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| Una violinista fantastica e virtuosa, dal fascino magnetico e dal talento unico, espressione dell'affascinante e sognante mondo musicale folk nordico, intriso di tradizione e di sognante lirismo anglo-scandinavo.... |
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Emma Reid è cresciuta ed è stata educata nel Nord dell'Inghilterra da padre inglese e da madre svedese.
Ha iniziato a suonare il violino già alla tenerissima età di tre anni con la madre svedese e da subito ha manifestato una passione forte per la musica tradizionale svedese.
E' stata due volte finalista in occasione delle competizioni per i "BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award" e si è esibita sia presso la "Queen Elizabeth Hall" che presso la "Royal Albert Hall" di Londra.
Compiuti 18 anni Emma si è trasferita a Stoccolma per studiare i corsi di Musica Folk Svedese presso il "Royal College of Music" con Ellika Frisell e Sven Ahlbäck, laureandosi nel novembre del 2003 con un concerto presso la "Stockholm 's Concert House".
Da allora Emma ha completato un Master in Musica presso l'università di Newcastle.
Gli stli tradizionali dei famosi fiddler svedesi dell'area di Dalarna
Nils Agenmark del villaggio di Bingsjö (1915-1994) e di Gössa Anders Andersson (1878-1963) di Orsa, sono fortemente riconoscibili ed hanno prepotentemente influenzato lo stile di Emma.
Emma si è impegnata sia da solista che in diversi duo, come quello con il concertinista inglese Robert Harbron e quello con l'accordionista svedese Tuuliki Bartosik, oltre ad essere membro di importanti gruppi di folk anglo-svedese come i "Ditt Ditt Darium", i Tandoori" ed il "Methera Quartet".
Emma ha collaborato anche con stroytellers e con ballerini ed è stata "Musical Director" nella produzione di un "Northern Stage" nel febbraio 2005.
Nel maggio del 2005 ha pubblicato il suo CD di debutto come solista, "Snake Bow", accolto con grande acclamazione ed ha realizzato un tour nel Regno Unito compreso nel progetto "Fokworks Fiddles on Fire".
Da allora Emma ha pubblicato altri 3 album in duo ed ha istituito una serie di concerti acustici presso lo "Izzy Young's Folklore Centrum" a Stoccolma.
http://www.emmareid.se/ |
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| Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams & Emma Reid |
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Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams • fiddle, viola and vocals
Emma Reid • fiddle and vocals
Two fiddles that bend and tease, lead and follow, weave and dance. Traditional music from Sweden, Shetland, England and Finland, played with infectious enthusiasm and swing.
Björnsdotter & Reid present traditional and contemporary fiddle music from Sweden and the British Isles.
Elegant polskas are flavoured with blue notes and raw counter-melodies, and the arrangements for two fiddles give a Swedish touch to compositions by Chris Wood and Robert Harbron.
Alongside Swedish music, the vibrant fiddle tradition of the Shetland Isles and the traditional music of Emma’s native England have a special place in their duo repertoire.
Since their debut US tour in 2004 Björnsdotter & Reid have been performing and teaching regularly on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Whether performing to a sitting audience, playing for dancing, or teaching, they always take inspiration from the intimate and dynamic relationship between dancers and musicians.
Björnsdotter & Reid form half of the Swedish quartet Ditt Ditt Darium, together with singers Ebba Jacobsson and Johanna Bölja Hertzberg.
Reviews
"The music produced by these two artists leaves absolutely nothing to be desired of an evening's entertainment. The spirit of their performance is captivating and uplifting. One can not accurately appraise their work without risk of being accused of exaggerating."
Peg Eves, Director West Street Arts, February 2005
"It's beautiful the way you guys play together - like one instrument."
Rob Weisberg, Radio Broadcaster WFMU, October 2004 |
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Ditt Ditt Darium
Emma Reid • fiddle
Ebba Jacobsson • vocals
Johanna Bölja Hertzberg • vocals
Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams • fiddle, viola
A unique vocal and fiddle quartet that takes you on a journey From Coast to Coast, exploring cultures around the Baltic and North Seas. Ditt Ditt Darium search for the essence of these related traditions; the richly ornamented melodies and the quirky yet poetic lyrics of old Swedish hymns, ballads and drinking songs.
