FolkWorld #73 11/2020

CD Reviews

Kviven Duo "Kvakksalvar-Guri"
Own label, 2020

Artist Video

www.kviven-records.no

This duo is two young Norwegian fiddlers, Britt Pernille Frøholm and Jorun Marie Kvernberg, both passionate about the music of Nordfjord and Hornindal, an area dominated by a mountain named Kviven. They have gathered traditional dance tunes and other melodies, mostly from the 19th century, and pieced together arrangements which are as true to the old Norwegian fiddlers as possible. Sixteen individual pieces are performed on solo or twin fiddles, with some foot percussion or "trampinga", and a couple of guests on two tracks. This is hard-driving Nordic music, sparse and sharp-edged, but with a real dance beat in most cases. There's a range of tempos and rhythms, from the syncopated springar dances Vågåspringaren and Paul Tonning-Springar to the graceful air Fiskarvise or the fireworks of Sulitjelmagaloppen.
Female fiddlers were unusual in Norway, as in many traditions, and these two have sought out music by the rare lady composers and performers of earlier generations. Mari i Lidene pays hommage to one such, living in Hornindal around 200 years ago. Samulinaspringaren was probably written by another female Hornindal fiddler, Samuline Seljeset, in the mid 19th century. The title tune refers to a Hornindal fiddler and folk healer (or quack-healer) born in 1774 who became quite famous as a performer at weddings, and appears in several stories because of her unusual double career. There are many other highlights here such as the ancient Den Heidenske and the pulsing Vals Etter Lars E Brendefur, the swaggering reinlender Å Deildi mi å Deilti and the hymn-like Det Evige Lys - it seems Hornindal still boasts excellent female fiddlers.
© Alex Monaghan


Maskineri "Hopsa 101"
GO Danish Folk Music, 2020

www.maskineri.nu

Maskineri is a duo of fiddler Maja Kjær Jacobsen and guitarist Søren Vinter Røgen, and between them they turn old Jutland tunes into a fun and funky dance collection. It's all acoustic, and all done on two instruments, but their debut CD Hopsa 101 is clearly fuelled by modern rhythms, youthful energy, and copious amounts of coffee. The notes are in Danish but reasonably readable, and even with my limited understanding it's clear that the words are as cleverly chosen as the music. Take the album title, Hopsa 101, both a tune number from a 19th century notebook and a primer in the more lively side of Danish folkdance.
Some of the material here may be familiar - Masurka 147 from Anders Top's manuscript has spread far afield, Totur 185 is played all over Northern Europe, and the three vocal tracks certainly include elements known in England and Ireland. Maja sings in a pleasant distinctive voice - two voices in fact, a strong low register and a gentler high tone - and the songs are as varied and interesting as the tunes. The driving Renaissance quadrille Skob Konter is an instant winner, as is the soaring Hopsa 14. Maja includes three of her own compositions: the elegant waltz Varm Kaffé Tak, a short contemporary-tinged song melody, and a slinky polka which reminds me of Denmark's aversion to capital letters. I should also say that Maskineri is more about fun and rhythm than fine precision fiddling: there's no shortage of technical brilliance on fiddle and guitar, but in the pursuit of happiness rather than perfection. Hopsa 101 achieves plenty of both!
© Alex Monaghan


David Munnelly & Jonas Fromseier "Ten"
Own label, 2020

David Munnelly

This is sort of a concept album - ten tracks on ten-button melodeon and ten-or banjo! Munnelly and Fromseier have recreated the sound of 1930s Irish music - like At the Racket without the sax - on a full range of moods and tempos. Reels and jigs of course, from the staccato Four Courts to the lyrical Cow that Ate the Blanket, but also hornpipes and slower pieces. There's a Kimmel showpiece from his early recordings, a virtuoso rendition of The Fairy Queen, a storming assault on The Humours of Lissadell, and a subtle version of Bould Doherty, all squeezed onto the single row of Munnelly's melodeon, with duetting and harmonisation by Fromseier making this a real two-man show. A touch of piano from Dave and some extra basses give more depth in some places, but Ten is pretty much a duo sound.
The sleeve design is a further triumph, another of Mr Munnelly's artistic gems, but don't expect too much in the way of liner notes. These are almost all traditional tunes, except the final Válsa Bridín and the one that comes after it. The air Mo Mhúirnín Bán gets an arrangement dictated by the limitations of the humble one-row box which is surprisingly effective. Elsewhere the left hand of the melodeon isn't much in evidence, with the low notes left to Jonas' banjo. Several of my favourites are deftly handled here: the charming McCarthy's Favourite known in Scotland as My Wife's a Wanton Wee Thing, The Morning Star, a slightly modified version of The Chicago Reel, and another Scottish interloper in The Flowers of Edinburgh. Of course, Ten was recorded with social distancing in mid 2020, and there is a hint of delay between the players at times, but we're all well used to that now and it certainly doesn't reduce the quality of an excellent album.
© Alex Monaghan


