Tag Archives: Nordic music

Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester’s Rundsnurrknurr


Rundsnurrknurr is pure musical fun. The music of Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester is based on Norwegian folk dance music, but the proclivities and unbounded creativity of the four multi-talented players take it in too many wild directions to count. This … Continue reading

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Gangar’s Brobakken

The Norwegian folk (hard-) rock band Gangar, one of my current favorites, has a new single out, to keep their worldwide fans happy while they’re touring Australia. “Brobakken” is an instrumental reinlender (what the Norwegians call a schottisch) after the fiddling … Continue reading

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Nils Økland Band’s Gjenskinn

The advance for Gjenskinn arrived on a Friday in mid-February and I spent most of the weekend listening to it on repeat. It’s music that perfectly complements things like taking a rainy walk on a cold February day. This is … Continue reading

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Väsen and Hawktail in concert

OK, so I haven’t been paying close attention, but I signed on to go see Väsen and Hawktail on a damp February night in Oregon. Because I’ll pretty much always go see the contemporary Swedish roots musicians of Väsen when … Continue reading

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Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s Ville Blomster

This trio’s first studio album opens with what could be a classical solo piano piece, a lilting parlor waltz with a hint of jazz in a couple of blue chords. But over its five minutes it slowly opens up into … Continue reading

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Marthe Lea Band’s Herlighetens Vei

Stretching jazz in different directions is a common goal of the members of the Marthe Lea Band, and this Norway-based quintet certainly does just that on its sophomore date Herlighetens Vei. With sounds and influences as wide-ranging as Ugandan and … Continue reading

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Naaljos Ljom’s 2

Cutting edge electro-acoustic Nordic folk is as close as I can come to putting the music of Naaljos Ljom in a category. But why categorize, why not just listen? “Microtonal folk music mixed with electronics and noise” is the description … Continue reading

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A year-end 2023 World Roots music omnibus review: Sigrid Moldestad’s Breim, Alba Careta and Henrio’s Càntut, Johanna Juhola’s A Brighter Future, Madera Viva Trío’s Senderos, and Los Ruphay’s The Three Seasons Of The Andes

Sigrid Moldestad’s Breim Acclaimed Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid Moldestad’s sixth album on Grappa, seventh overall, is something different: Breim is a deep dive into her cultural heritage. And rather than playing and singing her own songs, she focuses this … Continue reading

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Knut Kjøk and Dag Gården’s Frå Folk Te’ Folk

2L is a relatively new label from Norway started by engineer Morten Lindberg. With around a dozen releases to date, the company is off to a fine start based on the two CDs I have in my hand. The one … Continue reading

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Trond Kallevåg’s Amerikabåten

Norwegian guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg’s Amerikabåten is one of my favorite albums of 2023 – and of this still young though momentous decade. It’s his third as a leader on Hubro, following his acclaimed 2019 debut Bedehus & Hawaii, … Continue reading

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