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| D.
Dadafon Danu Dervish Disguise Dubliners |
E.
Ember |
F.
Fanfare Ciocarlia Fairport Convention Farmers Market Fía Na Roca Fliflet & Hamre Flukt Trio Fröjdö-Nyqvist-Särs |
Dadafon:
More pictures here (From Verden I Norden 2001) |
Balafon is a Norwegian quintet
flirting with African elements. Formed some years ago as Coloured Moods,
but changed the name to Dadafon when they released their debut album And
I can't Stand Still in 2001 at the label RIM Records. The name Dadafon,
is a mix of the balafon, a
- West African xylophone instrument, and dadaism - a naivistic avantgarde
art direction from the beginning of 20th century. They label their music
as improvised-pop and balafon-bop-hop. Whatever that means.
Kristin Asbjørnsen, the singer and frontfigur, have her background in several projects, Kvitretten (a female ac capella group), and Krøyt (a modern jazz band). She has also picked up a lot at her traveles in Mali and Ghana. She even performed with Rokia Traore once in 2000, at the Verden I Norden festival in Oslo. Kristins songstyle is unique, with a wide range, sometime she is husky, and sometime a her voice is clear and direct. The line up is heavy with two drummers/percursionists/balafonists, accoustic and electric guitar and a saxophonist/balafonist. All members have important roles, and brings in different styles and impulses to Balafon. The basic concept is modern, hard swinging jazz, with strong influences from rock. The songs is made of catchy melodilines and riffs. Most of the material is from Afro-american spirituals and from traditional West African music. And the balafones is an important part of the soundscape. I consider it as music for modern society. Listening to Dadafon is a strong experience. It struck me after three songs - I am tempted to play it over and over, loud! But this might end the magic, you might end up full of it, not wanting more. Don't get me wrong, it is good, it is new, and it is brilliant, but you might overeat. |
| Danu attended The Førde Festival 2002. Here is some pictures and a review. | |
| Dervish: | The Derwish site. |
| Disguise: | Have a look at:
Disguise (Germany) at Førde Internasjonal Folkemusikkfestival 2003 (pictures and review). Disguise Homepage (in german) |
| Dubliners: | Dubliners site. Description: The Dubliners Fanpages: News, Tourinfo, Discography, Soundclips, History, Photos and more! |
| D.
Dadafon Danu Dervish Disguise Dubliners |
E.
Ember |
F.
Fanfare Ciocarlia Fairport Convention Farmers Market Fía na Roca Fliflet & Hamre Flukt Trio Fröjdö-Nyqvist-Särs |
| Celtic duo performing in ballad style.
Homepage |
| D.
Dadafon Danu Dervish Disguise Dubliners |
E.
Ember |
F.
Fanfare Ciocarlia Fairport Convention Farmers Market Fía na Roca Fliflet & Hamre Flukt Trio Fröjdö-Nyqvist-Särs |
| Fairport Convention: | The English group Farpoit
Convention has been going on since 1967, with different line-ups. They
where formed in London in 1966 by Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol, Richard
Thompson, Martin Lamble, Ian Matthews and Judy Dyble as the The Muswell
Hillbillies. At first they where a pretty plain soft rock band. But just
a year later the Folk singer Sandy Denny replaced Dyble, and they released
the LP Fairport Convention, this is concidered as the start of the
British folk-rock movement.
Many people will disagree on this statement. The Incredible String Band was a bit earlyer, their first album was published in 66. But the Stringband was more a avant garde folk band, than a part of the folk-rock stage. This lineup did not last long. The drummer Martin Lamble was killed in a car accident in 69, and replaced by Dave Mattacks. An other addition was the folk fiddler Dave Swarbrick. Now the band was ready for their great landmark, the awarded album Liege & Lief. Shortly after the origenal band split up. Sandy Denny wanted to develop her own songwriting and moved on to create the band Fotheringay. She was the only guest vokalist with Led Zepelin (the author is an old Zepelin freak). She died very early, just 31 years old, in 78. The bass player Ashley Hutchings wanted to go deaper into traditional music and left to form Steeleye Span. Dave Pegg replaced Hutchings at bass. Ricard Thompson also left in 1970. Dave Swarbrick filled the hole after Thompson, and became the motor of the group. He also started to sing. Denny rejoined them in mid seventies, but went solo again after a short periode. In mid 80's Swarbrick left, because of a hearing problem. He started a accoustic band named Whippersnapper. The band has continued since with Dave Pegg and his wife as driving sources. There has been a lot of reunions, old members has rejoined, but nothing permanent. The Fairport
Convention Homepage
|
| Fanfare Ciocarlia:
Buy this
CD
|
Fanfare Ciacarlia at the Førde Festival 2001. This gipsy band are part of Balkan brass band tradition, rooted in Ottoman military bands and European brass traditions. Fanfare Ciacarlia are one of the very few of these bands left in Moldavia in Romania. The name Ciacarlia comes from one of the standard tunes in the repertoire. Parts of the repertoire are old standard tunes, some of it are newer radio hits, but performed with a very original touch. They claim to play up to 30 hours. The web master at EthnoBass had the pleasure to hear them at the Førde festival in Norway. In many ways they are similar to the Kocani Orcestar, but the tempo are slightly lower (at least at some songs), and they have at least two able vocalists. The gipsy influences are perhaps easier to hear for un untrained ear. To be more precise, some parts are more melancholic. But don't get us wrong this is party music. Sometimes the mind goes to circus music. They "stepdance" with great authoroty, in beats you didn't think exists. |
| Farmers
Market:
|
FARMERS MARKET was started in Trondheim during the fall
of 1991.The members where all students of the Jazz Department at the Conservatory
of Trondheim. What started out as a free-jazz quintet, soon found itself
heading in a completely different direction; Bulgarian folk-music. This
music, with its odd meters, oriental scales and improvisational possibilities,
has become one of the main ingredients of "The Farmers Music". The music
is a mixture of Bulgarian folk music, jazz standards, popular music and
humor.