Four parts, four stories, Ditt Ditt Darium works with two sung and two bowed voices. Out of unison grows a texture of sounds and contrasting melodies; from the simple, the complex.
Ditt Ditt Darium consists of singers Johanna Bölja Hertzberg and Ebba Jacobsson, each deeply rooted in the Swedish vocal tradition of Hälsingland in the north and coastal Bohuslän in the west, and fiddlers Emma Reid and Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams, both with broad musical backgrounds in the traditions of Sweden, Shetland and England. All four are graduates of the program for traditional Swedish music at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and are also active with other musical projects. They have learned their respective traditions from fiddlers and singers both present and past – through lessons, jam sessions and archive recordings.
"We want to find the common points of cultures around the Baltic and North Seas, cultures that for ages have been connected by the sea. That is why we play Shetland tunes with a Swedish accent and explore Estonia’s Swedish heritage. We want to bring out the essentials in this music: the richly ornamented melodies and the quirky yet poetic lyrics of old Swedish hymns, ballads and drinking songs. Therefore our music is raw or perhaps transparent – we want the inherent qualities of the tune to be in plain view. We want to make fiddles sing and voices bow. Melodies are stories, words are rhythm." |
| Robert Harbron & Emma Reid |
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Robert Harbron & Emma Reid
Robert Harbron • English concertina, vocals and guitar
"Robert Harbron has found new subtleties in the English concertina" – The Hexham Courant
Emma Reid • fiddle
"Exquisite playing – assured, unhurried and gentle, yet brimming with energy and rhythm" – Taplas
* New album New Dogs, Old Tricks
Two innovative traditional musicians who bring spontaneity, swing and beauty to English dance music.
Robert Harbron and Emma Reid are both highly regarded traditional musicians who hail from the north of England. Their duo performances bring together individual influences and expertise with shared roots in English traditional music. Rob performs with the acclaimed English Acoustic Collective and is a sought-after composer and teacher. He is known for his unique concertina style, and is an assured performer, a consummate accompanist and an engaging singer. Emma is currently based in her motherland Sweden where she studied Swedish folk music performance at Stockholm’s Royal College of Music. Emma is a truly natural fiddle player, with a deeply personal style and a real ability to speak through her fiddle. She regularly performs and teaches in the UK, Scandinavia and the USA.
Together Rob and Emma bring a natural, uplifting sound to bear on a varied repertoire which includes their own new music alongside traditional songs and tunes. The heart of the repertoire is in the dance tunes of England, which they bring to life and adapt to the stage, inspired by archive recordings and contemporary musicians to expose the vitality, swing, lift and articulation at the core of each tune.
This is honest, upbeat, optimistic music to listen to in an intimate, acoustic setting – where the audience can enjoy the intricate details, spontaneous harmonies and arrangements that stem from a close interplay between the players, and the ongoing dialogue between artist and audience. May 2006 saw the release of the duo’s debut album, New Dogs, Old Tricks. The album is highly accomplished yet delightfully informal, and to complement the intimacy in the duo’s music, they are touring in a series of house concerts – performances which take place in private homes, in cooperation with hosts who are willing to invite a few old (and maybe new) friends around to hear world-class acoustic music in a warm and intimate setting.
Review
Burnlaw, Northumberland, 23rd May 2006
"The idea of Emma Reid and Rob Harbron playing together seems a natural one. Both players like to delve deeply into the music they play, perhaps playing an English tune we’ve heard a hundred times before, but drawing out beauty and nuances not touched upon by more boisterous players. The combination of their playing is, as you would expect, and as evidenced on their collaboration New Dogs, Old Tricks (ROBREC CD01) – a sensuous treat.
Raised in Northumberland by a Swedish fiddle-playing mother, Emma Reid grew up with both Anglo and Swedish traditional music, and has a natural and personal fiddle style like no other – instantly recognisable, and always compelling. Known for his English concertina playing in the English Acoustic Collective and Dr Faustus, Rob Harbron is fast becoming one of those rare musicians: those who make their instrument of choice sound completely different than in anyone else’s hands. Likewise with his production skills: as his credits notch up, you can tell an album produced by Rob Harbron.