David Munnelly, Joseph McNulty & Shane McGowan "On the Go"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

www.davidmunnelly.com

A second outing for this all-star trio is a treat indeed, and On the Go ranges far and wide to keep the entertainment coming. A Québécois waltz, the famous Basque fandango Albiztur by Iñaki Malbadi, and a piece of Parisian cool jazz jostle the Irish music old and new. Anne Brennan guests on three songs, one from Scotland and two from the Irish tradition. For the rest, it's button box, fiddle and guitar from three of the best in the business.
Mayo men Munnelly and McNulty launch in with Langstrom's Pony, a classic old Irish jig given a virtuoso treatment here which McGowan's guitar underpins perfectly. The clever switch into The Flowing Bowl is a nice touch - I hadn't realised the two were so similar. After a tasty trip to the cultural enclaves of Montreal and Bilbao, the song High Germany shows this group's prodigious abilities for arrangement and counterpoint. More old jigs are given a shake-down New York style, jazzy accordeon and soaring fiddle to the fore, and then Munnelly's composition Paddy's edges into a pair of well-loved reels with someone fondly battering a bodhrán in the background.
The second half of On the Go slows things down a little, dance music bracketed by two sentimental songs The Homes of Donegal and Oro Johnny strongly sung. The title tune, another by Mr Munnelly, could come from gypsy jazz or fifties swing as this versatile trio transforms into lounge lizard mode - smooth and salty, somewhere between slow drag and salsa, solos from Stéphane McNulty and Django McGowan spelling the silky fingers of David "John" Coltrane's right hand. A pair of fluter reels, Patsy Hanley's and Paddy Taylor's, bring us to the final air Cross Strand on accordion with fiddle harmonies, spine-tingling stuff. I'd have liked a final blast of dance tunes, but time is called and the only option is to start the clock again for another forty minutes of fine entertainment.
© Alex Monaghan


Ies Muller & David Munnelly "Detached"
Own Label, 2019

Artist Video

www.davidmunnelly.com

Mayo box-player Dave Munnelly has been turning out a lot of fine albums recently, and carving his own niche at the more innovative end of Irish traditional music. This collaboration with Dutch flute maestro Ies Muller combines the latter's taste for Breton music and Munnelly's interest in early 20th century Irish styles. There are also a couple of more modern arrangements, matched by another striking album cover with Munnelly's distinctive avant garde design.
An old Breton Lament sets the scene for some powerful flute and accordion duets, Muller showing why he is considered one of Holland's best folk musicians, while Munnelly underpins the melody with drones and rhythmic harmonies. The trio of barndances that follows is a reminder of the Flanagan Brothers sound from 1920s New York, when flute and accordion was already a popular combination. New Reels is altogether more contemporary, one piece each showing this pair's composing talent for catchy tunes. Lullaby is a song which I remember from the first Black Brothers album, slow and sentimental, surprisingly moving here on button-box and baritone vocals.
More old-school Irish American music in a pair of flings, and then Muller and Munnelly indulge in some innovation on the Newfoundland air Kildevil and the title track which adds powerful words to free-form flute and accordion. The final section of Detached squeezes another Breton air between two slices of reels, a pair of meaty Munnelly tunes followed by the crusty traditional favourites Lucy Campbell and The Last House in Connaught. If you like your music punchy and well played, with a few surprises along the way, grab an earful of this CD, download or on disc - you won't be disappointed.
© Alex Monaghan


The Sí Fiddlers "Donegal Fiddle"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

www.sifiddlers.com

A smart name for a superb album that does exactly what it says on the tin. The Sí are the faery folk of Ireland, mixing magic and music, emulated by this generous dozen female fiddlers. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Liz Doherty, Brid Harper, Roisin McGrory and nine of their friends fire up reels, jigs, airs, and the hallmark strathspeys and mazurkas of Donegal. Local tunes jostle with Scottish classics, and one or two tunes from the wider Irish repertoire are slipped in alongside a couple of compositions by Brid and Mairéad.
Hudaí Gallagher's and The Silver Slipper are Donegal to the core. The Tin-Ware Lass and Kitty Seán's represent the Donegal barndance, a jaunty rhythm rarely danced these days. Grainne's Jig is an elegant composition of the late lamented Tommy Peoples, followed by The Glory Reel from Francie Byrne, both icons of Donegal music. The Rosses Highland is another traditional favourite, subtly arranged to make the most of massed fiddles. Not every piece is at this band's full strength, but when the lasses all kick in the sound is immense. The last two tracks are almost a tribute to Altan, Donegal's greatest fiddle ambassadors, with the poignant lament Tune for Frankie on solo fiddle and the driving Red Crow Reel before the big finish on a set taken straight off the 1989 Horse with a Heart album. Paddy's Trip to Scotland, Dinky Dorian's and The Shetland Fiddler are just as powerful and pertinent today as they were thirty years ago.
© Alex Monaghan


