Sampo Lassila Nirinkka "Suomiklezmer 2 – East Helsinki Suite"
Own label, 2024
This band has created its very own music style – original modern Finnish klezmer – hence they may be automatically best in class. The music yet stands for itself, wonderfully creative, combining distinctive Finnish music sounds and some of the northern darkness of music with the joyfulness of Klezmer – and on the way incorporating jazz, Balkan, chamber and contemporary world music sounds. Yet there is an additional element to this music – which is an urban sound, with the band celebrating on this album the rugged character of East Helsinki. To enter the music world takes the listener first on the last Helsinki metro eastbound with field recordings of the metro. Airboxes "Confluence"
Staying in Belgium, and staying with two exceptional musicians: Airboxes show how amazing two accordions can sound. Guus Herremans and Bert Leemans are clearly masters in combining the different sounds from diatonic and chromatic accordions. The music - all composed by the two - takes traditional and BalFolk as starting point, but then takes the listener on an intimate journey into dreamy, lively, happy or reflective music worlds. The playful interplay has so many beautiful facets, and is further enriched by occasional guest appearances on guitars, percussion and flugelhorn, by Ward Dhoore, Jeroen Geerinck and Aldo Stichelmeyer. Experiencing this album is a real delight.
Airboxes "Confluence"
Two diatonic accordions playing Flemish music - what's not to like? Guus Herremans and Bert Leemans are backed by Jeroen Geerinck, Ward Dhoore and Ludo Stichelmeyer for a full and varied sound - Guus also contributes piano and bass to supplement the duo's multiple different accordions. The material on Confluence is all composed by Herremans and Leemans, and while it centres around the traditions of Flanders it also has influences from Balkan, Celtic, Arab and other music. The measured pace of Valentino gives way to the offbeat jig Tides and the swirling Eastern rhythms of Duo's Journey. Airboxes excel at smooth transitions, with little of the staccato or percussive character of French or Irish button box styles: the bouncing waltz Sylt is perhaps the closest they come to a more attacking dance style.
Nils Erik 'Niller' Rasmussen, Clara Tesch, Mads Kjoller Hennigsen "Rundt Segen: Bagpipe Melodies from Bornholm"
Living in the middle of Danish island Bornholm, Niller has been enthused about Nordic bagpipes for the last 40 years, composing his own music inspired by stories and folk life on the island. Accompanied by violin (Clara) and a wide range of instruments including mandolin, pedal organ, flute, Jews harp and percussion (Mads), the music very much a traditional sound.
Nils Erik 'Niller' Rasmussen, Clara Tesch, Mads Kjoller Hennigsen "Rundt Segen: Bagpipe Melodies from Bornholm"
Bagpipe melodies from Bornholm - new music written for the Nordic bagpipe by Niels Erik "Niller" Rasmussen - arranged for a trio of Niller's bagpipe, fiddles from Clara Tesch, and Mads Kjøller Henningsen on many other instruments. That description mat raise more questions than it answers, and there are a lot of intriguing things here!
Åsmund Reistad "89% Folkemusikk"
Åsmund Reistad "Urban Folkemusikk"
World famous in the Norwegian folk community, guitarist Åsmund Reistad has taken his time in producing a solo album - thirty years approximately - although he has featured as accompanist and soloist in many bands and recordings. 89% Folkemusikk is just that - guitar, bass and mandola weaving shiny new gold around well-polished folk themes, fixing treasures from the Norwegian tradition in fresh settings. Dance rhythms for pols and gangar, down and dirty dreadnought guitar lines, dreamy new-age musings on Drømmefangeren, the modern mayhem of Birk and the smoothly crooked calm of Oslogryta combine in comfortable yet creative forms. Plunder adds a touch of humour with an attractive folky melody which is not typically Nordic but not entirely alien either. The Louisiana blues of Luringen leans toward country, until Rykkinnbussen brings us back to backwoods polkas. The final Andungen captures the charm, innocence and raw experience of rural life, ending a collection which presents Åsmund Reistad as a rounded performer. The music on 89% Folkemusikk may ruffle a few feathers in the folk world, but it is certainly no ugly duckling.