With the crowd split between conservative concertgoers sat in a semi-circle and beaded and bearded flower-children draped on bean-bags, we make for a funny gathering. But the music is a real leveller. Emma and Rob play in such a studious, musical, intuitive fashion, they strip the tunes of their tradition, their background and context. Whether they introduce a piece as a traditional dance tune or a self-penned ditty about swimming, they force you inside the music itself. What’s clear from their body language and reaction to each other’s playing is that they’re listening for the outcome as much as we are, creating an air of genuine spontaneity and honest interpretation. In the prime of their performing lives, new dogs Emma and Rob are a golden advert for the value of old tricks. Each journey through an old tune is just as exciting as the last, full of possibility, surprises and new pleasures."
The show-stopping moments however, are the new tricks. Harbron’s tune-writing is extraordinary. With ‘St George’s Day’, on the English Acoustic Collective album ‘Ghosts’, I thought Rob had written a tune to crown any career, but there are a hatful to choose from tonight, the pick of the bunch being his ‘Swimming Tune’, which, when he finds a name for it, will be…er, swimming. Rob subjects us to a few songs as well, and although his singing is unspectacular, it’s honest enough, and a bit of a sing to break up the tunes is a pragmatic bit of entertainment.
The house concert concept works well for Rob and Emma, affording them the close quarters with their audience to play so intimately and intricately. How does it differ from a folk club and why is it proving a less intimidating narrative for new-coming audiences? Another time!
Adrian McNally, The Living Tradition July/August 2006 |
| Johanna Bölja Hertzberg and Emma Reid |
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Johanna Bölja Hertzberg & Emma Reid
Traditional and contemporary Swedish songs and dance tunes from predominantly Hälsingland and Dalarna.
Johanna Bölja Hertzberg • vocals
Emma Reid • fiddle
Johanna Bölja Hertzberg is a singer deeply rooted in the traditional songs and dance music of Hälsingland, Sweden.
She is a sought after performer and teacher, and has also performed live music for theatre productions. Johanna is currently studying towards a teaching qualification at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Johanna and Emma met at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and have been performing together for four years, including playing for dancing and giving workshops.
They perform a variety of traditional and contemporary Swedish songs and dance tunes from predominantly Hälsingland and Dalarna. Voice and fiddle interweave closely with a swing that makes your feet itch. As well as performing as a duo, Johanna and Emma are members of the Swedish voice and fiddle quartet Ditt Ditt Darium.
Review
"Very different and totally invigorating!"
Hexham Courant, 4th June 2004 |
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Methera Quartet
Lucy Deakin • cello
John Dipper • fiddle
Emma Reid • fiddle
Miranda Rutter • viola
Uniting the rich texture of the string quartet with the depth and integrity of traditional English music.
Methera Quartet unites the depth and integrity of traditional English music with the rich texture of the string quartet. Four fine young musicians with individual traditional styles meet in a unique classical constellation.
Methera's repertoire is inspired by the social and ceremonial dance music of England and beyond.
Together the members of the quartet weave old and contemporary tunes into the string quartet, exploring the power and diversity of sounds it has to offer. Each voice tells their version of the story; on occasion the narrative is blurred by the comments or counter-tales it inspires.
Steeped in the aural tradition of English music, Methera plays mostly without manuscript, enabling the music to live and breathe in the moment. Audience, place and acoustic all play an active part as the story unfolds.
Methera also performs specially commissioned pieces by composers steeped in traditional music.
This unique opportunity enables them to investigate the potential of their genre when married with the timbres offered by the versatile string quartet.
There is a constant dialogue between composer and performers, and the result: music appropriated for the chamber, delivered in a traditional style; music that respects tradition, but breaks convention.
Reviews
"A marvel of musicality: sublime, beautiful, intense and passionate"
Karen Tweed
"Seriously stylish playing that’s putting the sparkle back into the tradition"
Verity Sharp, Late Junction BBC Radio 3
"Methera is one of the most interesting and exciting ensembles that I have heard for some time. The prospect of hearing four of the most innovative and talented folk musicians of their generation together in one ensemble, playing their often quirky arrangements of traditional English and Scandinavian music is plenty to recommend them under any circumstances, but the fact that their instruments are the same as the classical string quartet - two violins, viola and 'cello - instantly brings uncanny resonances and strangely arresting associations into play.
