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Thread: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

  1. #1

    Default Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    I’m a huge fan of Irish/Scottish/Asturian folk music, grew up listening to it/playing it. Recently someone suggested I might like some Swedish/Finnish folk music. I’ve never heard it but would really like some suggestions if anyone has any!

    Cheers,
    Derp

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Vasen from Sweden

    David A. Gordon

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    Registered User DougC's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Thanks Dagger for that fine gift of music. Vassen is just amazing.

    Here is another tune from a less well known band and it shows how a mandolin fits into the mix.


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    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Finnish mandolin is heavily influenced by Heikki Lahti.



    More modern is Jarmo Romppanen -



    And for a good Finnish band there's Frigg-

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    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Finland:
    Ottopasuuna
    JPP
    Maria Kalaniemi
    Helsinki Mandoliners (mandolin trio)
    Värtinnä
    Gjallarhorn
    Tallari
    Jarmo Rompanen (mandolin player)
    Heikki Lahti (mandolin player, RIP)

    Sweden:
    Frifrot
    Groupa
    Väsen
    Nordan (Ale Möller, Lena Willemark)
    Hendningarna
    Garmarna
    Bäsk
    Den Fule

    Norway:
    Annbjørg Lien
    Bukkene Bruse
    Ånon Egelund

    Denmark:
    Himmerland
    Lars Lillholt Band
    Baldrian
    Rasmus (Rasmus Storm)

    Once you start calling these names up on YouTube, there will plenty more groups/artists (younger ones) that will show up on the autoplay list.

    Niles H.

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Magnus Zetterlund is a very good Swedish mandolin player. I enjoy his Nordic trio line-up.
    http://www.magnuszetterlund.com/

    I've always liked their 2009 performance at Urkult Festival. Great atmosphere they get going.

    David A. Gordon

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    And since it's nearly Christmas, you might enjoy this thread which features some of the top Swedish players and singers doing Christmas music. It's full of really lovely performances.

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...hlight=folkton
    David A. Gordon

  12. #8

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    There's also a deep well of trad fiddling - similar to that in the Isles. This is the well I particularly fell into, having a similar background as you in Irish/Scots trad. For me it's a particularly alluring form combining many of my favorite elements - all on one fiddle

  13. #9

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Just using the search word nyckelharpa gets you a lot of good stuff, whether on youtube or spotify or whatever.

    /Magnus

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    I suppose that Vasen, Frifot and Ale Moller's varied work first got me interested in Nordic music (*and big mandolins)...actually, before that, Manfred Eicher and ECM. Subsequently I became more interested in the older trad, polska, drones, percussion..

    Here's a short article on Finnish folk, albeit from an accordion perspective. https://fmq.fi/articles/do-not-dance...ions-burn-them

    The article mentions that trad fiddling has not regained its popularity (while the accordion, and of course newer folk forms, have). I'm a bit of an archeologist or anachronist I guess, as it's the old forms and old instruments that I like. For example I traded my big mandolins for oud.

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Here is another of my favorite Swedish music videos. Gabi and Jamie really know their 'give and take' in ensemble arrangements.

    Actually I started on fiddle, playing Scandinavian music at the Spelmanslag at the Minneapolis Swedish Institute back in the early 1990's. (click the link for some nice audio recordings,)

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  18. #12

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Brilliant, I’ll have a listen to all your recommendations over the holidays.
    Thanks very much for getting back to me!

  19. #13

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    I wonder about that - the Ilkka Kolehmainen piece. If folk revival stuff was as "popular" as they say it once was, isn't it just as so now? Or are they conflating modernity, rock, EDM et al with the "demise" of folk music. Yes people move to cities and and a different economy and grow old and have varied taste and access; but does "gentrification" apply here? Matter of perspective I guess. I believe
    the remnants of our ancestry plays into our lives, perhaps in ways we aren't aware..

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Oskar Reuter is a great musician from Sweden, plays guitar, nyckelharpa and mandolin, check him (and his bands) out:

    https://youtu.be/UeVO_eTdxlw

    https://youtu.be/8Ycfo3Biyn8

    https://www.oskarreuter.com/bands-25219377

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Traditional music is in good hands if this band is any indication. The only difference is that this generation removes their shoes!

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by Magnus Geijer View Post
    Just using the search word nyckelharpa gets you a lot of good stuff, whether on youtube or spotify or whatever.

    /Magnus
    Yes for Swedish. Try hardingfele or hardanger fiddle for one regional style of Norwegian music. HFAA in US has lots of information on the instrument.
    Jim

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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Julia Frölich is one of my favorite people to listen to on YouTube. There's no new videos of her, but from 2017 and before there's a bunch of videos of her playing nyckelharpa, fiddle and guitar.
    Also on my YouTube channel I have a playlist called "Favorites - Nordic/Scandinavian that you can check out, it's got a lot of great videos
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  25. #18

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by DougC View Post

    Actually I started on fiddle, playing Scandinavian music at the Spelmanslag at the Minneapolis Swedish Institute back in the early 1990's. (click the link for some nice audio recordings,)
    I started on fiddle with the ASI Spelmanslag too, back around the turn of the century. I got interested when so many of the groups mentioned above used to converge on Minneapolis for the late, great Nordic Roots Festival.

    A lot of Swedish tunes are meant for dancing. This is my favorite slängpolska performance (with Magnus Zetterlund playing accompaniment).




    And a fun halling (Norwegian dance known in Sweden as well) from the Väsen 30-year anniversary concert.



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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    That's a beautiful polska performance.

    Here's another Halling rhythm - Norwegian hardingfele - similar melody to the one above


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  29. #20

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Here is Ale Carr somehow magically transporting fiddle styling to the solo cittern:




    Check out anything by the duo Hazelius/Hedin on YouTube. Esbjörn Hazelius plays the cittern and Johan Hedin plays nyckelharpa.



    Daniel Fredriksson is an exponent of the Nordic låtmandola, but he plays mandora in this piece.


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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation


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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    I love this duo, Rydvall / Mjelva on nyckelharpa and hardanger fiddle.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxK9...0lbFOg&index=1
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  34. #23
    Peace. Love. Mandolin. Gelsenbury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by Trubadur View Post
    Here is Ale Carr somehow magically transporting fiddle styling to the solo cittern:
    I'm a big fan of Ale Carr's band Basco. Their recordings are their own contemporary acoustic compositions, but I've seen them play traditional folk too.

  35. #24

    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by derp View Post
    I’m a huge fan of Irish/Scottish/Asturian folk music, grew up listening to it/playing it. Recently someone suggested I might like some Swedish/Finnish folk music. I’ve never heard it but would really like some suggestions if anyone has any!

    Cheers,
    Derp
    Old post but saw it just now. I wonder that no one has mentioned Petri Hakala and Seppo Sillanpää.

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  37. #25
    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Nordic/Finnish/Swedish folk music recommendation


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