A second album from Norwegian folk guitarist Åsmund Reistad, not really a solo album but all his own instrumental compositions: he is joined by Bendik Qvam on flutes and trumpet, and Jørund Samuelsen on harmonica and percussion. With Reistad adding bass, keyboards and mandolin, Urban Folkemusikk has a full spectrum of sounds. It offers some sparse arrangements and others lush enough for lounge jazz: Vrimmel is an example of the latter, a slinky combination of cool jazz and contemporary folk with the gemshorn filling in for a vocalist. The standard of musicianship is first class, and the compositions are full of variety.
Church Street Shuffle "The Five Day Weekend"
The Scottish highland duo of fiddler Neil Ewart and guitarist Ali MacQuarrie is supplemented by Barry Reid and Keir Long on percussion, synths and bass for this debut album of old and new music in a hard-hitting contemporary style. I love it - it's full of great tunes brilliantly played, with unapologetic brashness and flair to the arrangements. In a relatively small number of long and mesmerising tracks, Church Street Shuffle present traditional material forged anew, a big handful of Ewart's own compositions, and two or three pieces from other composers. It's all good, all groovy, and in the rare moments when it slows down it can be quite beautiful.
Charlie Grey & Joseph Peach "A Breaking Sky"
This is the fifth album from the fiddle and keyboards pairing of Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach. The other four have been crackers, and this one is no exception. Grey and Peach have taken the music of Scottish Gaeldom - mainly the West Highlands - and shaped it, added to it, made it their own in many ways. Their last release Spiorachas took Gaelic songs and built on them, creating variations and arrangements from these simple but beautiful melodies. A Breaking Sky goes a step further, drawing on their deep familiarity with West Highland and other music to create improvisations, unscripted, unrehearsed, unpredictable and sometimes unrepeatable.
Guro Kvifte Nesheim & Floating Sofa Quartet "Kystnært"
A very wide selection of lesser known Nordic music from some of my favourite Scandinavian and Finnish musicians: Hardanger fiddle specialist Guro Kvifte Nesheim is joined by the international stars of Floating Sofa Quartet on fiddle, flute, Finnish accordion and fingered or bowed bass. Whether it's the high energy reel medley Devil Among the Sailors or the gentle Snikkarvalsen (other chocolate bars are available), these five produce hugely entertaining and carefully crafted versions of tunes from across northern Europe in a style rarely heard nowadays.
Illa "Les Brumes de l'Aube"
Exciting music from this Central French quartet - they play traditional dance music with a contemporary twist, and with exceptional talent and energy. Piling in with a triple-time bourrée, Illa next swing into a maraichine (a sort of cherry I think) and then a delightful waltz Natte. Their music sweeps you along - through a schottische which sounds surprising Scottish actually, a pair of Swedish polskas at a fast canter, and a swirling Breton dance - to the gorgeous swaggering double-time bourée L'Azerole.
Jack Houston "Ómós"
Ómós is an Irish word meaning homage or respect, and this young Donegal fiddler certainly shows that for the musicians which have gone before him and the music which they have left behind. Jack's playing has the gritty, earthy character of Donegal fiddling at times, but can also express the sweetness of a waltz or a slow air. He starts off with one of his own compositions of which there are a dozen and a half here - a driving reel for his home place, followed by the great Dinny McLaughlin composition Turas go Sliabh Sneacht. A set of traditional jigs including the Altan favourite Wedding Jig ends on a new one to me, The Jig of Madness, not the only touch of madness on this debut album - check out the inspiration for the final track. Houston has a light touch on the fiddle, and he mixes true solo tracks with a range of backings and some complex arrangements, all his own work as far as I can tell on bouzouki, viola, guitar and more.
Mabel Gray & Friends "Just Having a Tune"
The full attribution of this double album is Mabel Gray on piano with family and friends, and what friends she has! After seventy years of playing Scottish dance band music, Mabel has the finest of fiddlers and accordionists who are happy to join her for a few tunes, as well as a couple of generations of musical family members. Not that she sits back and lets the youngsters do all the work - over half the tracks here are effectively piano solos, some with a singer fronting up a song, but most led by Mabel on material from strathspeys to Scott Joplin, Austrian polkas to Andrew Lloyd Webber, and everything in between.