The sheer richness of the sound pallet that this combination allows - that extraordinary sense that the resulting sonority is somehow more than the sum of its constituent parts, that is so fundamental to the string quartet - really feasts the ear.
All these players have superb technique to add to their sheer exuberance and delight in the music they create, so that the overall impression is of something that breaks boundaries and has enormous potential as well. Arrangements that I have already heard go to the heart of what string instruments can do together for melodies and yet without the least hint of anything forced or remotely tainted by any kind of pat 'cross-over' agenda - this is original, natural and ravishing music."
Richard Wistreich, Newcastle University
"Methera's music is rich in melody, texture and harmony, intelligently conceived, brilliantly played and charmingly presented.
Though rooted firmly in the English folk tradition, it also explores recent compositions which are either self-penned or written by the best of contemporary players - by concertina supremo Robert Harbron, for instance. I say 'explores' because, although their arrangements are complex, these musicians also improvise around them with a skill and sensitivity that shows extraordinary empathy. I was delighted to have been at their very first gig, in the wilds of Northumberland in February. I look forward to hearing much more of them in the future, anywhere."
Sandra Kerr |
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Tandoori
Fire • Emma Reid • fiddle
Water • Bengt Jonasson • banjo and composer
Earth • Petter Berndalen • percussion
Air • Emma Johansson • alto flute
Newly composed music, inspired by music from all corners of the world. Melodies, sounds and rhythms played with intimacy, presence, dynamics and power.
When time freezes, the sun and moon meet, the universe is mirrored, and all eleven dimensions are open... at that precise moment... the four musicians in Tandoori come to life:
Fire and Water, Earth and Air.
Tandoori gather together to search and give back:
The Essense, which is all too often on the run,
Intimacy, which is needed more than ever,
The Calm and the Storm, to unite together,
Hate and Lies, to suffocate them,
The Truth, to expose it,
The Music, to become it…
Water brought the melody and let it flow. Fire gave it warmth and glow. Earth gave it calm and courage. Wind gave it determination and freedom.
Tandoori’s music is inspired by world music, or perhaps ‘terrestrial music’. The melodies, harmonies and rhythms that meet and combine in Tandoori are intended to linger with the listener for a long, long time… Enthusiasm, intimacy, an attentive presence, dynamics and power are core ingredients of Tandoori’s music.
If you haven’t yet heard Tandoori, the time has come!!
Emma Reid was brought up in the north-east of England in a thriving British folk music scene. In 2000 she moved to Stockholm to specialise in the folk music heritage from her Swedish mother, a music she fell in love with at an early age. For three years she studied fiddle with Ellika Frisell and Sven Ahlbäck at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. She then went on to complete a Master of Music degree at Newcastle University. From Ellika and her Indian guru K. Shivakumar, Emma has received an insight into the rich sea of Classical Indian music. These three traditions – English, Swedish and Indian, meet in Emma’s playing in Tandoori. Emma can also be heard in duo with the accordionist Tuulikki Bartosik and in the group Ditt Ditt Darium.
Bengt Jonasson was brought up in Ed in the western county of Dalsland. He is an innovative electric bass and banjo player whose personal style spans over many genre boundaries. He composes and has studied folk music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. He performs improvised music and plays in many folk music and world music bands: Fylke, Julundur, Erik Steen Flamenco Fusion and Amankai. In Tandoori Bengan plays banjo and is the composer of all music.
After leaving aside the drum kit of the predominantly jazz genre, Petter Berndalen has turned the accepted conditions and past norms of drum playing up-side-down. Petter is fascinated by the melodic function of solo performers of Swedish folk music, and this forms the basis of his playing. In Tandoori Petter aims to be in the present, and allows his playing to be spiced with Indian influences. Petter comes from Bollnäs in Hälsingland. He is currently living in Stockholm where he studies amongst others with Sven Ahlbäck, Elika Frisell and André Ferrari. He also plays in Shohaz, BLM, Kalabra, Gjallarhorn, [ni:d] and Fyrland.
