Rough Guide to Scandinavia [Enhanced]

Amazon.com
These 22 tracks offer an excellent introduction to some of the more progressive folk musicians from the contemporary Nordic music scene. Most selections come from Finland, Norway, and Sweden, but there are also tunes from Iceland, Greenland, Denmark, and Samiland (Lapland). One of the hallmarks of Scandinavian folk music is a reverence for tradition coupled with a need to innovate, and bands such as Vasen, who mix the sound of the nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) with jazzy rhythms, or Varttina, who have created a unique sound with a quartet of singers backed by six instrumentalists, are the norm and not the exception. Other performers on this CD include JPP, a group of Finnish fiddlers from the village of Jarvela, where practically every resident plays the violin; Wimme, who improvises a joik (an ancient form of Sami song) to the accompaniment of synthesized drum beats and loops; and the Swedish group Garmarna, who play medieval ballads backed with modern electric instrumentation. --Michael Simmons

Tracks:

Ahma (Finland) - Maria Kalaniemi & Aldargaz
Halling Jaron (Sweden) - Garmarna
Irianda (Norway) - Annbjorg Lien
I Denna Ljuva Sommartid (Sweden) - Frifot
Summer Night Twist (Finland) - Troka
2 Sostre (Denmark) - Sorten Muld
Det Var En Gong En Halling (Norway) - Yggdrasil
M. Nykanen (Sweden) - Vasen
Antin Mikko (Finland) - JPP
Skinfakse (Norway) - Hege Rimestad
Oainnahus (Samiland) - Wimme
Kivutar (Finland) - Varttina
Tramp (Norway) - Knut Reiersrud
Aidin Sateenkaari (Finland) - Tallari
Himlen Faller (Sweden) - Lena Willemark
Ei Musta (Finland) - Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Vattenlek (Sweden) - Johan Hedin/Harald Pettersson
Karitti (Finland) - Leena Joutsenlahti
Forshyttan (Sweden) - Hedningarna
Saqisaaq (Greenland) - Louis Andreasen
Faut-Marits Polska (Norway) - Chateau Neuf Spelemannslag
Lofsongur (Icelandic National Anthem) - The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra

Amazon.com

These 22 tracks offer an excellent introduction to some of the more progressive folk musicians from the contemporary Nordic music scene. Most selections come from Finland, Norway, and Sweden, but there are also tunes from Iceland, Greenland, Denmark, and Samiland (Lapland). One of the hallmarks of Scandinavian folk music is a reverence for tradition coupled with a need to innovate, and bands such as Vasen, who mix the sound of the nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) with jazzy rhythms, or Varttina, who have created a unique sound with a quartet of singers backed by six instrumentalists, are the norm and not the exception. Other performers on this CD include JPP, a group of Finnish fiddlers from the village of Jarvela, where practically every resident plays the violin; Wimme, who improvises a joik (an ancient form of Sami song) to the accompaniment of synthesized drum beats and loops; and the Swedish group Garmarna, who play medieval ballads backed with modern electric instrumentation. --Michael Simmons

Album Description

This Rough Guide is a remarkable overview of musics springing from Nordic roots. Sample the rich fiddle traditions of Sweden, the bold experimentation of Finnish musicians and the ethereal charm of Lapland's Sami joik.

Artists include: Lena Willemark, Hedningarna, Leena Joutsenlahti, JPP, Louis Andreasen, Varttina, Sorten Muld and Knut Reiersrud

Customer Reviews:

A tour de force of Scandinavian music, both new and old!.......2003-05-25

Lively, mysterious, fascinating, funky and pleasantly unusual--these are just some of the words that come to mind for this widely-varied collection of Nordic Music. Pop and folk artists from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Samiland, Greenland and Iceland are showcased, and most of their numbers feature traditional instruments such as nyckelharpa, kantele and hardanger fiddle. The first half of the album is a rich, stirring sequence of folk-influenced numbers heavily colored by modern instrumentations and sensibilities. These selections then give way to more unapologetically traditional offerings. My favorite songs have to be Sorten Muld's "2 Sostre" (a spooky, funky take on the dark ballad of "The Two Sisters") and "Tramp" (a great neo-traditional composition by guitarist Knut Reiersrud and organist Iver Kleive that is reminiscent of the work of the Paul Winter Consort). If you enjoy this "Rough Guide" CD, you'll also like the nicely-priced "Nordic Roots" series of samplers put out by NorthSide, featuring some of the same artists.

A Swede Disk from Start to Finnish.......2000-07-30

Punning aside, this truly is a superb compilation highlighting the best of current folk music from Northern Europe. Because their music scenes are the most vibrant, Sweden, Norway, and Finland get the primary emphases (with one tune each for Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and Lapland).

The Scandies don't insist on roots purity, so you get electronic, Celtic, and even African overtones and intertwinings on various tracks. All of the music is captivating; much is danceable. Unless you've got relatives from these parts, live there currently, or are yourself an expatriot, it's improbable that you'll be able to imagine the zest, the drive, or the diversity of this CD. My grandfather was a Copenhagen lad, and I loved the Danish track; but I also loved the whole album, chosen once again with care by the Rough Guide folks (no longer just Phil Stanton) so that you'll want to listen repeatedly. This emphatically is NOT a Smithsonian field recording: this is living, bopping, transcendent stuff with a beat, a poignance, and a soul-stirring beauty. Explore: buy it, listen, and seek out those groups whose grooves impress you most. It's a Brave New World!

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