Spilar "Vandaag en Alle Dagen"
A duo of Eva and Maarten Decombel, backed by some well known names from the Flemish folk scene, Spilar sing songs from old Flemish mauscripts, modern Flemish poets, well known Flemish folk singers, and a couple of their own Flemish compositions plus two which they have translated from English into - you guessed it - Flemish! This collection is well worth a listen even if you don't speak Flemish - the songs are varied and engaging with great melodies and catchy arrangements, the performances are excellent with two voices which work well individually and together, and the sleeve notes in English and Flemish are excellent although only the Flemish words are provided - no English translations of the songs.
Trio Ged "West County"
Three young Danish musicians - Anton Skårup Møller on violin, Marie Alma Sloth on piano and Mathilde Salling Schou on guitar - play original music inspired by the traditions of West Zealand. It's fresh, it's fun, and it's fine musicianship throughout this short album. Some tracks are fiddle-led with double backing, while others are fronted on guitar. The style ranges from charming folk dances to cheeky swing numbers, the polka Gamle Klæder with a 1920s vamping piano, or the Hot Club jazz of West County Lounge Band on fiddle and guitar. All three band members take turns at composing, and there's a clear rural theme in the tune titles. Goat Schottiche, 2 Sheep and 3 Goats, and the final I Buy Beans reflect life in remote villages, but with their humour and imaginative arrangements this group is ready for the bright lights of the big city - maybe with a couple of hay bales on stage! The opening and closing tracks show a more thoughtful side of Trio Ged, slow evocative pieces, and every melody here is a memorable musical moment.
Norudde & Wallin "Scordatura"
For those of you who know your Italian musical terms, it will come as no surprise that Scordatura is an album of fiddle music in various tunings - Swedish fiddle and bagpipe music, to be accurate. Karin Wallin from Skåne has been researching and playing Scandinavian fiddle music for most of her life, as has her partner on this album Anders Norudde from Värmland. Anders also plays the Nordic bagpipe, an instrument which seems to be enjoying a resurgence in recent years: I've heard four players recently. Together, Anders and Karin present their repertoire of mainly local dance music, in fifteen fiddle and fiddle-pipes duets. There are detailed sleeve notes in Swedish, which also list the five different tunings used on this recording.
Flach | Østerby "Ude af mine Hænder"
Henriette Flach and Anna Østerby play contemporary Danish folk music on Hardanger fiddle, nyckelharpa and accordion. All the material on this album is their own, and it has a rare beauty. The sleeve notes are in Danish only, so my limited understanding suggests that this music was inspired by the things in life which we can't control - the delays and setbacks, the unexpected visits and moments of joy, the changing seasons, the surprises and heartbreaks, the realities and unrealties of life. Ude af mine Hænder - "Out of my Hands" - is a clever title, with many meanings. The four hands involved are among the best on the Danish folk scene, and the quality of composition and performance here is outstanding.
Aerialists "I Lost My Heart on Friday"
Happy tunes superbly played, the third album from this Scottish-American quintet pulls together pieces from all across Northern Europe, from Ireland to Estonia. Sweden is well represented with a Polska fran, a Polska av and a Polska efter. France contributes a polka and a bourrée, Norway a springleik, and Northumberland a 3/2 hornpipe. All the material here is traditional, or near enough, and the bulk of it comes from old players and even older collections dating back to the 1700s. About two thirds of the tunes come from Scotland and Ireland, a fiddler's dozen of reels, jigs, polkas, song melodies and more.
Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen "Home"
Strong on length and on quality, this first duo album from spouses Rachel and Darren is a great example of the younger generation in Cape Breton music. Davis and McMullen may be familiar from the Baddeck brat pack group Còig: between them they combine Scots-style fiddle, tenor banjo from the often forgotten Irish side of Nova Scotia tradition, and many other instruments as well as two fine voices. As if this wasn't enough, Home also features Dave Gunning and Zak Cormier on guitars, Margie Beaton on formidable Cape Breton piano, Thierry Clouette on bouzouki, and guest vocals from Jackie Oates and Terra Spencer.