The Carter Girls "Crossing Borders"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

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Madeline, Marlise and Maizie Carter are probably New Brunswick’s finest group of three fiddling sisters right now, certainly in their age group. All multi-instrumentalists, these girls have been performing excellent music online all year, and have put together a top quality studio album too! Engineered and mastered by Tyler Vollrath, who also helped with production and played back-up fiddle and accompaniment, Crossing Borders is otherwise completely down to the Carter Girls. Madeline plays fiddle throughout, although she's also a fine accompanist. Marlise splits herself between fiddle and piano, as well as providing stepdance and foot percussion on a few tracks. These two teenagers also bring their composing talents to the party. Maizie - not even teenaged yet - plays mainly accordion, with a fiddle cameo on a driving set of reels for four fiddlers.
The flavour is distinctly local in Crossing Borders - several Carter compositions, some more tunes from New Brunswick, and a few Canadian favourites, plus the occasional Scottish or Irish number. There are reels, jigs, waltzes, a lovely slow air and a few more treats. Madeline's Uplands Reel opens proceedings, one of six by her, a powerful Celtic-tinged melody. Her Blowing Snow is a more Canadian jig, introducing a medley of reels which really kick up the dust over a rockin' piano arrangement. George Stoddart's poignant bagpipe waltz Longueval, recalling the fallen pipers of World War 1, has fiddle harmonies as well as guitar and keyboards. Laybourne's Reel seems to be a local take on Kohler's Hornpipe or Pachelbel's Frolics, and leads perfectly into the Quebec classic Pointe au Pic.
Tunes by fine Canadian fiddlers Kelli Trottier, Stacey Read and Hailee MacDonald (née LeFort) are matched by traditional Irish and Scottish jigs, reels and strathspeys, including my favourites Shandon Bells and Jenny Dang the Weaver. Two-steps and marches, more reels, and the soaring Aire Canada bring us to the inevitable New Brunswick set of Mouth of the Tobique, Big John MacNeil and St Anne's Reel before a slightly gentler finale on Mount Whatley Reel by the Carter Girls' neighbour Royal Hicks. It's all done with skill, style, and a youthful splash. Crossing Borders is a remarkable achievement for such young musicians - I can only wonder at what they might produce in future!
© Alex Monaghan


Fiolministeriet "Et Nyt Liv"
GO Danish Folk, 2020

www.fiolministeriet.com

Fiddle and cello, viola and song - this Danish trio plays a wide range of great music, their own and other people's, ministering to fiddle fans the world over. In eight instrumental tracks and four songs, Fiolministeriet cover new and old Scandinavian tunes, American oldtime and contemporary fiddling, and even a touch of Scottish style. Every track is a joy, from the funky opening Riga Balsam to the final farewell on Flyv Fugl Flyv!
Ditte Fromseier's fiddle leads most pieces: she and fellow fiddler Kirstine Sand have composed the bulk of Et Nyt Liv, with two more originals by cellist Kirstine Elise Pedersen. Of the four songs, two are words set to music by Ditte, one is a recent composition and one is traditional Danish: they range in tone from ancient to modern, and all are handled gently with delicate string arrangements. Fromseier's voice is rich and sweet, never grating, and her colleagues provide subtle backing vocals.
The instrumentals are livelier: a strong swing to the traditional American march Ruthie's Delight, a threatening edge to the evocative Nordland, a happy dance beat in the bowing of Hot Summer, a gorgeous resonance in the solo viola on Guris Brudemarch, and a lovely lightness to the waltz Svensk Sommer. These tunes are all in accessible keys too, no flats to speak of. Nordland and the charmingly-named Floating Heads dip down into D and G minor - not surprising for cello pieces - but this music never sounds unapproachable, even though it reminds me strongly of the virtuoso performances of Frigg. Et Nyt Liv is a definite candidate for my 2020 Top Ten.
© Alex Monaghan


