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2 Synnøve S. Bjørset Slåttar (Ta:lik 2 Halogeeni Alehinin Puolustus (Sibelius
TA77CD) Played with energising drive and Academy PELI-006) Honest, unpretentious,
strong, ringing tone on solo hardingfele by appealing and beautifully typical Ostroboth-
Majorstuen member Bjørset in the airy acous- nian music with a chugging melodeon, har-
tic of a church in her birthplace Jølster, 18 monium and mandolin polkka rhythm from
tunes from around there and from Valdres to Kokkola trio featuring simple, just-right vocals
the south-east, including classics Fanitullen from Anne-Mari and Matti Hakamäki. A great
and Tomasklokkene.
www.talik.no example of the nature and charm of the
2 Steve Homes The Silk Road (own label
ongoing local tradition, breathing the past
DS101) If the lyricism and drama of flamenco
and present absolutely naturally without pose
guitar are what you’re after, this fits the bill –
or archivism.
www.halogeenitheband.net
and more. London-based Homes combines 2 Balkansemblet Curved Grooves (Etnisk
stunning technique with sensitivity on a set Musikklubb EM51) 1985-founded but recent-
of original compositions that bring out both ly revived Norwegian quintet play good-fun
the serenity and unsettling darkness of the splashy eastern-Balkan and klezmer inspired
genre, aided by light and subtle percussive instrumentals on clarinets, accordeon, guitar,
touches.
www.stevehomes.org bouzouki, bass and drums.
www.emcd.no
2 Christer Lundh Di Gamlaste Bidana 1 Månsson & Åberg Ålvdans (dB Produc-
(Nordic Tradition NTCD 13) Far less common tions dBCD127) Göran Månsson’s flutes,
on the Nordic roots scenes than the UK: a col-
recorders and whistles, Sven Åberg’s baroque
lector and researcher of folk songs singing
and tune-lutes, joined by Månsson’s ex-Gjal-
them to his guitar accompaniment. Lundh
larhorn colleague, ace percussionist Petter
The albums – good (2), adequate (1) and
has been collecting southern Swedish songs
Berndalen, and occasionally Jonas Åkerlund
bad (@) – which didn’t get the full-length and ballads since 1962. Bagpipes, crumhorn,
on gut-strung violin. Very skilful playing and
treatment, contributed individually by a harp, recorder, clarinet etc. assist, but the
interaction in trad and original tunes, but
selection of our various reviewers cowering essence is his lived-in voice effectively convey-
short on memorable melodies. Distributor
under the cloak of collective anonymity. ing the stories.
www.nordictradition.com
Discovery:
www.discovery-records.com
2 Bill Frisell Disfarmer (Nonesuch 7559- 1 Snaarmaarwaar Snaarmaarwaar
1 Bill Evans & Megan Lynch Let’s Do
79930-8) There are only so many superlatives (Appel APR 1314) Belgian mandolin, mandola
Something… (Native & Fine 906-8) American
that one can heap on (loosely speaking) jazz and guitar trio. A tightly-played, gentle
acoustic duo, singing with fiddle and banjo/
guitarist Bill Frisell’s forays into the ghosts of acoustic sound, but since the tunes are all led
guitar and small supporting cast. Nicely per-
Americana, and this one – a set inspired by by picked short-sustain strings (except for a
formed, well recorded, but for some reason
the images of wartime rural photographer nothing-special vocal on Dance To Your
just fails to command attention. Maybe
Mike Disfarmer – deserves the lot. The usual Daddy – why that?), accompanied by more of
because it is mostly too slow a pace, or more
exemplary accompanying crew of Greg Leisz, the same, the melodies tend not to project or
likely that the lesser known songs deserve to
Jenny Scheinmann & Viktor Krauss are all in stick in the mind. The name does though.
stay that way.
www.nativeandfinerecords.com
attendance. ‘Sublime’ will do for starters.
www.snaarmaarwaar.be
1 Maramas Maramas (Bokbandet BB 48-0)
www.nonesuch-uk.com
2 Glima Tårån (NORCD 0981) A kind of
Swede Marie Selander and Azeri Aftab Taha-
2 Kimi Djabate Karam (Cumbancha CMB- Norwegian chamber folk trio of hardingfele,
mi trade vocals in material from, created in
CD-12) A fine album from the Portugal-based viola or second hardingfele, and bowed or
and improvised around Swedish, Azeri and
griot from Guinea-Bissau. Contains a fine plucked cello – Torunn Raftevold Rue, Ragn-
Iranian traditions, accompanied by Cecilia
sense of melody with its breezy blend of hild Knudsen and Helene Waage – with ele-
Österholm’s nyckelharpa, Mats Einarsson’s
kora, balafon and acoustic guitar. Imagine a gantly sonorous arrangements of gangars,
bouzouki and Finnish bassist Tuomo Haapala.
lusophone Habib Koite and you won’t be far springars, hallings, listening, wedding and
Stronger in the idea and playing than in the
off.