Emma & Ellika "Väder"
Emma Reid, one of the foremost English exponents of Swedish fiddle music, has teamed up with native icon Ellika Frisell to produce an album of duets based on the traditions of Dalarna, Sweden's fiddle heartland. Old tunes and new are explored on fiddles and violas, with improvisation alongside each melody, accompanied by Anders Löfberg on cello and Rafael Sida on a range of percussion from tambourine to tabla. The material here is from the more accessible end of Swedish music - bridal marches, waltzes, polskas and airs, nothing too complicated, always with plenty of scope for harmony and variation. Emma and Ellika alternate the melody leads, and also switch between bowed and plucked delivery, giving some pieces a quite exotic feel but maintaining a Nordic mood throughout Väder.
Ewen Henderson "Lèirsinn"
A second solo album from the second musical son of the phenomenal Henderson family from Lochaber, this recording is not only steeped in West Highland tradition, it also draws its inspiration almost entirely from the places and people of that tradition-ringed region. Lèirsinn - meaning "perception" in the widest sense - was conceived during COVID lockdown as Ewen travelled in his imagination from Glasgow to familiar and unknown destinations around his family home. Each place produced music or song expressing its imagined character. Many of these mental journeys were then followed up with physical visits, producing more music based on a combination of perception and previous imaginings. It's a fascinating project, and touches on the importance of interacting with our physical environment, the inaccuracies of perception and memory, and our capacity to translate perceptions in various senses into musical or vocal expression - but let's not get too philosophical here. Read Ewen's thesis on the subject if you're really interested.
Maja Kjær Jacobsen "Landing"
Danish fiddler Maja Kjær Jacobsen is used to pushing the envelope, breaking the mould, lifting the lid on new music. Here she is helped by a band of trumpet, tuba, cimbalom, percussion and additional fiddle for an album which mixes Scandinavian and Balkan folk music, brass band and classical elements. All the material on Landing was composed by Jacobsen, during two decades of playing and studying and travelling around Scandinavia and beyond. The sleeve notes give an explanation of each piece, but the music really speaks for itself.
Nicolas Boulerice & Frédéric Samson "Cool Trad"
Voice and upright bass, ambient sounds and a few other bits and pieces, put this duo album on the boundary between folk and jazz. Boulerice brings the Quebec folk tradition, while Samson adds the contemporary cool of the Montreal jazz scene. The ten or so songs here are inspired by many different things: by daily life, by old recordings, by chance encounters with musicians from France and Canada, by suggestions from friends. Each track is a development from basic melody to improvised free-form interpretation. Most are sung, set to new or old music, with lyrics which have been refined by generations of singers. Two pieces are recited, poems not songs, but set to music nonetheless. Another two or three are effectively without words, lilted, following the turlute tradition of Quebec. The performances are smooth, polished, almost sombre in their restraint for the most part but breaking into humour or celebration from time to time. The arangements are sparse but sufficient, every note and syllable rings true. Although the words are French, the themes are universal: life, love, death, emigration, brotherhood and metaphysics. Cool Trad is surprisingly rewarding, a compelling album and one that I'll be adding to my 2024 Top Ten shortlist.
Kristine Heebøll "Bølgen"
Subtitled "New music for folk dancing", this hugely enjoyable and danceable collection is full of fun and good tunes. Jigs, waltzes and polkas, as well as a few more specifically Danish dance forms, fill over an hour for dancers and listeners alike. On more than twenty of her own tunes, plus two traditional melodies and the infectious Horizonto by Paul James of Blowzabella, Kristine Heebøll is joined by over a dozen musicians in four separate lineups, from a very traditional twin fiddle and piano trio to a gloves-off brass and harmonica jazz ensemble. A bit of classical, a bit of Celtic, and a few other ingredients went into the pot to spice Bølgen: the result is a rich stew, a Gammel Dansk gumbo which is both true to the tradition and breaking new ground.
Beyond a few traditional tracks, the music is largely the brainchild of the band’s Sampo Lassila who plays the double bass, as well as more unusual instruments, viola da gamba, xaphoon and waterphone (or ocean harp). The other three band members add the rich sounds of the five-stringed viola pomoposa, accordion, and percussion instruments including suitcases! The music is instrumental although features some great scat singing. This is lively music, full of improvisation, unexpected movements, and fun - it tells a story and inspires the imagination of places – in Helsinki or anywhere the listener is minded to be taken to.