John & James Carty "The Wavy Bow Collection"
Racket records, 2020

Artist Video

www.johncartymusic.com

Two fiddlers, father and son - although John actually plays more banjo and tenor guitar here - this is a great selection of Sligo tunes and traditional music from further afield. The mood is relaxed, like a gathering of friends, with a few storming session sets and a number of more contemplative pieces. Each track is considered, and carefully arranged, with a double handful of household names as guests on guitars, keys, subtle drums and bass, plus James Carty Senior adding a touch of flute.
Toss the Feathers (what I think of as the Paddy Keenan version), The Green Mountan, The Plough in the Stars, The Geese in the Bog and The Old Maids of Galway set a fine standard for Irish fiddling, with great lift in both melody and accompaniment. There's then a wee detour via the Klezmer classic Flatbush Waltz and the air Lord Galloway's Lamentation, rolling in three more reels. John takes a banjo solo on another couple of Irish standards, The Jug of Punch and Eddie Kelly's, and James launches into the lyrical jig Corkscrew Hill until his family join him for two more Michael Hynes tunes.
A couple of outstanding old Clonnellan harp pieces, a set of 1920s flings (the second one is a version of the Scottish tune Lad wi' the Plaidie), a pair of unusual mazurkas and the ancient-sounding March of the Crows nestle between more reels, jigs and Kerry polkas. The Cran Man Jig by the sadly missed Arty McGlynn is a lovely melody and a fitting tribute. I particularly liked the set of Lad O'Beirne reels sparsely arranged for twin fiddles, and the final Streams of Poulaphouca on fiddle and banjo. It's all good, a wide spread of music, with a satisfying warmth to the playing and excellent notes on every tune. The first class musicianship goes without saying, and there's plenty more where this came from!
© Alex Monaghan


Lauren MacColl "Landskein"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

www.laurenmaccoll.co.uk

As close to solo as possible, this album is about three things: Lauren's beautiful fiddle tone and technique, the majestic music of the West Highlands over the past four hundred years, and the wonderful acoustics of Abriachan Village Hall whose wood panelling adds even more richness and antiquity. The combination creates a stunning half hour of music which really demands to be listened to - I've had Landskein for a few weeks now and needed to find a solid chunk of time to do it justice.
That's all there is to say really. The sleeve is strikingly minimal, silhouettes of hills and mountains in simple charcoal lines by Mairearad Green, and the liner notes are all online so you can check those out yourself. The mournful opener Air Mullach Beinn Fhuathais has hints of pipe music although it steps well outside the highland bagpipe scale. The intriguing reel Put the Gown Upon the Bishop and the minuet-like Mrs McIntosh of Raigmore convey a Georgian stateliness, while Bodachan a' Ghārraidh is a surprisingly sprightly reel which I expect was a puirt-à-beul piece. Pentland Hills has a more lowland character on viola, naturally, but the remaining half dozen pieces here are firmly in the highland canon of sad contemplative melodies, perfect for the fiddle and achingly played by Ms MacColl. As the notes mention, James Ross adds sensitive piano on four tracks and there are "occasional drones" from pump organ or electric guitar, but otherwise Landskein is one woman, one fiddle, and one exceptional acoustic.
© Alex Monaghan


Paul Harrigan "Music from the White Stone"
Own Label, 2019

Artist Video

www.paulharriganmusic.ie

From Inishowen in North East Donegal, Paul Harrigan is a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist, playing fiddle, accordion, guitar, bodhran and flutes. He is also that rare musical creatures, a Donegal piper, and the uilleann pipes are the focus of this recording. Old tunes from local sources and farther afield, and a handful of his own compositions, are played with spirit and humour and the participation of a few talented family members, plus outstanding contributions from harpist Joleen McLaughlin and guitarist Tim Edey. Much of the material here comes from the wonderfully titled 19th century collection Old Irish Croonauns, popular melodies of the time which have been furloughed or forgotten in recent years. Other sources include the Doherty fiddling family and revered local musicians.
A few of the pieces here are well known - The Rambling Pitchfork, Easter Snow, Pigeon on the Gate and a couple more - but the majority are new to me and all the more welcome for that, as there isn't a bad tune among them. The Coleraine Jig is better known in North America these days, and The Fairy Dance is a Caledonian connection, but Francie McHugh's Strathspey is a fresh delight, as are the two North Donegal reels which follow it. The Tinware Lass is played by a few Donegal musicians, and is one of several barndances, set dances, hornpipes and other less usual tempos here. There's a striking set of single jigs ending with the ominous Baitheadh Broclais, and two fine airs from Old Irish Croonauns. On concert pitch and flat pipes, Harrigan plays in a very melodic and attractive style, fingers flying when required but always keeping the musicality of the tune. The accompaniment on Music from the White Stone is subtle and sensitive, with occasional spirited ensemble arrangements. This album is certainly one of my 2020 favourites, staying on the player for a long time and probably going on my Top Ten list.
© Alex Monaghan


