FolkWorld #79 11/2022

CD Reviews

Breabach "Fàs"
Own Label, 2022

Article: Breabach

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Artist Video

www.breabach.com

New album, new line-up, new approach from this very successful and well-regarded Scottish folk band. Producer Inge Thomson has taken Fàs in a more contemporary, less instrumental direction - partly as a result of exchanging the flute and highland pipe talents of James Duncan Mackenzie for the broader piping styles and vocals of Conal McDonagh, and partly I suspect just to try something different. Change is good, in general, but I feel that a lot of the new things on this CD are experimental for now, and experiments can succeed or fail. Time will tell.
Fàs opens with a giant instrumental set, four tunes from the Scottish pipe and fiddle canon, Breabach as we know and love them, with just a hint of synthesisers. This is one of my favourite tracks, and to be blunt the album could have used another similar piece at the end - but I solved that by playing the whole thing on repeat so this Old Collection medley follows straight on from the final song. Songs are more where it's at on Fàs, and there are some great ones - Eadar an Dà Bhràigh by family member Ewen Henderson, and two traditional Gaelic songs, all superbly sung by Megan Henderson who has one of the clearest voices and most consistent tones in Scottish folk. Another favourite moment for me is Megan's Dear Green Place, a gorgeous slow air. With these five tracks, Breabach has certainly stayed close to its West Highland roots.
Nature and the environment is a huge part of highland culture, and much of Fàs draws inspiration from things good and bad in our natural world: the seed banks of Frøvelv which sparked James Lindsay's lively twisting reel, the words to the Scottish retreat march Lochanside written by Jim Malcolm and sung here by Ewan Robertson, and Ewan's own composition Revolutions which spins a tale of turbines and turbulence. Pipers McDonagh and MacCrimmon contribute compositions early in proceedings, including another instrumental number cheesily named Bròg to the Future, and the last two tracks are Calum MacCrimmon's creations: the atmospheric John Mackenzie's March with more of those subtle synthesiser effects, and the final song Changing World which muses gently on the future of our planet. Then round we go again with that powerful Old Collection set!
© Alex Monaghan


Sam Sweeney "Escape That"
Hudson Records, 2022

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www.samsweeneymusic.com

English fiddler par excellence, Sam Sweeney took a radical but perhaps unavoidable approach to this album. Constrained by COVID lockdown, he gave free rein to his creative impulses and made many months of recordings out of what most of us might have called "noodling". The wonders of home studios allowed him to knit these spaghetti strands together, and add a touch of special sauce, to produce eleven helpings of tasty tagliatelle della casa on this CD. The musicianship from Sam is excellent, the arrangements are sensitive enough to leave the fiddle a clear field of play, and the backing contributions by Jack Rutter, Ben Nicholls, Louis Campbell and Dave Mackay are all that you might hope.
Mr Sweeney says this music is the most "me" he has recorded, which to my mind puts him in a Bowmuda Triangle between Swarbrick, Taylor, and Knight - not a bad place to be. The English folk force is strong in Feet Together Jump with its hints of Carthy's Lovely Joan, and in Pink Steps which I'm sure will soon be a Morris Dance if it isn't already. Want to Fly and the final 3/2 Don't Worry, Trains remind me of the Tyneside and even Scottish Borders traditions, although there is no Celtic influence to my ear. Under Gigantic Clouds, Yoddin, the title track and others seem more contemporary, not so geographically situated, but inspired by the strong English school of folk rock, with varying degrees of delicacy and dynamism. I certainly wouldn't want to pigeonhole this music, but it fits a broad definition of English folk fiddle and puts Sam Sweeney at the heart of the genre.
© Alex Monaghan