Trad Records, 2024
Trad Records, 2024
The title track draws on their fine accompanists to inject a strong beat while the accordions glide through the melody. Rosa marks the midpoint of this album with a piano air, a beautiful flowing melody. Leemans and Herremans pick up again with Öblarn, a catchy little number which lends itself to harmonies. The accordion tone changes for Bosvelden, possibly using Leemans' bandoneon, before reverting to a more European sound for a delightful triple-time dance tune and a pair of lovely syncopated tunes with Spanish influences. The final Salle à Manger brings us back to Belgium, a stately ending to a fine album of new music. Confluence should appeal to a wide range of accordion enthusiasts, and if you like this one there is also a previous album by Airboxes available on their website.
GO Danish Folk, 2024
GO Danish Folk, 2024
First, what is a Nordic bagpipe? It depends who you ask - it's a rare beast certainly, but there is a small number of players scattered across Scandinavia: Anna Rynefors in Sweden and Tellef Kvifte in Norway for example, and now Niller Rasmussen in Denmark. Rasmussen's instrument seems to be mouth blown, with one tenor drone, and has a range of about an octave with a low note of D similar to a Flemish or French 14-inch chanter. I'm guessing the chanter has a straight bore, giving it a sound rather like Scottish smallpipes, but that's all I can tell from the photos here.
Second, what sort of music does it play? Well, the pieces on Rundt Segen are dance music - schottisches, marches, bourrée or mazurka rhythms, waltzes, Danish reels and polkas. There are similarities to French and English music - not entirely surprising - and these tunes would suit a bal folk repertoire perfectly. Sweet, lyrical, rhythmic and for the most part quite straightforward, Niller's compositions are instantly appealing.
Third and last, why do Danish men have such complicated names? Clara Tesch is familiar from her work with Vesselil and the Floating Sofa Quartet, and her name is easy to remember, but her Floating Sofa partner Mads poses a challenge for non-Danes, and even Danes seem to recognise that a shorter name like "Niller" is heplpful instead of Nils Erik Rasmussen. Mads Kjøller Henningsen also plays Danish bagpipes, by the way - but here he sticks to mandola, pedal organ, flute, lyre and various sorts of percussion. Guess who came up with the arrangements! Maybe we could call him Mads "Alt"?
Own label, 2021
Own label, 2024
Åsmund's compositions are distinctively Nordic, while simultaneously breaking the conventions of Norwegian folk. He mixes Stateside guitar and funk bass into Norwegian melodies on Sensorstyrt Håndvask på Offentlig Bad for surprising effects which match the title. His dreamy Sensommervals reminds me of an abandoned funfair, and Vandreren sounds like a stroll through an empty shopping mall. People sounds are absent, until the final traditional song with its high vocals over a minimalist electronic backing. There's a bit of everything here, a real smorgasbord of folk music with a Norwegian edge. My favourite is probably the slow melodic Last Train from Oslo South which builds gently to a satisfying conclusion.
Own Label, 2024
The Five Day Weekend starts with a pair of traditional Scottish favourites, Loch Duin and Sleepy Maggie, with driving arrangements which might be cheesy in other hands but here they work perfectly. These are followed by a march, strathspey and jig medley which is one of my favourite tracks, ending on Larry Unger's thumping jig All the Rage. Hidden is a moment of calm before the storm of The Threes - a waltz, gavotte and slipjig showing off Neil's flying fingers over a pumping rhythm section. Gaelic melodies Guillan nam Bo and Cro nan Gobhar are delicately handled in a stripped-back arrangement, and The Life Aquatic raises the temperature with a jazzy hornpipe and reel pairing. The final Vodka Teapot starts slow and spooky, and builds to a crazy climax as you might expect from the title: more frenzied fiddle, more solid rhythm guitar, more beats and bass. More, more, more! This is an album I have listened to a lot, and it still grabs me and surprises me every time - definitely on the shortlist for the best of 2024.