Gunnar & Johannes Dahle "Rjukanfossen"
Etnisk Musikklubb, 2020

This double CD and accompanying booklet presents the music of two Norwegian fiddlers from Rjukan in the hills of southern Norway. The Dahle family were fiddlers in the Tinn region throughout the 19th century, and the recordings on Rjukanfossen were made between 1940 and 1980 when Gunnar and Johannes were in their late forties or older. This region has a particular style of Hardanger fiddling, which is actually quite approachable: the music here is for the springar and gangar dances of the Norwegian tradition, rhythmic and lilting, much less challenging for the casual listener than some of the Hardanger competition pieces. Almost two hours of Norwegian fiddle music is still a lot to take in, plus the 40-page booklet (in Norwegian with one page in English) packed with photos and biographical information as well as notes on each tune, so this is not a collection to be absorbed in a single sitting, although the recording quality is extremely good.
Twenty-three tracks present the fiddling of Johannes Dahle (1890-1980), a farmer and master fiddler recorded from the early 1940s and winning many competitions. His repertoire came from the older fiddlers in the Telemark region, probably from the 18th century in many cases. As well as the lively springars and slower gangars, Johannes plays one Førespel or prelude from his ancestor Knut Dahle. Gunnar Dahle (1902-1988), a fiddler and worker in the new factories, also plays some pieces learnt from Knut Dahle: his twenty-one tracks are all springars and gangars except for one march, perhaps a bridal march. Gunnar was also a celebrated musician, recorded over twenty-five years or so. The similarities with older Shetland music are striking, both melodically and rhythmically, and the polyphonic techique of playing Hardanger fiddle makes for quite a full sound even though all these recordings are solo fiddle. Gunnar adds foot-tapping to accentuate the rhythm, a key part of the old Hardanger styles. Rjukanfossen is a huge repository of music and information, a must for Hardanger enthusiasts!
© Alex Monaghan


Emilyn Stam & John David Williams "Honeywood"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

www.emilynandjohn.com

French and Germanic music from two Canadian musicians, with a little help from their friends: most of the character of Honeywood comes from Stam's fiddle and Williams' clarinet, a combination suited to the "bal folk" genre, but both also play accordion, and they've roped in banjo, bass, mandolin and more on a few tracks. From Brittany to Saxony, Limburg to Limoges, traditional dance tunes make up almost half the three dozen pieces here, with the rest composed by this duo. You can barely see the joins as a German 18th century melody morphs into a piece from Corrèze, as Auvergne blends with Limousin in a set of three-beat bourrées, or as the newly-written title track slips into a traditional French waltz.
Emilyn and John play beautifully together, swapping leads and harmonies, varying the tone without swamping one instrument or the other. Even with three or four other musicians chiming in, the fiddle and clarinet maintain their interplay at the forefront of most arrangements. It is unusual to have so much clarinet on a recording of north-west European dance music, and just occasionally I felt the woodwind part was not entirely natural, but in general the Honeywood sound is delightful. It also works for dancers, with a strong beat, and little touches like the traditional introduction to Birch Bark Paper. The Breton Laridés took me back to the music of Erik Marchand, while the Gavottes seemed more Slavic than Celtic. Williams and Stam come close to an Irish sound on the Red Bay jig set, but mostly there's no hint of shamrock and shillelaghs here: just straightforward French and Low Countries dance music, well written and played.
© Alex Monaghan


Desi Wilkinson "Two for Joy!"
Own Label, 2020

www.desiwilkinson.com

Flute and pipes from Ireland and Brittany, Desi's wide-ranging talents include old and new music, and even a couple of Anglo-Irish ballads. A member of the long-standing band Cran, on this third solo CD Desi has enlisted ace Breton piper Patrick Molard, as well as Irish accompanists par excellence Colm Murphy and Gary O'Briain. Colm also created the attractive magpie artwork.
Two for Joy is quite a relaxed production, not all the rough edges are polished out, giving a warm natural sound which I like. Traditional Irish jigs and reels get the album off to a flying start, and the appropriate Chattering Magpie set features a low Bb flute by Martin Doyle that has a magnificent rich tone. The taste for flat keys continues on the first Breton piece, a Suite Plinn with Patrick on mellow Bb uilleann pipes. John Barbour is the first of Desi's two songs, both ancient tales of the pain of love, one with a happy ending and the other not so much. A trio of marches to the Lambeg drum reveals both Desi's Ulster roots and his 1798 sympathies, before a gentler set of three airs culminating in his own graceful Waltz for Geneviève.
A clutch of crooked Irish reels, a set of old song melodies on Scottish smallpipes, and the gruesome but satisfying ballad of False Lover John bring us to another big Breton set, gavottes this time, with traditional call and response between flute and uilleann pipes. Wilkinson wraps up with a pair of fine reels, including one of his own, and a mighty performance of Sliabh Gallen Braes on that monster Bb flute. Dark and resonant, varied and refreshing, Two for Joy is a welcome addition to the folk flute world.
© Alex Monaghan