Mary-Grace Autumn Lee "Eyre"
Own Label, 2022

Artist Audio

www.marygraceautumn.com

The hammered dulcimer is an unusual instrument, and rare indeed in Irish music these days, although there was a tradition in Ulster in living memory with Topic recordings of John Rea, and there are probably a few exponents still. Ms Lee has combined her own exploration of Irish music with the strong hammered dulcimer tradition from her native USA exemplified by players such as Jim Couza and Simon Chrisman. Eyre is Mary-Grace's debut album, and it is impressively mature and technically skilled, as well as being extremely pleasant to listen to. Almost ninety per cent Irish traditional music, with forays into American and Scottish traditions, this CD sticks to tried and tested tunes upon which Mary-Grace Lee works her percussive magic. The twin wands and resonant strings of this instrument make it most suitable for slower pieces, producing resonant tones and harmonies, and there are a number of fine examples here: Travelling through Blarney and O'Carolan's Cup from Carolan's compositions which I first heard from The Chieftains whose harpist Derek Bell also dabbled in hammered dulcimer, the song air Lone Shanakyle, and a quite up-tempo version of Seán Ó Duibhir A'Ghleanna.
The faster tracks are more surprising, showing a very high level of skill and understanding in the playing of reels, jigs, and Junior Crehan's flowery hornpipe The Hills of Coore. Mary-Grace is joined at times by her siblings as accompanists, and by Caroline Keane on concertina, Patrick Cummins on banjo and Jonathan Srour on flute for a fuller sound, but in fact her solo playing is perfectly able to hold the attention and touch the heart. Dowd's Favourite, for intance, trips off the tongues as readily as from a fiddle. Come Upstairs with Me is full of spirit and energy, bright notes crisply separated. Chloe's Passion is rather more regimented than usual - I would have held more notes than Lee does here - but Hardiman the Fiddler is beautifully interpreted with just the right swing and accents. The final trio of jigs set the cap on a very fine album: Drummond Castle, an old Scottish pipe tune, is tastefully ornamented and jogs along nicely to meet the modern Irish classic Brendan Tonra's with a pleasing change of dynamics, allowing Ms Lee to step up the energy on the finishing Yellow Wattle. This last track is titled Autumn's Fall, a play on words I guess, but to my mind Mary-Grace Autumn Lee's star is firmly in the ascendant.
© Alex Monaghan


Luke Daniels "The Cobhers"
Gael Productions, 2022

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www.lukedanielsmusic.com

Luke Daniels - button accordion prodigy, Irish music innovator, experimenter with many things including guitar and vocals - has gathered around him some of the younger stars of the traditional music scene to form The Cobhers. More a band than an album, this is their recording debut. The name (pronounced "The Covers") works for Irish and Scottish Gaelic speakers, and captures the eclectic and environmentally-friendly aspects of this music, recycling traditional tunes and disco hits which were written before the band members were born, along with Luke's own arrangements and compositions. It's a bit of a lucky dip, but the bran tub is wide and deep, hiding many surprises. You'll have to judge for yourselves whether it all works - I suspect it varies by generation - and for those young enough to think Saturday Night Fever is a COVID symptom, this will be a revelation.
The CD opens with an incomporable rendition of Stayin' Alive on Daniels' accordion and Matt Tighe's fiddle, with keyboards and guitar from Michael Biggins and Scott Turnbull, and perhaps Eleanor Dunsdon's clarsach in the background. Moving swiftly on, Not in the Yeast combines Americana in the form of fingerpicked guitar and honky-tonk piano with tasteful clarsach before building a structure of variations on fiddle around what is essentially a version of the American Irish Temperance Reel or The Teetotaller. A set of jigs follows, traditional Irish, ending with Tommy Peoples' Kinny Cally Hill, complex and catchy whilst staying within the bounds of the genre. Step outside next for something called Groove is in the Heart from 1990, another disco number with the usual themes of cardiology and calisthenics.
Three contemporary tunes winding around the topics of gherkins and gestation bring us to the only vocal track here, written and sung by Luke in a bluesy gospel style with Eleanor as vocal accomplice. The brief mood piece Maggie Ramsay lets fiddle, guitar and clarsach shine in solo breaks, before we leap back to 1972 for the flares and fringes of Stevie Wonder's Superstition funked up on button box and fiddle. Daniels shfts to channelling William Hannah for a fine Scottish set of The Duchess of Hamilton's Strathspey and two well known reels. Oddly enough, this set rocks more than some of the disco numbers: in particular, there is a gorgeous syncopated riff in Skinner's Gladstone Reel which deserves to be widely copied. Four more tracks mix a lovely Donegal waltz/mazurka with another 70s disco soul instrumental which Biggins bangs out in fine style, an Irish slip-jig glorying in the name Doodly Doodly Dank, and a Syrian showpiece which sweeps everything together under a magic carpet of Arab classical music. Whew. Quite a musical journey, this album defies classification: I hope I've whetted your appetite for its glitterball tracery of colours and patterns.
© Alex Monaghan