Own Label, 2024
Improvisation requires confidence, in yourself and in your musical partner. This pair shows no lack of that, creating together as though it were the most natural thing in the world. And maybe it is. The opening slow air is an exciting and spine-tingling introduction to the interplay of fiddle and piano, with Charlie adding touches of bowed bass afterwards to heighten the tension. Lament for the Voice of Glengarry is perhaps more predictable, a beautiful melody in the old style. Sorley's Slide looks towards Ireland, still with the flowing bittersweet spirit of the Gaels. Each track is different, and inspiration comes from many sources - from everyday life in Behind the Veil of Clouds or Hope is Beautiful, from history in The Burning of Castle Tioram, from landscape in Aignish, or from family and tradition in Moidart My Home. These English titles are translations from Gaelic, and that ancient West Highland culture is very much alive in the vibrant new music of A Breaking Sky.
Taragot Sounds, 2024
The delighful Finnish schottische Itämeri-sottiisit seems to lean across to the far west of Denmark, and the charmingly crooked (or not) Suansu would make a handy reel in any tradition, while the pair of polsk dances from Bornholm sound distinctly Norwegian on flute and plucked fiddles, even though they were collected in eastern Denmark. It all goes to show how linked our traditions are. Swedish polskas are in short supply on Kystnært, but there are polkas, reinlenders, engelskas and plenty of waltzes and reels.
The sleeve notes give ample details of the locations and players from which these tunes have come, mostly learned directly from old musicians and preserving the local styles. A couple of exceptions are Bjørnen learnt from an old manuscript and featuring Danish bagpipes, and the grinding Bjønnen which comes from a 1955 recording. The final two tracks throw caution to the wind with lively dance music in a mix of folk, rock, classical and contemporary styles - great fun, and full of the energy and enjoyment which these young players bring to all their music.
MusTraDem, 2024
Illa are Diane Delzant on fiddle, Stéphane Milleret on button box, Sylvain Quéré on a member of the cittern family, and Sébastien Tron on hurdy-gurdies. Most of the material here is their own compositions, individually or together, ranging from a pair of very modern-sounding mazurkas to the grinding glory of the title track which seems more medieval. The penultimate piece, simply called Illa, adds vocals for a seventies folk vibe, and the final track veers towards Celtic music with its dark jig-time urgency. I was very impressed by Les Brumes de l'Aube, certainly one of the finest French albums of 2024, and I look forward to hearing more.
Own Label, 2023
The set of strathspeys and highlands featuring Calum Breugach is strongly fiddle-led, while the fiddle fades into the background behind a mandolin melody for the waltz Sunset over the Island dedicated to Jack's granny. This track, like many others, merits a lovely photo of Donegal in the very attractive sleeve notes. Inis Eoghain is a set of challenging new reels, polished off in fine style on unaccompanied fiddle, and is followed by two more sets of Houston tunes: a pair of lovely jigs paying tribute to his siblings, and a jaunty set of highlands to get the toes tapping and the fingers clicking if you will. It's not all new music on Ómós of course: there are pieces by Tommy Peoples, Neilidh Boyle, and Scots piper Donald MacLeod slotted neatly between Jack's tunes, all executed with great skill and with a proper regard for the Donegal tradition - but also with an eye on the future and a desire to bring this music to a modern audience.
Own Label, 2024
When Mabel isn't front and centre, she's backing the best of Scottish music in fine style. Elisabeth MacLay and Kathryn Nicoll on fiddles, Bruce Peebles and Michael Philip as well as band leader Nicol McLaren on accordions, Janine Capaldi on vocals and other friends and family on drums and bass deliver a full range of Scottish music with Mabel working her piano magic in the background: waltzes, reels, retreat marches, jigs and more. To this Mabel adds sambas, tangos, airs and show melodies in solo mode, with truly remarkable dexterity. The lift and tempo are exemplary throughout, and there's joy in the music too, as on the reel for Mabel's son George or the Sunny Side of the Street medley of modern waltz and quicksteps with Suzanne Gray on jazz drums. The sleeve notes are extensive, and feature some lovely old photos of Mabel's band line-ups across forty years. All together this is quite a package. For more information, go to Grayline Music on Facebook, or email biggeordiegray@aol.com
Trad Records, 2024
Maarten opens Vandaag en Alle Dagen with a love song from the 16th century, set to a convincing folk rock backing. The gentler tones of Eva's voice are introduced on Ijslandvaarder, the sad ballad of a trawlerman's life, written almost a hundred years ago. Bèla Fleck's What'cha Gonna Do translates well, and in an unknown language it's easy to see the Gaelic roots of this punchy eco polemic. You'll probably also recognise the melody to T'Hope Vooruit, another environmental plea, which has been used for folk songs and carols in English and French for centuries. Richard Thompson's folky classic Waltzing's for Dreamers is instantly recognisable, of course - singers might want to learn the Flemish version for an encore. Around and between these familiar pieces are sweet and sad songs of the sea, from simple acoustic arrangements to thumping rock band sounds, all well suited to the material here and superbly played, making this an entertaining and memorable album.