Ross Ainslie "Vana"
Own Label, 2020

German CD Review

Ross Ainslie

www.rossainslie.com

It's twenty years since Mike McGoldrick's tremendous Fused album was released,[13] and ever since then people have been trying to recreate that magic mix of folk and funk, Celtic and cool. Vana just might have hit the spot. The words here are few but they are powerful, and the musical images paint a compelling story.
Vana is designed to be listened to continuously from beginning to end - it says so on the inside - so that's what I'm doing as I write this. There are no real breaks between tracks - lulls sometimes, no more - as the slightly ominous Wounded Forest runs smoothly into the familiar Rapa Nui recorded by Treacherous Orchestra. Ross switches from pipes to whistles, and is joined by his frequent buddies Greg Lawson, Steve Byrnes, Hamish Napier and James Lindsay, as well as the sax of Paul Towndrow, making up the core album sound. Absinthe in Aranya shows the funkier side, filled out by electric guitar from one of Ainslie's ten guests. Emergency Operation is as urgent as the title suggests, staccato pipes birling, backed by seventies folk-rock - in a good way! Cross of Threads flirts briefly with disco before settling on a more contemporary whistle vibe with world music influences - Spain and India both spring to mind as bansuri meets banjo meets Balkan rhythms.
The second half of this album has cameos from Duncan Chisholm, Steve Cooney, Malcolm Jones, and two excellent Indian musicians who give an authentic South East Asian feel to Vanavasa and Concrete Jungle. Every piece here is an Ainslie original, some brand new and some several years old. There's a bit of poetry, a slew of canntaireachd, and a lot of percussion, and somehow it all works. We could still be talking about Vana in twenty years' time.
© Alex Monaghan


Duo Granite "Le Jour d'Après"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

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Quite a short album, but packed with great tunes, Le Jour d'Après is mostly music from eastern central France with occasional trips north and west to Celtic and Scandinavian traditions. The opening selection shows the quality and flair of this duo: Seb Lagrange on button box and Didier Gris on French-style fiddle power through three of their own swirling bourrées which slot right into the Burgundy or Auvergne canon, great melodies given a real lift with this arrangement. Josephine's Waltz by Swedish maestro Roger Tallroth is the first foray outside French music, a firm favourite all across Europe, beautifully played here in D with full repeats.
Traditional Scottishes, polkas, bourrées and mazurkas fill much of Le Jour d'Après, carefully chosen to keep things lively. The album title refers to that longed-for post-COVID day when music can come fully back into our lives: but for now we must be content with recordings of Polka du Gally, Bourrée des Galvachers du Château-Chinon, and Scottish de la Mouette which is a lovely dark Gris composition. There's a delightful mazurka by Seb too. Things get seriously Scottish on a set of jigs, and then the classic Valse du Beau Canton by Manitoba fiddler Andy Dejarlis which was popularised by Aly Bain. The final Lagrange tune builds to a satisfying climax as Duo Granite shift the tempo from mazurka to bourrée with a driving rhythm, ending this enjoyable CD on a high note.
© Alex Monaghan


Hartwin Dhoore "Waterman"
Trad Records, 2020

Artist Video

www.hartwindhoore.com

A gentle album of button accordion music - there, I said it! This member of the Dhoore brothers' trio, from Flanders but now living in Estonia (they can do that in the EU), has recorded an album of his own tunes which bucks the trend in the button-box world. No punchy staccato runs here, no energetic 4-stroke bellows action, just melodies which wash over you - reflective music, you might say, a sort of accordion waterzooi - tasty, but never that far from its watery origins.
The title waltz and the funky Oakwood are quite upbeat, but Lighthouse brings a note of solitude, even of loneliness in its stark slow-reel flow. Treehouse doesn't really lift the mood, and Coastal Walks falls short of that skip in the step. This isn't sad music, but there is an undercurrent of tristesse, of what Brazilians might call saudade, especially in the well-titled Slow Mornings. The mood does pick up slowly: a jig For Those at Sea literally or metaphorically, with a bit of swagger or yaw to the rhythm, is followed by another pretty waltz that teases a smile. The final Sailors is a lullaby, or perhaps a hymn. One for those quiet moments with sharp objects safely out of reach, Waterman is balm for the soul, aquatherapy in these troubled times, with the ever-present risk of drowning in Hartwin's music.
© Alex Monaghan


Klezmer-ish "Dusty Road"
Riverboat Records, 2020

Artist Video

www.klezmerish.com

A bit of klezmer, a bit of tango, some gypsy jazz and a couple of their own pieces, this quartet out of Liverpool may not have the glamour of the Beatles but they certainly play as well or better! Dizzy clarinet, dazzling fiddle and accordion, picked-perfect guitar and pumping bass combine in arrangements of ten great instrumental tracks. The classic Klezmer's Freilach introduces all four soloists, while the Romanian gypsy dance Pandelaşul Fetelor glues them together tighter than a trumpeter's lips. Volver and Kicho convey the hot and heady heights of Argentine tango. Blue Drag makes The Pink Panther look like something from pantomime, and Herschel is a roller-coaster ride for rabbis.
The two vocal tracks are not as strong in my view. Singing, and song writing, don't seem to have transferred so well from the Beatles to this band. It takes a lot to be a lead singer, and these tracks are not at the same level as the instrumentals. I also have an aversion to sloppy lyrics, although I know many don't mind - but it bugs me that that title track talks about "country lanes or ancient byways" - aren't they the same thing?! Anyway, if you like the songs that's great, but I guarantee you'll love the tunes.
© Alex Monaghan


"The Loon's Call: Tunes from the North Shore by Anne Delong"
Own Label, 2020

www.loonscall.timetraces.ca

Subtitled "Tunes from the North Shore", this CD presents 38 compositions by Anne, played by Saskia Tomkins and Stéafán Hannigan with a little help from their friends. The North Shore in question is on Lake Ontario, and the loons are large diving birds similar to cormorants which feature on Canadian dollar coins and give them their nickname. That information is not on the album website, but lots more details are: the hows and whys of tunes like Colty's Corners and Fifty Steps, the list of who plays what when, and the links to order or download The Loon's Call as well as the sleeve notes and even the tunebook.
Written between 2008 and 2013, these Delong compositions include waltzes, jigs, hornpipes, reels, two-steps and more. Anne is a bluegrass mandolinist, so there are a lot of tunes in 4/4 and the major keys tend to have sharps while the minors move to flats, but the genres span oldtime, Irish, swing, contemporary Canadian fiddle, eighteenth-century dance, Latin, and even a bit of gypsy jazz. Check out The Trundle Wheel, Over the Iron Gate (both free on the website), and several more. My favourites so far include The Welkin Walk, Right Turn Lane, Cinnamon Stick and Red Currant Rag, all with great arrangements by Saskia and Stéafán.
© Alex Monaghan


Maeve Gilchrist "The Harpweaver"
Own Label, 2020

Artist Video

www.maevegilchristmusic.com

Maeve Gilchrist is a Scottish harpist who crossed to the USA some years ago and has extended her musical mastery to various genres of music. The Harpweaver is her sixth album, and combines traditional and contemporary Scottish music, contemporary folk, a bit of jazz, and bit of classical, and even the Victorian parlour piece Love's Old Sweet Song. Maeve also mixes in a number of poetry fragments, from works by Charles Kingsley and Edna St Vincent Millay whose poem provides the CD title.
Gilchrist compositions make up most of this recording, and solo harp is prominent almost throughout, backed by Kyle Sanna's guitars and occasional string quartet. There are words spoken and sung scattered across half the tracks here, giving a very conversational feel to the recording, more intimate than a normal performance. At the more traditional end of the spectrum, James Hill's Locomotive Hornpipe gets a sparkling treatment, followed by Maeve's own piece Webster's March with elements of Scottish dance music. Although newly written, Brenda's Abbey comes close to an Irish planxty. While past fiddlers have famously praised female beauty, Chris Stout's Compliments to the Bon Accord Ale House are probably no less heart-felt and inspire a driving contemporary harp arrangement here.
In a nice use of opposites, Gilchrist's sung version of Kingsley's poem Young and Old is followed by her compositions The Storm and The Calm. Her arrangements and production create a full sound from the opening title track to the closing Molloy/Bingham song. Whether a tempest of rain and wind, or a gentle ripple, The Harpweaver covers the acoustic canvas with every tone: a very satisfying album.
© Alex Monaghan


Bridget Marsden "When I listen to Bingsjö"
Dimma, 2015

www.bridgetmarsden.net

English fiddler plays Swedish music - not so unusual today. Scandinavian fiddling has still not taken the traditional music world by storm, but its popularity is growing, and England is where the last Scandinavian invasion started! Bridget Marsden has chosen the tunes of Bingsjö, a relatively remote area of eastern Sweden, and she plays them beautifully in short bursts of less than three minutes, perfect for radio but a little brief for learning.
Polskas, waltzes, a bridal march and a couple of airs - but mostly polskas to be honest: that's the Swedish way. Ms Marsden's fiddle style is clear, not too ornamented, with less use of ringing strings than some Swedish fiddlers, and very authentic, very much based on historic recordings. This is old music, mostly too old to have known composers despite Sweden's careful archives, but there is plenty of life left in it. Blinde Palms Polska is one of several that get the toes tapping.
Gråtlåten and the G minor polska from Pekkos Per (the oldest known source for half this album) remind me of the ancient Shetland tunes, dark, irregular, made in hard winters. Bridget is joined for a handful of pieces by fiddlers Ellika Frisell, Emma Reid and Jon Holmén. On Bingsjövalsen she duets with a 1950 recording of the composer Hjort Anders Olsson in an almost spooky recreation of archive film. For the rest, it's just solo fiddle, pure and simple, intense and personal.
© Alex Monaghan