Mike Vass "Decemberwell Decade"
Unroofed Records, 2022

FolkWorld Xmas

Artist Audio

www.mikevass.com

Ten years on from the release of his Decemberwell album of winter music, Mike Vass has revisited the concept, revised the themes, and recorded a related album. The original work was all Vass - prolific composing skills and multi-instrumental talents to the fore, drawing from the well within. This collection combines ten carefully-chosen musicians, two traditional Gaelic songs, and some co-arranging alongside Mike's eight new compositions. Surprisingly, the prime mover steps back from actual performance: there is not a single note played by the maestro here. He prefers to pull the strings on this CD, not bow or pluck them! Since 2012 Mike Vass has been on several journeys with his music - some literal, some figurative, some both. Experimenting with vocals and ambient sounds, soundscapes and landscapes, he has become a master of marrying music to place and time.
I would say this album is more Scottish than the original Decemberwell - perhaps it's the songs, arranged in a distinctly West Coast way. The spirit of Scottish winters also comes through in the cleverly-named Still Below the Hills and Suspension in the Air. There are exceptions - Levity is more Calypso than Christmas carol with its trumpet lead and Caribbean percussion, for example - but mostly this music refracts and refocuses contemporary highland traditions. A Chisholm prism, if you will, or a distorting MacDonald mirror. The press release describes the opening Two Decker as "soporific", which seems a little harsh - it takes time to build, so be patient, but this track serves as a tasty sampler of Decemberwell Decade. Give it a listen. If it grabs you, that's Christmas sorted!
© Alex Monaghan


Nic Zuppardi "North Cape"
Own Label, 2022

Artist Audio

www.niczuppardi.co.uk

A seriously impressive solo album from a sideman of considerable standing, North Cape shows Nic Zuppardi to be a mandolinist, multi-instrumentalist and tunesmith worthy of attention in his own right. Nic plays an F-style bluegrass mandolin, and is backed by the classic Kentucky line-up of fiddle, bass and two guitars (we'll pretend one of them is a banjo), but the music here is much broader than bluegrass. All but one track credits Zuppardi as composer - the exception is the pretty country waltz Halfway Pond by Jim Chidress, written for a particularly large puddle I'm guessing. Around this are oldtime breakdowns, lyrical airs, and another delightful waltz Alexandra Road. This solo debut is a short affair - but then so is the mandolin. It would be nice to hear more of Nic Zuppardi's music, because what there is on this recording is polished, sparkling and immensely entertaining.
The format of most tracks on North Cape is looser than the bluegrass chorus-break-chorus routine, although there is a bit of that, allowing Alex Patterson's fiddle to shine in particular, but the bulk of the limelight falls on Zuppardi. There are no vocals, another advantage from my point of view, leaving the musicians to fill the space with melody and harmony lines. The driving Silver Haven strikes sparks to set the hay bales alight, while Del Rio probably comes closest to Bill Monroe territory. The sultry slow Madeleine could be a lullaby or a love poem, solo mandolin sweetly and softly played. The jaunty Alpardi McPatterzup is neither, but sees mandolin and fiddle swapping meaningful riffs around a very attractive melody as the bass plays chaperone. The opening River could have Sandy Belle written around it - it swings, over fine accompaniment from a sideman's sidemen. That missing banjo does rear its head for the final track, a leisurely title tune taken as a pure solo to wind down a brief half hour of mandolin mastery.
© Alex Monaghan


Elise Boeur & Adam Iredale-Gray "Fiddle Tunes"
Fiddlehead Records, 2022

Artist Audio

www.eliseandadam.ca

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Irish, American, French, Belgian, Swedish, Norwegian and even Icelandic tunes, all with a Canadian accent, are delivered on twin fiddles and hardangfele with a touch of guitar. Robert Alan Mackie adds virtuoso upright bass, but the rest is down to the duo of Boeur and Iredale-Gray. From their base in BC on Canada's west coast, Elise and Adam have explored traditions across almost half the world and they present a wide range of authentic fiddle styles here. Jean Blanchard's La Coccinelle, originally written for the bagpipe, gets a proper Central French treatment, while Chinquapin Hunting has a grinding oldtime feel. Their written acknowledgement of the indigenous people of BC on the album sleeve is admirable, and is becoming a feature of both Canadian and Australian CD releases.
That Pacific Canada accent comes through a little on the Swedish polskas, and the pace and rhythm of Irish jigs and reels here remind me more of Cape Breton than Cork or Clare, but there's no shortage of energy and passion in the playing of this pair. The Hardanger sound on Brureslått Rull fra Jølster and Nils og Jens og Gjeldaug is gripping and visceral, especially when the Latin dance beat kicks in. The Icelandic modern jazz of London Út is a step into the abyss, but Boeur and Iredale-Gray emerged unscathed and ready for the big finish: a Cuz Teahan slow reel on Elise's fiddle, the slip jig Cock and Hen with a fancy fingerpicked opening from Adam on guitar, and the great reel Cottage in the Grove which the sleevenotes helpfully say was written by Tommy Cohen before his death in 1974. Best time really. Fiddle Tunes has some great moments, and is full of quality melodies - well worth a listen.
© Alex Monaghan