GO Danish Folk, 2024
Kråktjärn, 2024
The Nordic bagpipes have one or two drones and a limited range of an octave or so, similar to Flemish pipes. Together with Wallin's fiddle with its double- and treble-stopping, playing more than one string almost constantly, this creates a very full sound. When both fiddles play, the sound is even more powerful: the different tunings enable ringing strings and harmonies which would be hard or impossible in standard tuning. Karin adds deep 5-string viola d'amore on some tracks, making this quite a varied duo album. Two hundred years of polskas and polkas, waltzes and polonaises, and a couple of song melodies are played with panache by this pair of respected musicians. You could dance to Scordatura, but I recommend sitting and listening, letting yourself sink into the rich resonances of fiddles and pipes. The website should also have details of Karin Wallin's excellent solo album.
GO Folk, 2024
Flach | Østerby's creations are mostly gentle, relaxed, occasionally sinking into melancholy or rising for a more upbeat mood. In some ways they remind me of the English band Leveret: carefully crafted arrangements of fine melodies with no particular fireworks or outbursts of energy, just deeply satisfying soundscapes which fill the senses. The title track gives a good overview, and if you're looking for something more energized try Uvirkelige Virkeligheder or Ankomsten. On the darker side there is Ømme Hjerte or the brief Vrimlen. My favourites here are probably Vennerne and the gorgeous sauntering march Fra Mig which ends this delightful recording. Ude af mine Hænder is likely to be in my 2024 Top Ten.
Fiddlehead Records, 2024
There's no singing on this recording though - but there is a fiddler. Aerialists are Màiri Chaimbeul on harp and keyboards, Adam Iredale-Gray on guitars, Steven Foster on percussion, Robert Alan Mackie on bass, and Elise Boeur on that folk violin. Their music is melody-led, except when it isn't, and there is generally a lot of interesting stuff going on behind the tunes too. Brìghde Chaimbeul guests on Scottish smallpipes, but otherwise this is all Aerialists. The sleevenotes are excellent, and the music is even better: it reminds me of The Poozies, or perhaps of HEISK. There's phenomenal lift and joy in the playing here, guranteed to put a spring in your step and probably to win a place in my 2024 Top Ten.
Own Label, 2024
The songs here include rousing anthems by Lawrence Gowan and Buddy MacDonald, Archie Fisher's River and the Road from the old country, and a couple by Darren with collaborators. The final track is a bit of a surprise: that old English folk chestnut The Sweet Nightingale, an unusual Cornish version brought to the party by Jackie Oates and arranged to perfection for three unaccompanied voices. In between the songs are five sets of tunes, jigs and reels mostly, with a big Cape Breton fiddle set of a march followed by strathspeys and reels. Margie Beaton's Christmas Day Wedding Jig opens proceedings in fine style, one to learn, and there are some tasty new pieces by Rachel and Darren too, among compositions from the Scottish and Irish traditions new and old. Brian Cromarty and Jenn Butterworth contribute funky little numbers, while Howie MacDonald wraps up the big medley with his quirky engagement present aptly named Darren and Rachel. Drive, passion, energy and invention fill this duo's Home from end to end.
Kakafon Records, 2024
The six traditional pieces, from Orsa and Bingsjö, may be familiar. Vals efter Blecko is widely played, as is Pekkos Pers Storpolska. The nine compositions by Emma & Ellika are of course less widely known, but that could change: the stately Johannas Brudpolska and the insistent Spindeln are fine new tunes in keeping with Dalarna's fiddle heritage. There's a feeling of olden times in Stormhatt, almost a renaissance sound to the arrangement on low strings and percussion. The final Vilse i Boda demands attention with its slow formal beat and high lonesome melody reminiscent of a Norwegian halling, and even the strutting 7/8 Til Abdul is an earworm which will appeal to fans of Balkan music as well as Scandinavian fiddle aficionados. Väder is skilfully crafted and smoothly delivered, a bundle of treats to be gently unwrapped and enjoyed.
