Music from Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and places like that.18 responses total.
So. This is a recycled review from what I sent around at work. So... Sunday, however, was another kettle of fish. Ken Josenhans, he of the three thousand CDs, had spotted a notice that Ilgi was going to be performing in Kalamazoo at a Latvian Cultural Center. Road trip! So, sans our respective spouses (who aren't into Latvian folk-rock bands), we started out to Kalamazoo. It was a gorgeous day for a drive, and we managed to only get lost once, given that Cherry Hill Drive is an oddly divided street (one section is off the main road, but unmarked, then there's a house between it and the other section, which is marked, but isn't off the main road...), so we got there just as the concert was supposed to be starting. Luckily, the band was still setting up, so we got to sit down and settle in before the concert started. We noticed that we were probably two of the ten youngest people in the room, and that most of the crowd spoke Latvian rather than English (people kept talking to me, and when I'd answer them in English, they'd be surprised!) -- and it was a healthy crowd, maybe a hundred and twenty people? So. The band. We had a female singer slash fiddler, two percussionists (one with a "normal" drum kit, and one with bongos and a really cool chime set-up), one man on bass guitar, one on guitar and a kokle (which is related to the kantele of Finnish music), and the other a multi-instrumentalist -- kokle, accordion, something that sounded very like a Breton bombarde, and bagpipes. The three front-men also sang, but the percussion duo didn't. Ken told me that when they were in Detroit, the blond bass player did most of the talking, since he speaks English, but for this show, the woman spoke. In Latvian. Very fast Latvian. So even if I spoke Latvian, it would be hard to tell what she was saying! Before the show, we'd struck up a conversation with the women sitting behind us. Two of them were Latvian, orginally, one having emigrated some fifty years ago, and she told us some stories about her girlhood and what it was like. The other was a friend, who was also an "English" person. We were wondering what they'd make of the band -- they seemed surprised that anyone non-Latvian would have made the effort to come, and even more surprised when we said we were fans. The band played really well -- the sound system was a bit muddy, but it probably wasn't set up for loud music -- the songs and rhythms were just wonderful -- I felt as if I'd been transported into some kind of otherworld -- the harmonies and the interweaving of the various instruments were excellent. About ninety minutes later, the show was over, and we turned to ask the ladies behind us what they'd thought. "Awful! Terrible!" "Oh?" The older woman, the one who'd emigrated fifty years ago, said that the female singer was obviously not a native speaker, that she'd slurred things terribly, and ruined something that was supposed to be culturally interesting. Hmmm. We said. The other woman remarked that it had been too loud, that her friend had had to leave with a migraine, and that it was just "awful". Maybe if they hadn't had microphones? Ken remarked that it was too bad they hadn't enjoyed themselves, but that we had liked it. "Oh? So you must listen to Metallica too!" Uh. Noooo. Apparently the woman's son likes Metallica and she associates loud music with them. We just looked at each other, then said we were sorry they hadn't liked it. After, we spoke to the two English speakers in the band, briefly, and got autographs. Apparently the one member lives in Stockholm, since he was saying they were supposed to fly to the US for their tour on the 12th of September, and they weren't sure if they *could* fly at all for several days, but that, finally, about the 15th, he checked the airline's website and saw that they were re-instituting flights, but that there was only about half-an-hour's warning for the Riga members to get to the airport! So he called them, they made it, but it was apparently a scramble. Some clarifications -- Ilgi was supposed to be doing a US tour from about the 12th to now? But of course, with the events of Sept. 11, they were stuck in Europe for much of it, but they did make the Detroit festival of the Arts -- which, btw, Ken, you should review! and their shows in Chicago and K'zoo. The songs which I've heard on the two albums I've got are all traditional lyrics but jazzed up with more modern tunes/instrumentation. It sounds quite a bit like Hedningarna, if you've heard them...
120 Latvian-speakers at one concert? Is Kalamazoo a major US center of Latvian culture?
We were surprised too!
Those that appreciate Varttina and have access to a RealAudio client might want to check out a replay of BBC Radio 3's "Late Junction" program. They played 3 or 4 live tracks recorded this past Easter as part of the Nordic Nights international festival. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/latejunction.shtml then choose "Mon" under the "listen to the programme" ... Varttina starts right off with an inspired mini-set. There might be more smattered throughout the show; I'm still listening.
This series is running all week. Tuesday's Late Junction features the Finnish fiddle band JPP, and Wednesday features Swap, a mostly- instrumental band which is half British, half Swedish, with accordion, guitar and two fiddles.