Leonie Chevalaz "Coïncidéncia"
AEPEM, 2022

Martin Lassouque "Contras"
AEPEM, 2022

Two pipers from southern France, the young Léonie Chevalaz from Cantal in the southern Auvergne, playing fairly standard French bagpipes, and the not quite so young Martin Lassouque and friends from further west playing the boha and bohassa in the Landes tradition. Both are worth hearing, for various reasons. Contras includes many of the unusual effects achievable on the rather peculiar boha family of pipes, similar to goatherd pipes from central Europe and providing a great deal of flexibility in the drones, as well as the option of closing the chanter like the uilleann pipes. Add in the Gascon pipe and tabor with snare, and this album begins to be more about the instruments than the music, much as early albums of Scottish bellows-blown pipes or the innovative Lindsay chanter combined performance with experimentation and modified an existing repertoire to take advantage of new possibilities. There are detailed notes in French with this CD, describing the instruments and the tunes, and explaining some of the innovations.
Coïncidéncia is much more what you might expect from French bagpipes, based around a 16-inch chanter pitched in G/C with a couple of drones. Chevalaz plays in a fluid style, and enlists friends and family on additional pipes as well as the core melodeon and gurdy sounds of central France, to deliver the waltzes, polkas, bourrées and schottisches of Auvergne and Limousin. There's a touch of flamboyance to her piping, and she also offers three songs here with drones and foot percussion accompaniment for a wide-ranging debut album. The powerful air Los Dolhaïres comes from further south and west, bordering on Lassouque's region, as does the song Qual Pourtoro l'Dinia l'Bouié. These pieces from Quercy are balanced by the eastern origins of Bourrée de Carru and Si je Savais Voler, two great tunes which are new to me. This is a very promising first recording, no surprises but consistent high quality.
© Alex Monaghan


Claude Quintard "Accordéon Chromatique"
AEPEM, 2022

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4-row continental chromatic accordion from the Auvergne region, this is part of AEPEM's "one player, one instrument, one tradition" series. The big continental accordion is common in Auvergne, ever since the early days of commercial folk dances in France, and it is of course designed to be played as a solo instrument with the potential for rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment in both hands. Claude Quintard is an accomplished player, born in Paris to a musical family from Cantal on the northern edge of the Massif Central. Playing professionally from the age of 12, Quintard performed at the Auvergne balls and the bals folk in Paris. He has recorded half a dozen albums in traditional groups, including the 2015 AEPEM release La Bourrée à Régis with piper Michel Esbelin. Now in his late sixties, M Quintard has made this new solo recording to honour his family and other local musicians.
While the Auvergne style and repertoire is at the core of central French dance music, many of the melodies here are either too local or too recent to be well known. Take for instance the waltz La Foudroyante: similar melodies are found throughout the French tradition, but this version is more elaborate than any I've heard previously. The intriguing Scottish-Valse d'Issoire is equally unique, with its change in tempo usually associated with a popular Swedish dance. The 3/4 bourrée La Segonzatoise is more familiar, a Berrichon "bourrée tournante" turned on its head. Several pieces tend towards the Paris café style, not surprisingly: La Valse à Florin, Petite Suzon and one or two more. Others such as La Bourrée à Louis and the polka Guillerette will be well known to French musicians and dancers. Most tracks on this CD are under two minutes, a couple of times through one or two tunes, more for documentation than dancing, but they certainly make for fine listening.
© Alex Monaghan


La Perdrix Rouge "Vendémiaires"
AEPEM, 2022

Seven years after their fine debut CD, this central French trio is back with an equally beautiful recording. Fabrice Lenormand plays the less usual long pipes, with Philippe Beauger on the shorter musette, and Guillaume Bouteloup providing percussive hurdy-gurdy. Together they create a very pleasant rounded sound on a range of dance music and airs, about half of it newly composed by Philippe and the rest from traditional sources. Bransles, bourrées, waltzes, mazurkas and schottisches from Berry and Nivernais invite you to dance or listen as the mood takes you: the swirling Sorbet Coco by Beauger, the delicate Drapeau Noir, the menace of Le Marchois and the rich resonance of La Jolie Couturière from a little further south. La Perdrix Rouge provides full notes on each track, in French only, as part of an attractive CD package. From the opening pair of Sancerre bransles to the closing mazurka by the celebrated piper Jean Blanchard, Vendémiaires is an unassuming delight: music well played for the simple pleasure of sharing.
© Alex Monaghan


Farvergade "Dance Music from Søren Christensen & Niels Aage Andersen"
GO Danish Folk, 2022