Own Label, 2024
The music on Lèirsinn is taken half from a live Celtic Connections concert, and half from studio recordings. This combination allowed Ewen to enlist his sister Megan on fiddle and vocals, his brother-in-law Iain MacFarlane on fiddle, Su-a Lee on cello and her husband Hamish Napier on piano, and everyone's friend Innes Watson on guitar to create a tight-knit sound: Ewen himself plays fiddle, piano, whistle, viola and harmonium, and supplies the Gaelic lead vocals on his two songs here. The opening Òran do Rùm (not to be confused with the hit song Òran a'Bhranndaidh from his first album Steall) is a catchy ode to the biggest wee island, with a very singable chorus. Rum also inspired two beautiful slow fiddle tunes, Kinloch Castle and Tir nan Daoine 's Tir nam Beathaichean, which are followed by an air on piano and low whistle for Coire Mhic Fhearchair in the magnificent Torridon hills.
The first of four faster tracks, Beinn Eighe has a whole story in the sleeve notes which are extensive and very informative on each track and on the Lèirsinn project as a whole. Be prepared for eye strain though: this album continues a West Highland tradition of garish covers and psychedelic colour schemes, as the orange text on a mauve background makes painfully clear. Two tracks honour Coire Gabhail in Glencoe, a place for deer-watching on a quiet day, stunningly evoked by Henderson's imagined and perceived compositions. The second big song here, Eadar an Dà Bhràigh, may be familiar from a recent Breabach release: this version alternates sparse piano accompaniment with a full ensemble sound in a very dramatic arrangement. Creag Meagaidh, overlooking Loch Laggan and the majestic River Spean, gets a well-deserved three tracks for its peaks and corries: a mix of reels, strathspeys, airs and triumphal marches. The final two pieces honour Cathkin Park in Glasgow, home to the legendary Third Lanark football club, and have a very different character: an imagined post-match party piece channelling the Park Bar too perhaps, and a more contemplative almost-march written at the now derelict stadium. Phew: Lèirsinn is an emotional roller-coaster, and if you close your eyes you're almost there with Mr Henderson. This CD is going straight on the 2024 Top Ten list, and not just for Somhairle MacDonald's cover art!
GO Folk, 2024
A fast and slightly frantic dance which evokes North Africa or at least Turkish nightlife, a sultry fiddle and cimbalom duet, a funky little polka with oriental percussion, and a jig or hopsa which would fit perfectly in a Romanian wedding or a Disney parade: all these bring us to the romantic centrepiece of a tuba slow air or possibly a snoring hippopotamus. Kan du finde Hvile? ushers back the band for a gentle jazz reverie with fiddle and trumpet to the fore, followed by the icy descriptive piece Vinterpalads with brittle and spiky edges. The renaissance feel of the lyrical penultimate track is appropriate for the life of its 19th century itinerant storyteller protagonist, and the final piece returns us to Danish dance music with a driving hypnotic polonaise. Well mixed, superbly played and full of little surprises, Landing is unique and intriguing, and not too bumpy.
Compagnie du Nord, 2024
GO Danish Folk, 2024
Writing new traditional music is not a common thing in Denmark - unlike the Celtic traditions, new music is rare. In the press release, Kristine hopes that this album will inspire other Danish musicians to compose, play and record their own pieces in traditional style. Perhaps there is also room for new dances - I don't know. It would be a shame to lose the care and reverence with which Danish and other Scandinavian music is treated, but we also know that a static tradition is not a living tradition, and a living tradition needs new material as well as new players. The music on Bølgen is a great contribution: it's not the only one, as groups like Habadekuk and composers such as Kristian Bugge and Peter Michael Uhrbrand have shown. There is a balance to be struck between preserving the old and creating the new. Tunes such as Parasaurolophus Vals, Trappereel and Hvor blev Lyset af? certainly deserve to be played, heard, and danced to!