www.cumbancha.com, song tunes largely from Telemark and the
vocal execution.
myspace.com/maramas
www.myspace.com/kimidjabate
west coast.
www.norcd.no
@ Angel Brothers Angel Brothers (Navi-
2
1 The Destroyers Out Of Babel (Destruc-
Ilona Korhonen Ensemble Tarkka Pää,
tion DEST002) Birmingham-based 15-piece
gator 18) Disappointing third album from
Tania Mieli (Ääniä AANIA-9) 16-member
playing a knockabout blend of Balkan, Celtic
Yorkshire’s Angels. Somehow their combina-
Finnish female vocal ensemble with trad-
and Latin American sounds. Perhaps their
tion of Indian, folk, global and film music just
influenced compositions based on the thou-
breakneck playing and theatricality work bet-
doesn’t seem to shine any more. www.navi-
sands of runo-song verses collected in the
ter live.
www.thedestroyers.co.uk
gatorrecords.co.uk, distributed by Proper.
20th century from Ingrian Larin Paraske.
1 Various The Rough Guide To
Strongly sung, impressive arrangements and
1 Gina Le Faux In My Life (Lefaux Music
Merengue Dance (World Music Network
solos, in some ways a parallel to the Bulgari-
LFM006) A fine fiddler reinvents herself as a
RGNET1229CD) Merengue típico veterans
an female folk choirs, but while the lyrics are
valiant but not wholly convincing singer-song-
Joseíto Mateo, Wilfrido Vargas, Johnny Ven-
traditional the melodies and arrangements
writer. Naive lyrics are redeemed by the instru-
tura, and Milly Quezada along with upstart
are all Korhonen’s.
www.aania.fi
mental talents on display and a notable ver-
youth crossing merengue with cumbia, reg-
1
sion of the traditional Kellswater with Martin
Gro Marie Svidal Hardingfele (Etnisk
Simpson, guitar, and Andy Cutting, melodeon.
gaetón, and jazz; a bonus disc surveys Carlitos
Musikklubb EM 30) 19 tunes, mostly from fid-
www.ginalefaux.com, distributed by Proper.
Almonte’s contemporary big-band
dlers in her native Jølster in the county of
merengue. Enhanced CD; booklet in English,
Sogn og Fjordane, on largely solo hard-
2 Lele Lele Lele Lele (DartBird DB001)
Spanish and French.
www.worldmusic.net
ingfele, from the young player who took the
Stockholm band of four Swedes and a Bulgar-
@ Kasba Darna (LC Music KA02) Kasba’s
title role in the Norwegian version of The Lit-
ian freely intertwining roots in Bulgarian and
homepage tells us that their sound mixes
tle Prince brought to London’s King’s Place
Indian musics on tambura, clarinet or sax, gui-
“North African music spices with western musi-
recently.
www.emcd.no
tar, sitar, tabla, tuba, and cheerfully approxi-
mate male vocals, with the sobbing clarinet
cal herbs into a great musical danceable dish”. and oompah tuba adding klezmer-like
But however exotic the group’s combination of
Bill Frisell
flavours in an entertainingly eccentric melt-
flavours might be, their new album just isn’t ing-pot.
www.lele-lele.se
very satisfying.
www.myspace.com/kasbamusic
2 Various Trades Roots – Live (Trades Club
1 Ralph McTell The Essential Ralph TR 001) Stupendous, seriously top-drawer col-
McTell (Metro Doubles METRDCD640) lection drawn from 18 months’ worth of recent
Although the Mr Nice Guy of progressive folk unforgettable moments at “the greatest little
remains active, this compilation revolves on gig venue in the north”, the Trades Club in
hits (largely merited) from the late 1960s. The Hebden Bridge. Gig organiser Steve Tilston
flexible voice, accomplished guitar playing leads off the parade of UK heroes (including
and love of the blues are equally in evidence. Gregson, Lowe, Morton, Robin Williamson,
www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk Steve Ashley, Wizz Jones) and visitors (Smither,
2 Various Chicago Blues – A Living His-
Fearing, Duck Baker).
www.tradesclub.info
tory (Raisin’ Music RM1003) An heroic @ Pablo Dacal Y La Orquesta De Salón La
attempt to reconstruct Chicago blues history Era Del Sonido (Ojo/ Galileo OJO001)
by reinterpreting 21 old classics using original Argentine singer-songwriter heads a 12-
recording equipment. Billy Boy Arnold, Lurrie member chamber group (guitar, tiple, strings,
Bell, John Primer and Billy Branch participate woodwinds, brass, percussion); original mate-
in a generally successful endeavour, backed rial, introspective, ironic, tart, and technically
by a more than adequate band. One of the competent – in all but the untutored, lugubri-
better contemporary blues CDs to be had. ous (and finally, insufferable) vocals.
www.chicagobluesalivinghistory.com www.galileo-mc.com, via Discovery in the UK.
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