Article: Farvergade

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Tunes found in a manuscript book from the late 1800s: Søren Christensen lived on a farm in the village of Karise, not too far from Copenhagen, and was a very fine fiddler who wrote down many tunes before passing his notebook to his grandson Nils who added a few more around the turn of the century. Clara Tesch, Mads Kjøller Henningsen and Julie Svejgaard have chosen twenty of around 300 pieces to play here on fiddle, flute and piano - a sound somewhere between classical trio and folk dance band. Most titles are simply a style and a number - Hamborger 114 for instance, which happens to be part of what we know as Swedish Masquerade in the UK. A few have more memorable names - the sprightly Ana Polka which leads off, or Den Gode Maler Schottisch with its strong beat and hornpipe-like melody. I especially liked the fast-moving Vals 57, the Forkert Polka 52 which goes with it, and the dramatic Hopsa 46 - but every piece here is worth hearing. The playing from Tesch, Kjøller Henningsen and Svejgaard is exceptional - they are the mainstay of several great Scandinavian bands after all - and they are joined by a number of guests on accordion, guitar, bass, drums and additional fiddle. I am not a Danish dancer, so I can't vouch for the tempo and rhythm of the dance music, but I'm sure these three know what they are doing in that respect. As a listening album, Dance Music from Søren Christensen & Niels Aage Andersen is very satisfying. It could use a shorter title though - I already economised in my translation!
© Alex Monaghan


Optur "Nordic Free Folk"
GO Danish Folk, 2022

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What a blast of groovy and cool new dance music based around Nordic folk traditions. The brainchild of Optur is Violinist and composer Søren Korshøj – known as founding member of Danish super folk band Instinkt. Optus set out “to bring together an ensemble capable of playing dance music with an edge, leaving room for improvisational passages and an occasional humorous hint” - and they fully succeed on all three counts. A lot of the groove in the music comes from brilliant saxophone player Mikael Fleron, but the sound of the band is equally shaped by beat-oriented Motown drummer Heidi Luke and Jazz bassist Jens Kristian Andersen. Hence the music, while in essence always Nordic folk, wanders between traditional dances, exquisite jazz improvisations, folk rock and Motown percussion - music which is fun and won’t easily let the listener sit still.
© Michael Moll


Optur "Nordic Free Folk"
GO Danish Folk, 2022

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New Danish dance music from a quartet mixing fiddle and sax, drums and bass, in a way reminiscent of Habadekuk, Trolska Polska and a few other recent Scandinavian bands: this debut album is all material written by fiddler Søren Korshøj. Schottisches, polkas, hambos, waltzes and more flow from fiddle and sax with a solid beat and deep bass line. Jazz influence is clear on many tracks, while others are surprisingly traditional. For me, Mikael Fleron's sax is the most distinctive element of Optur's sound, carrying the melody often an octave or two below the fiddle. There are some troll-like vocals for which nobody puts their hand up, and Heidi Luke's contemporary percussion provides plenty of variety. Bassist Jens Kristian Andersen is far from an ugly duckling, always reliably there in the background, but he doesn't come out of his shell much.
The tunes are catchy, both new and familiar. Nørre Smidstrup Hambo is a charming melody with great rhythm, and Smilerynker is a close relative of a popular English dance tune. Sneschottish has that bleak Nordic edge, cold and threatening, while the band's namesake piece Optur is a playful punchy reel. Tågevalsen slows things down with a sweeping minor waltz. Pip Polka provides a complete contrast, its crisp staccato melody line hitting a rapid dance beat, before the final Klezmer frenzy of Hystaden ends this collection in a swirl of notes. Never a dull moment, Nordic Free Folk is full of fun and intensity, perfect party music with many pieces which will probably pass into the session and dance band repertoires very quickly. This CD will certainly go on the shortlist for my 2022 Top Ten!
© Alex Monaghan


Penny Pascal "An Evening in Warsaw"
GO Danish Folk, 2022

A most unusual release from a unique band. The Danish quartet Penny Pascal (Villads Hoffmann, Henriette Flach, Mathæus Bech and Thyge Van Dassen), who released a debut recording in 2019, played only their second live performance ever in the Warsaw Philharmonic's concert hall, by special invitation. The band wrote completely new music to be performed for the first and only time. The music is in two 'movements' with the first based on traditional Danish dances and the second ranging across contemporary folk styles. Recording was on a "portable device" during the rehearsal, so any unusual characteristics or interjections are entirely authentic!
This is cracking music, whatever the rationale and recording set-up. Two fiddles, cittern and bass rock out great dance tunes in a very accessible style. Depending what you're used to, you might compare this to the Kinnaris Quintet, or the Poozies, or Boys of the Lough, or even Bellowhead in gentler mood. Polkas, hopsas, waltzes and more make up the first track, really hitting the high points of Danish dance forms. The second track is shorter, contemplative, opening with a virtuoso extemporisation on cittern, before the fiddles get nicely jiggy. Slowing right down, bass and violins execute a stately march. The piece ends on a celebratory contemporary reel, a bit jazzy, with a few surprises at the end. Marvellous one-off magic - only available as a download currently - check it out!
© Alex Monaghan


