calls himself an Arctic Soundpoet.  Here is a track from his 2019 album Gákti called Whipped / Spiddumat:

Finally we conclude our journey of Sweden and Norway in the far north-eastern corner of Norway in the town of Vadsø.  This is where Hardanger fiddle player Sivert Holmen was born, although at the age of 6 his family moved to Aurdal in Inlandet County, which is evident in his musical influences.  He has since toured the world with his fiddle.  Here is a tune from his 2021 album Jotunheimen called Sumarkveld i Jotunheimen:

That's it finally from Sweden and Norway and we can move onto a new country next with Finland.  Sorry it's a bit of a long post this time, I just wanted to get through the last of the material I had on these 2 countries.  As usual you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map

Sweden - Jämtland to Västerbotten

 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.

Norway - Trøndelag

We continue our zig-zag journey through Scandinavia and hopping back over the border to Norway and the county of Trøndelag.  First stop is the historic and pretty mining town of Røros, which due to its large collection of old timber houses has Unesco World Heritage status.

Photo credit: By Hogne - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1705607

This is where Hardanger fiddler Olav Mjelva is from.  He has collaborated with many acts, including the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (whom we met in Sweden before).  Another Norwegian/Swedish duo he is involved in is together with Swedish Nyckelharpa player Erik Rydvall forming the duo Rydvall/Mjelva.  Together they skilfully combine their respective national instruments to play both Norwegian and Swedish folk tunes.  This is a tune from their 2019 album Vårvindar Friska called Jubileumspolska:

Fiddler Ingeborg Ulberg Sommer is also from Røros.  She doesn't seem to have her own website, but has released her debut solo album Attkømmen in 2021.  Here is a tune from the album called simply Vals:

We already met joiker Marja Mortensson in Inlandet county, where she is from.  In 2019 she collaborated with tuba player and composer Daniel Herskedal from Molde and the Trondheim Solist String Quartet, which leads us to Trondheim.  Here is the opening track to their 2019 album Lååje - Dawn called GUBPEDE BÖÖTIM - Where did I come from:

Accordionist Frode Haltli was born in the town of Levanger in 1975.  He started playing at the age of 7 and he has had a prolific and award winning career.  Amongst other projects he heads a 10-piece super band called Avant Folk, which includes some well known names such as Hardanger fiddler Erlend Apneseth and Fiddler Hans P Kjorstad, both of whom we have met before on this blog.  They describe their music as experimental folk meeting jazz and chamber music.  Here is a live concert of theirs in Bremen, Germany with extracts from their 2017 self-titled album:

That's it for today, next we are heading back into Sweden again on our zigzag tour of Scandinavia.  Until next time you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.

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 - 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.

Norway - Viken County & Oslo Part I

We arrive in Norway on our virtual musical journey, the country of spectacular fjords and a rugged coastline, salted cod and reindeer, colourful houses and stoic people, trolls and the midnight sun and also a long tradition of music.  Here's a couple of pics from my visit in the early 1980's:

We start in the newly created Viken county, which surrounds the capital Oslo. First stop is the small town of Mysen near the Swedish border, where jazz saxophonist Jan Gabarek was born in 1947 as a son of a Polish former prisoner of war.  He started off with dissonant avant garde jazz, but later incorporated Scandinavian folk tunes and other world influences into his music.  His style is noted for a sharp-edged tone, long, keening sustained notes and generous use of silence.  In 1994 he famously co-operated with the Hilliard Ensemble singing Gregorian chants.  This is the haunting title track from his 1998 album Rites:

Moving on to the municipality of Eidsvoll, where jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist Stian Carstensen was born in 1971.  He started off playing the accordion and added guitar and 5-string banjo to his repertoire.   He spent some time in Bulgaria, which influenced him greatly and has since added many other world influences to his style, including folk traditions from southern Europe.  This is a track from his latest 2021 album Musical Sanatorium called Hippocampus Serenade.  I love the video that goes with it.

Carrying on with the jazz theme we move on to the small town of Strømmen, which is part of Lillestrøm just east of Oslo.  This is where Norway's most famous jazz bassist Arild Andersen was born in 1945.  He started his career in Jan Gabarek's quartet, but has since forged a varied and successful career, both as a leader and collaborator with jazz greats from all over the world.  Here is the title track from his 1997 album Hyperborean:

Next we arrive in Oslo, the capital of Norway, where we'll be lingering for a while.  I also visited here back in 1982.  Here's a picture of the fountain in the Vigeland park, a park in Oslo littered with 200 sculptures by Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland:

This is blues guitarist Knut Reiersud was born in 1961.  To simply describe him as a blues musician is not doing him justice as he has developed his own style not just copying a Delta styles, but incorporating Nordic influences and sounds from Africa and India into his music as well as jazz and as well as the guitar he also plays harmonica, mandolin, langeleik (a Norwegian droned zither), oud and Turkish saz.  Here's a track from his 2017 album Gitar called Hard Times Killing Floor:

The members of Swedish/Norwegian alternative rock band Kalandra actually met in England, but are now firmly based in Oslo.  They weave ethereal melodies into raw and eerie musical landscapes according to their own words.  Here is a track from their 2017 EP Beneath the Breaking Waves called Lullaby:

Although born in Oslo violinist Harpreet Bansal was trained from an early age in North Indian classical music by her father Harbhajan Singh Bansal.  She initially studied for a bachelor in western classical music before gaining a master degree in Indian music at the Norwegian State Accademie of Music.  She incorporates some European and Middle Eastern influences in her music as well as elements of jazz.  Here are a couple of extracts from her 2020 album Movements:

That's it from Oslo for today, next time we'll do some traditional folk from Oslo.  Until then you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.