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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