This is not the words of EthnoBass, but from their WEB-community http://www.farmersmusic.com/eng/index.htm
|
Fía
na Roca
Buy
this CD (and other titles)
|
I first met Fía Na Roca (Spin in the spinning
wheel, in galego), a group from Galicia (NorthWest of Spain)
in 1997, when they released their CD Agardando que pase algo, that
is in galego, "waiting for something to happen". Well, they made it happen.
Their work was a accurated combination of tradicional music from Galicia
and influence of some other, like the andalusian, with the colaboration
of Luis Delgado at the oud. The arrangements sound to me modern and cute,
and they show a jazzy influence in the alternate solos, where every instrument
has its moment of glory. But, at the same time, they kept the feeling of
the things that come from earth. I specially found wonderful the song A
Mezquita, one of the most complete songs I have ever heard, where every
musician has his moment and every instrument has its sense.
They had already released Corda Frouxa Musica in 1993, but it was their CD of 1997 what make them nationalwide known. The band is composed by six musicians and a singer, who combine old and new instruments. They have released their third CD in May 2001, called Contravento (Discos Ceyba), that means "Upwind". For more info, visit their official site. |
| See Fjøgl at 2001 Førde Festival here. | |
Fliflet
& Hamre:
"The World's Smallest Total Orchestra." (Fliflet/Hamre in their own words) Fri Flyt:
|
Fliflet/Hamre,
Drums'n Bellows ...from Norway and Beyond, is a unique duo from Bergen, Norway: Two men, who play accordion and drums - and sing. One is a folk musician, the other one a jazz/rock/latin drummer. Together, Gabriel Fliflet (accordion, vocals) and Ole Hamre (drums, melodica, vocals) have created a very special musical style. The roots can be found in ethnic/folk music from their native Norway - but also in Balkan & "Gipsy" traditions. Tunes from regions as diverse as Finland, Italy and Texas are also interpreted in Fliflet/Hamre's own unique style. Their music is vital and full of contrasts. It appears to be straight-forward joy, but on closer inspection, it is complex beyond some inspectors' wildest dreams. This is not the words of EthnoBass, but from their WEB-community http://kunst.no/flimre/, but every word is true. And there is nothing more to say! Except, the band is formed in 1991, and is big success, mainly because of their live appearances. Fri Flyt:
The rest of the team is just as crazy as our friend Fliflet and Hamre. The Dane Peter Bastian playes clarinette and bassoon. He is a specialist in Bulgarian and Tyrkish traditions. Ingor Ántte Áilo Gaup is a joiking sami, from northern parts of Norway. He joiks with more than one "voice", some of his work is traditional, but he is not afraid of going his own directions. Olav Dimitri Røe a Greek-Norwegian fidler. He brings in Romanian Gipsy songs and Greek bagpipe music. Olav Tveitane plays the bouble bass, guitar and cittern. He is mostly rooted in Norwegian traditions, and have performed with Fliflet for two and a half decade. Most of the music at their debut album Fri Flyt (Etnisk Musikklub, 2001) is traditional. Some track is their own compositions. Traditional or not, this band gives their own, very special versions of these songs. Their multy colour background is more than just spice, it is the main dish. Every tune is unique. It goes from the wildest uptempo songs, with obscure drum beats like 7/16 and 9/16. To warm and tender ballads. EthnoBass hopes this highly origenal music is distributed videly abroad soon. But until then, you can use the link in the left colomn. |
| Flukt: | Flukt at 2L |
| Trio Fröjdö-Nyqvist-Särs: | Have a look at: Trio Fröjdö-Nyqvist-Särs (Finland) at Førde Internasjonale Folkemusikkfestival 2003 (pictures and review) |