Spöket i Köket "Kurbits and Flames"
Own label (Folkshop.dk), 2022

Artist Video

www.spoketikoket.com

This inspiring folk big band from Sweden has been touring Northern and Western Europe since 2015, and this is their third album. With ten band members, the sound of Spöket i Köket is BIG - featuring guitars/mandolin, hurdy-gurdy/bagpipes/flutes, violin, melodeon, piano/organ, bass and a four-piece brass section (trumpet, trombone, tenor sax/clarinet and baritone and alto sax). The band’s name translates to the ghost in the kitchen – very topical at the time of writing this review on Halloween night.
According to the sleeve notes, the band considers that the music “revolved around a vague red threat of Nordic and Canadian folk music tradition” - as far as I can see the tunes are principally Nordic but the music appears to take a lot of inspiration from the brilliant Canadian big band La Bottine Souriante. As well as taking a bit from styles as diverse as Jazz, big band, heavy metal and trad. There is a free wildness and joy in this music, it is very danceable, with exciting and rich arrangements and ideas - it’s music that makes you tap your foot along to or make you get up and dance, and certainly makes you smile. What more is there to say then to just enjoy the powerful force that is this Ghost in the kitchen.
© Michael Moll


Spöket i Köket "Kurbits & Flames"
Own label (Folkshop.dk), 2022

Artist Video

www.spoketikoket.com

A ten-piece band from Scandinavia, Spöket i Köket deliver a third album full of dynamite blasts of traditional Swedish tunes, grabbed by the meatballs and morphed into modern dance music. Kurbits & Flames will appeal to bal folk fans, blues and soul seekers, shufflers and clubbers from Canada to Cap Verde: it certainly gets my arctic seal of approval! The title combines two ways to pimp your ride - the traditional flower-painting of Swedish design, and the hot-rod flames of 1950s America - which inspire Nisse Blomster's arrangements of polskas, waltzes, marches, polkas and more. Much of this recording is relaxed and soothing, and then the next piece hits you between the eyes like an open tin of surströmming.
Fiddle and melodeon, trumpet and sax, flute, hurdy-gurdy, trombone and piano, not forgetting guitar, bass and even banjo - Spöket i Köket cover a spectrum from New Orleans to Nizhny Novgorod, Kingston to Kiruna. The oriental cadences of Polska från Medelpad, the jazzy mayhem of Polkett efter Wingen, the subtler harmonies of Vals efter Erlandsson are all a delight for dancers and listeners alike. Vocals on one or two tracks maintain this band’s reputation for singing in a style akin to a punk shanty band, if there is such a thing - what they lack in finesse they make up for with enthusiasm. The final fantastic Shuffle Bonanza proves that there are at least 2001 ways to play a Swedish dance tune, all of them strangely satisfying. The CD cover is amazing too! Check out Kurbits & Flames - I guarantee you don't know what you're missing.
© Alex Monaghan


Symbio "Endeavour"
Gammalthea, 2022

Artist Video

www.symbiomusic.com

A third album from Swedish accordion and hurdy-gurdy experimenters, Endeavour exhibits both the adventure of Captain Cook and the mystery of Inspector Morse who was named for Cook's ship. Accordionist LarsEmil Öjeberget and hurdy-gurdy wielder Johannes Geworkian Hellman are both supremely accomplished on their instruments, lending their music a very polished and almost classical character. This recording moves a little further from traditional melodies, and ventures close to trance and techno and electronica although it is all done with piano accordion and its distant cousin the hurdy-gurdy, plus some pounding on a kick-box.
In eight new compositions, Symbio presents a range of emotions from the joy of Reminiscence to the foreboding of Genom Mörker, the generosity of Amnesty to the relaxation of Lucid Dreams. These moods are enhanced by electronic effects at times, giving the impression of electro-acoustic instruments on many tracks, but the distortions and manipulations are never jarring. In fact, for all its rich variety of rhythms and textures, Endeavour is surprisingly smooth, almost easy listening, more rounded than the French or English gurdy and accordion sounds we are used to. The buzz of the wheel and the beat of the reeds are still there, but the music transcends the physical instruments somehow, leaving an almost ethereal impression - well worth a listen.
© Alex Monaghan