Hedningarna: "Hedningarna 1989-2003" This new anthology has been a fun opportunity to revisit my favorite band of the 1990s. Hedningarna (The Heathens) began as a trio of Swedish multi-instrumentalists who put out an interesting, not too exotic album in 1989. For their next project, the band acquired two Finnish women, Sanna Kurkio-Suonio and Tellu, and launched themselves into the stratosphere with the album "Kaksi!" This new album was an end-to-end delight which enchanted me as few albums have ever done; I bought it in January 1993 and played it daily for about six months. Thundering percussion, folk melodies, sweet and harsh sounds on bagpipes, fiddle and electric lute; on half the tracks, the women sing vocal harmonies, sometimes sweet, sometimes with raw power reminiscent of the Bulgarian choral style. There's even an extended musical joke, an instrumental duel between electric lute and bagpipe set as a faux heavy-metal concert piece, with fake crowd noises. Hedningarna had one more near-perfect album in them, "Tra," with the same line up. It doesn't achieve the same end-to-end perfection that "Kaksi" did, but its high points may shine even more brightly. The song "Tuuli," which I think is about a wind spirit, remains magical, with its rolling percussion and whispered/loud song lines divided between the women and Wimme. Since 1994, the band has been interesting but less divine. Sanna and Tellu took maternity leave for a few years and the original band produced the "Hippjokk" album, all instrumental except for some contributions from Swedish singer Wimme, who mostly chants in the joik style. Sanna didn't come back; another Finnish woman joined for "Karelia Visa," a much quieter, more traditional-styled album exploring the music of the Karelia border region between Finland and Russia. And, on CD, that's been it. I got to see the band live in 2000 for two performances at Detroit Festival of the Arts. That lineup contained the original three instrumentalists plus a new fourth guy; the Finnish women singers were now Liisa and Anita, both known to me from other projects. The guys said they were working on a new all-instrumental album, but that never appeared. The two new tracks on "1989-2003" reflect a new permutation for the band. For the singers, Anita is out, and Tellu has come back. Wizard drummer Bjorn Tollin is gone, and it may take me a while to get used to his replacement. Still, they are promising work. As for the choices from the old albums: My two favorite songs from "Tra" are here, as are my favorites from the weaker albums "Hippjokk" and "Karelia Visa." I might have picked different songs from "Kaksi" but on that album every track is perfect, so it's a moot point. At a price of $12 at Borders, this 77-minute compilation by My Favorite Band of the 1990s is most highly recommended.
Ditto'd on nearly every point -- this compilation is a delight. (I think I have slightly different favorite tunes than Ken on Tra, perhaps, but...) I've managed to collar at least one other person into Hedningarna fanhood with it, too. :-)
My favorites are "Tuuli" and "Tina Vieri," what are Twila's?
I'll have to relisten to tell you. :-)
Noted, noted. What section would Borders shelve this in?
"World Music," subsection for Scandinavia. I don't think Borders tries to separate out the various Scandinavian countries. But didn't we find Hedningarna was too raucous for you when "Kaksi" first came out ten years ago, David? As long as we're mentioning Borders: they commonly stock the three "Nordic Roots" sampler CDs from the Northside label, for $6-$7 each. "Cheaper than Food," says the stickers. Northside is the label which releases Hedningarna in the USA, as well as about 95% of the other Scandinavian music currently being marketed here. http://www.noside.com
If I already have "Kaksi" and "Hipjokk" would I be better off buying "Tra" or this anthology? I hadn't realized that there was a third Nordic Roots sampler (nor that they'd gone up to the $6-7 range. I think the first two were $2.99 or $3.99 when I bought them..)
Mike would be better off buying "Tra," which is a wonderful album in its own right. Then the compilation would only offer him: one or two good songs from "Karelia Visa," and the two 2003 songs.
Tra rocks, but since I have all of their albums (except I think the first one, since it was all instrumental, and you *know* how I feel about that), I would probably say buy 'em all! :-)
Mostly for Twila - there's a new Ilgi CD, "Kaza Kaba Debesis." The website at http://www.ilgi.lv says there are sound samples, but I have not tried them yet.
Ooh, I remember seeing them live at the Detroit Festival of the Arts. Will there be a US release of the new Ilgi CD, or will I need to order it online?
I corresponded about this today with Cliff at http://www.cdroots.com , and Cliff expects to have copies of the new album in about three weeks. These would be copies of the Latvian import. I would not expect any widespread US distribution, though sometimes I do get surprised by what turns up at Borders.
I still haven't gotten the Hedningarna album, but reading that Varttina (along with an Indian Bollywood film composer) will be supplying the music for the Lord of the Rings musical scheduled to open in London next year or thenabouts, I decided to buy a Varttina album, and got the first one I saw, _Seleniko_. This was from when they were still doing folk music instead of mostly originals. Result: I instantly fell for what (I've subsequently learned) was the hit tune from this album, "Kyla Vuotti Uutta Kuuta", but found most of the rest rather ... grating. I went back to "Kyla ..." and played it about 25 times in a row, which is what I do when I really like a song. CDs can be wonderful things.
You have several choices: