Tag Archives: Nordic music

Drones & Bellows’ Bothwell

I consider Brian McNeill to be one of the finest musicians ever. And now it turns out that he’s a truly great producer too! Bothwell, the second CD by Danish group Drones & Bellows was produced by Brian and bears … Continue reading

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Benedicte Maurseth’s Hárr

It’s doubly true that Benedicte Maurseth is a Hardanger fiddler. She plays the Hardanger fiddle, and she is from the western Norwegian district of Hardanger. Her latest album Hárr is an homage to the wildlife and mountain people of her … Continue reading

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Slagr’s Linde

I last covered the music of the Norwegian trio Slagr on the occasion of their 2015 Ozella release Short Stories. Here’s what I said in the opening paragraph of that review: Slagr was founded in 2003 by hardanger fiddler Anne … Continue reading

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Annbjørg Lien’s Janus

Janus was the Roman god of beginnings, transitions, and endings, and that’s just what was on Annbjørg Lien’s heart when she prepared this album. As she says in the liner notes of this package of lovely words, pictures and music, … Continue reading

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Les Ross Sr.’s Hulivili Huuliharppu/Rollicking Harmonica

Judith Gennett wrote this review. Les Ross is a retired accountant from Marquette, Michigan who plays harmonica in traditional Finnish-American lumberjack style. This album was made when Ross was in his mid-seventies, but the playing is as wonderful and young … Continue reading

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Helge Lien Trio’s Revisited

Norwegian pianist Helge Lien’s jazz trio has undergone major changes in the past couple of years, losing bassist Frode Berg after 2017’s superb Guzuguzu and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen (after 2019’s 10). So Lien found himself improvising even more than … Continue reading

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Gary’s favorite jazz and world music of 2021

This year my listening in jazz and international music leaned even further into modern jazz and Nordic noir. The album I listened to the most was actually from 2019: I was late in discovering Bedehus & Hawaii by Norwegian guitarist … Continue reading

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André Ferrari and Olov Johansson’s In Beat Ween Rhythm

Olov Johansson and André Ferrari have performed and recorded together many times over the years, mostly as members of the Swedish folk band Väsen. For much of its existence since 1989 Väsen consisted of Johansson on nyckelharpa, Mikael Marin on … Continue reading

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Frode Haltli’s Avant Folk II

I’ve been enamored of the music of Norwegian accordionist Frode Haltli since he appeared as one third of the Snowflake Trio at Celtic Colours International Festival in 2013. In that group he, Irish flautist and singer Nuala Kennedy, and Norwegian … Continue reading

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Ilkka Heinonen Trio’s Lohtu (Solace)

Finnish musician and composer Ilkka Heinonen plays the jouhikko, a bowed version of the kantele, a box lyre or zither common in Karelian dance music of Finland and Russia. In this album Lohtu (Solace) he has made a recording that … Continue reading

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