Garizim "Moments In Between"
Own Label (Digital Only), 2022

www.garizimtrio.com

This Swedish trio of hurdy-gurdy, saxophones and upright bass is innovating within and around traditional music. Their debut album was uniquely fascinating, and this follow-up EP is similarly fresh and unexpected. Recorded back in 2018 but delayed by COVID, Moments In Between takes an almost mathematical approach to composition and arrangements which makes the breaks with accepted forms even more striking. Dropped beats, blurred harmonies and blue notes decorate an otherwise geometric landscape on Shabash! The almost mystical nebula of What Thoughts are Made Of relies on the melody for rhythm in a way which is very Scandinavian. The title track contrasts the frenetic activity of daily life with occasional lacunae of calm, buzzing from Johannes Geworkian Hellman's gurdy briefly curtailed. The opening track is energetic and jazzy, moody sax from Elias Frigård over fancy fingering by Jordi Carrasco Hjelm on bass, with that constant buzz in the background. The final Stories from the End is more surreal, a stark soundscape of bowed bass and high whistling sax, droning hurdy-gurdy and muddy tenor melody as the seagulls cry over a deserted shoreline, fading to black, with only the wind moaning in the night. Spooky.
© Alex Monaghan


Enkel "Love hurts"
Own label, 2022

Article: Enkel

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www.enkelband.com

Four young ladies make up this traditional Finnish band. With the motto “Tradition forever!”, Enkel’s music stays close to Finish traditions, played with brilliance, wit and humour. The quartet features two melodeons, a kantele and a viola - an unusual four-piece combination. The band give space to each instrument and player to shine. While predominantly an instrumental band, there are some beautiful songs in the mix, as well as voices being very effectively used at times as additional “instruments”. “Love hurts” is the third Enkel album since they started performing in 2014.
This is an album full of joy, the playing is filled with the passion and fun of the four musicians, traditional yet fresh and up to date.
© Michael Moll


Enkel "Love Hurts"
Nordic Notes, 2022

Article: Enkel

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Artist Video

www.enkelband.com

There are so many excellent things about this album. The material is extremely well chosen, a mix of excitement and emotion, pathos and catharsis, fast and slow pieces - sometimes all at once. Arrangements are another stand-out feature of Love Hurts - it all seems so natural, so obvious, but the complex interweaving of four or more musical lines and the perfect timing of breaks and switches in tone and tempo are truly exceptional. Enkel's vision, the way they put their own stamp on this music, and the instantly recognisable character of their pieces, is simply amazing for relative newcomers. The instrumental skill of this quartet goes without saying, and is pretty much table stakes for a Nordic album, but if there were a prize for most inventive use of vocals on a traditional album it would definitely go to Enkel!
Age is almost irrelevant in folk recordings these days, with Dwight Lamb or the late Joe Derrane at one end of the spectrum, and the likes of Irish Millie, Ridge Roberts, The Carter Girls, The Byrne Brothers and many more whippersnappers at the younger end. The fact that these four ladies are on their third album and probably only in their early twenties, an age where most of our best folk musicians are still finding their feet, is not the most striking thing about this group. The fact that they can hold their heads up alongside any of the more established and travel-worn stars of European folk music is much more remarkable for musicians from an underrepresented tradition who have only just begun to take their place on the global stage.
Love Hurts eases us gently into Enkel's world of punchy polkas and sassy snatches of song with Etkot Sussulla, a traditional mouth-music verse set in a catchy melody by melodeonist Leija Lautamaja. Irti Maasta, one of only three full-length songs here, is slow and powerful, beautifully sung and elaborated on kantele by Maija Pokela whose fascinating instrument also features on a set of polkas. The title track, traditional polskas and another snatch of song, brings Iida Savolainen's fiddle to the fore, backed by twin melodeons and husky vocals (the sensual kind, not the sledge kind). Maija's beautiful waltz Kilon Päivät is high and sweet, earthy and compelling. Miia Palomäki adds another melodeon, giving delightful depth and subtlety to dance music and slower tracks, and also contributes to those wonderful vocal moments. The whole album is split between old Finnish gems and shiny new treasures written by band members, all cut and polished to perfection. The sleeve notes (bright pink, and opening out to make a poster of course) are detailed and bilingual Finnish/English, which is very helpful! This album, like their previous one in 2018, puts Enkel on my annual Top Ten shortlist.
© Alex Monaghan