Bridget Marsden & Leif Ottoson "Sea of Trees"
Playing with Music, 2018

Artist Video

www.bridgetandleif.com

A second album of contemporary Swedish folk music from this fiddle and accordion duo, Sea of Trees is mainly Marsden and Ottosson's compositions with four traditional pieces. In eleven instrumental tracks and a final song from guest vocalist Sofia Berg-Böhm, it covers a lot of musical ground. The Headland has hints of Fred Morrison's Lochaber Badger, while the dramatic title track incorporates elements of traditional tunes into an extended improvisation. Marsden's pieces North-Minded and Cherry Road capture different aspects of the Swedish climate from a southerner's perspective.
Three old melodies are skilfully handled on fiddle and accordion, their varied moods and tempos giving Marsden and Ottosson scope for harmonic experimentation, before a lovely combination of Swedish sounds with Maher Cissoko's East African kora on Medvind (meaning a following wind for a boat). Sarah-Jane Summers and Juhani Silvola guest on Time Flies, a piece which captures exactly how I feel about these annoying buzzy insects - hyperactive, unpredictable, suddenly disappearing and then reappearing, the bane of many a transdimensional picnic. It's followed by a jaunty old polska, and then that final melancholy song of rain scattering the light and drip, drip, dripping away to end an absorbing and entertaining CD.
© Alex Monaghan


Guro Kvifte Nesheim & Mats Edén "Den Kaldsteikte"
Taragot Sounds, 2020

Guro

Guro is known for her interpretations of the Hardanger fiddle music of Tovdal in south west Norway, particularly as played by Salve Austenå. Mats Edén is a Danish fiddler, melodeon player and collector who has worked with several groups to bring the raw core of Danish music to wider audiences. Together these two produce music which is both old and new, both respectful and lively, both true to its roots and blossoming afresh. Their synergy is quite remarkable, particularly as much of it is spontaneous, improvised, loosely pre-planned but played in the moment. Guro plays a modern Hardanger fiddle, while Mats swaps between Hardanger, viola d'amore, and a German baroque fiddle made in 1730. The only accompaniment is foot-stamping, another feature of the Norwegian tradition.
All the material here comes from Guro's Norwegian repertoire - Mats plays second fiddle, and makes a fabulous job of it. The music of western Norway can take unexpected twists, even for a local, but Mats Edén's fiddle is supportive and inventive at every turn. There's a strong dance rhythm here through waltzes, reels, springars and gangars, and the lovely crooked reinlender Kursdreper'n. The more abstract side of Hardanger music is represented in Jondalen and Kjempe-Jo, pieces more for listening than for dancing, and the twin fiddles explore each piece's intricacies with skill and empathy. For fiddlers, dancers, and listeners alike, there is plenty to appreciate here. Fiddlers be warned though: I'm guessing much of Den Kaldsteikte is not in standard tuning, and the tunings are not given in the extensive sleeve notes. Guro's mentor Salve Austenå sadly passed away this year, well into his nineties, but it's nice to know that the Tovdal tradition has been successfully handed down.
© Alex Monaghan


GKN5 "Tri Hjarter på Ei Snor"
Taragot Sounds, 2020

Artist Video

www.gurokviftenesheim.no

Guro Kvifte Nesheim on Hardanger fiddle, Anna Malmström on clarinets, Anna Gustavsson on nyckelharpa, Thomas Eriksson on guitar, and Jens Linell on tambourine - it's an Abba thing - make up the quintet GKN5 who specialise in modern arrangements of old Norwegian dance music. It might seem odd to arrange springars and gangars and other traditional forms in a new way, but this music met with the approval of Guro's teacher the respected Salve Austenå, a fiddler born in 1927 who was the source of most of these melodies. The goal of GKN5 is to stay true to the tradition, to bring out what is in these tunes rather than invent something new, but at the same time to make the music appeal more to their generation - as almost every generation before them has done.
For example, Spinnaren is a springar which one particular dancer liked to perform as a party-piece, spinning on a herring crate, so a new name was adopted to be more meaningful at that time. GKN5's arrangement, with bass clarinet and the jingle of tambourine and twelve-string guitar, is just another way to give the tradition new meaning. Tveitlien has a hypnotic quality which is intensified by the extra drones of clarinet and nyckelharpa, while the raw emotion of Guro's introduction to Tinndølen tugs at the heart strings (pardon the pun)!
A long and winding bridal march with interesting rhythmic effects on the tambourine, the entrancing title track with instrumental breaks on guitar and clarinet, and the bouncy Neri Neset with its short repeated phrases like a Renaissance dance, bring us to the two final tracks which are both new compositions. Guro wrote Salve for her teacher, and included it here as a thankyou and a farewell: it starts very traditionally, but is then stripped back to nyckelharpa, then built up again with clarinet and guitar, and finally becomes a full-on celebration. Lønavatnet is more soulful, inspired by Guro's favourite landscape, a simple but beautiful ending to a quite complex and varied CD. One more thing - Tri Hjarter på Ei Snor is very pink - extremely pink in fact! If you buy this album, you won't mislay it easily.
© Alex Monaghan



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