Ellie Gowers "Dwelling by the weir"
Gillywisky Records, 2022

Artist Audio

Artist Video

www.elliegowersmusic.com

This young singer/songwriter from Warwickshire (England) proves with her debut album her outstanding talent in both writing meaningful songs with beautiful lyrics, and performing them in her very own intimate style.
The songs are usually inspired by places and stories from her region, giving the album a distinctive and local theme. The most outstanding example of Ellie‘s talents is „A letter to the dead husband of Mary Ball“. Mary Ball was the last person to be hanged in the city of Coventry in 1849, having poisoned her husband, following a violent and unhappy marriage. In the song, Ellie imagines, in deeply moving lyrics, Mary Ball‘s perspective of the story. Her emotional and powerful interpretation of her song is most impressive - while on the album the song features some instrumentation, in live she tends to sing this song unaccompanied. Chillingly beautiful.
There are no weak songs on the album - be it songs telling the story of the last ribbon weaver, the „woman of the waterways“ working on a canal boat, the life story of an old horse having been abused amongst previous owners, or her reflections on nature being demolished to build HS2 high speed rail line, Ellie always puts the topical storylines into catchy and moving lyrics. Many of the songs, despite about historic events, have huge resonance for today; for example the song „Brightest Moon“ tells the story of how, during the destruction of Coventry during the Blitz, families who fled the city were taken in by kind strangers – acting now as a timely plea for our countries to give refugees a similarly warm welcome. Quick shout out also to the beautiful artwork by Nina Bailey which makes it even more worth the while to have a hard copy CD.
Already with her debut, Ellie Gowers has proven that she is one of the outstanding singer/ songwriters out there.
© Michael Moll


Ruth Keggin & Rachel Hair "Lossan"
March Hair Records, 2022

Artist Audio

Artist Video

www.ruthkeggin.com
www.rachelhair.com

Music from the Isle of Man is relatively rarely heard on the British folk scene, and even less so Manx Gaelic song (I have to admit that I hadn’t even known before this album that there is such things as a Manx Gaelic singer out there). Ruth Keggin is apparently one of the leading Manx Gaelic singers, with a beautfiful voice and a classical singing style. On this album she has joined forces with Scottish harpist Rachel Hair. The two young women present a charming collection of traditional Manx songs as well as newly written songs by composers from the Isle of Man. Beautifully arranged, this is rather spellbinding, gentle and warm music and song.
© Michael Moll


Michel Terlinck "Analogia"
Own label, 2022

Artist Video

www.michelterlinck.com

This album celebrates the unique sounds of the dulcimer. It is, 25 years since his debut, only the second album of Michel Terlinck - a Belgian instrument builder, piano tuner and restaurateur, composer, musician and, in his website’s words, “purist”. Now his description as a “purist” does not fully chime with this album which playfully experiments with different music styles played on the plucked dulcimer, aiming to take the dulcimer “out of purely traditional or folk music without forgetting it’s musical roots”.
The music is a mix of Michel’s own compositions and other music that inspired him. Not only the complex sounds of the dulcimer, but also the melodies often transports the listener to medieval times. Michel plays four different dulcimers on the album, each self-built and with a different sound. Solo dulcimer is alternating with ensemble playing with the guest musicians bringing new aspects to the music - such as ba?lama and Turkish percussion or dulcimer duets. The result is a powerful and harmonic blend of trad, world, classical and early years music, all focussed on the beautiful sounds of the dulcimer.
© Michael Moll


Kroke "Loud Silence"
Oriente Music, 2022

Article: Kroke

www.kroke.pl

Celebrating in 2022 its 30th Band anniversary, Kroke has established itself with its distinctive and charismatic music a unique place in the world music and Klezmer scenes. While Klezmer is the root and inspiration of the Polish trio, the music takes the listening much further into a wide world of music ideas, influenced by different music traditions and contemporary styles.
Kroke features accordion (Jerzy Bawo), double bass (Tomasz Lato) and violin/viola/flute/percussion (Tomasz Kukurba). The three musicians are masters in improvisation, and create in their music a unique blend of tension, excitement, avantgarde and fun. The description on Kroke’s website describes Kroke’s music very well: "We are klezmer, that’s why we mainly improvise, constantly looking for something new, also in ourselves. Improvisation is a gate through which the worlds of our souls go straight to those who want to explore these worlds."
Exciting music which demands the attention and emotionally touches the listener.
© Michael Moll


Spontus "La Dance Est Enivrante"
Klam Records, 2022

Spontus are an innovative four piece Breton Fest Noz band. Breton traditional counter-singing is at the core of the album; however, the arrangements of these songs is often less usual - particularly electric guitar and bass create a modern and innovative backdrop, together with the more traditional sounds of accordion and violin. This is already their sixth album, and Spontus has established itself an essential place in the Breton dance and music scene. A great album that showcases that music played for dance can be, if arranged like this, equally exciting just to listen to.
© Michael Moll



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