Emma Johansson is one of Sweden’s few folk musicians on concert flute and alto flute. Her main sources of inspiration are Swedish and Norwegian folk music. After a number of years at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Emma is currently living in Gothenburg. In Tandoori the dark, full tone of Emma’s alto flute combines with a Nordic musical foundation and Arabic influences. Emma also performs in constellations such as Oleman and in duos with western Swedish and Norwegian repertoires.
Review
”Tandoori has an unbelievable swing, without the help of over-dimensioned bass sounds or disco balls.
Banjo, alto flute, fiddle and percussion create a clear and homogenous sound-scape in the venue, making the Indian-inspired music a pleasantly laid-back enjoyment for those wishing to sit and listen, whilst at the same time other members of the audience dance in front of the stage. It is a concert that catches me completely and utterly unawares.
With its simple constellation the group creates music that goes straight in, without reservation, thanks to the beautiful arrangements and sensitive melodic feeling.
In that moment I realise the evening has turned into a success...A new, tallented group has entered into my world.”
Patrik Boström, Norrländska Socialdemokraten, February 2005 (original Swedish) |
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Tuulikki Bartosik & Emma Reid,
Gower Folk Festival 2006 |
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"Two of of my foremost sources of musical inspiration are the Bingsjö fiddler Nils Agenmark (1915-1994) and the Orsa fiddler Gössa Anders Andersson (1878-1963).
Nils with his continuous, ornamented tone; Gössa with his swinging, unpretentious style.
The musical painting of myself is a culmination of the inspirations and influences of several tradition bearers, my Swedish heritage, my upbringing with jigs and reels in the north-east of England, the musicians I've met, the thoughts that have lingered..."
Emma Reid, http://www.emmareid.se
Reviews
"Emma Reid has a natural and personal fiddle style like no other – instantly recognisable, and always compelling".
Adrian McNally, The Living Tradition July/August 2006
"Exquisite playing – assured, unhurried and gentle, yet brimming with energy and rhythm".
Taplas, October 2005
Fiddles on Fire, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 7 May 2005: "Reid’s solo set featured a remarkable regional Swedish repertoire from Bingsjö, notably the begging song Skänklåt, with its ear-arresting stops and eye-catching bow movements[...] An evening of exhilarating and risk-taking violinistics".
Ken Hunt, The Strad, July 2005
"The playing of Emma Reid is truly delightful: she holds an audience through every entralling note, with a musical dialect that is all her own but founded in two distinct traditions, English and Swedish".
Folkworks, March 2005
"You've got a lovely way of commanding the space in which you are playing and making it 'active'. It seemed something very gentle, but also very definite".
Annie Rigby, Resident Director Northern Stage, September 2004
Snake Bow, 2005
Snake Bow is a musical painting of myself; a culmination of the inspirations and influences of several tradition bearers, my Swedish heritage, my upbringing with jigs and reels in the north-east of England, the musicians I’ve met, the thoughts that have lingered.
I chose solo because I love the unique way in which a solo performance can uncompromisingly reveal a personal voice – a personal story.
A lone fiddle is capable of carrying melodies, rhythms, emotions and stories that fill the air and touch any soul in their path.
“Brave, respectful and revealing. Musical – above all musical.” - Chris Wood, February 2005
tradmusic.com |
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Emma Reid - Snake Bow (2005) |
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"A snake bow is an undulating, dynamic sound characteristic of the Bingsjö fiddler Nils Agenmark (1915-1994). Together with the fiddler Gössa Anders Andersson (1878-1963) from Orsa, he is one of my foremost sources of musical inspiration - Nils with his continuous, ornamented tone; Gössa with his swinging, unpretentious style.
Snake Bow is a musical painting of myself; a culmination of the inspirations and influences of several tradition bearers, my Swedish heritage, my upbringing with jigs and reels in the north-east of England, the musicians I've met, the thoughts that have lingered...
I chose solo because I love the unique way in which a solo performance can uncompromisingly reveal a personal voice - a personal story. A lone fiddle is capable of carrying melodies, rhythms, emotions and stories that fill the air and touch any soul in their path."
Reviews
"Debut album from able young fiddler, Newcastle graduate now Stockholm-based, who appeared on 2005 Fiddles on Fire UK tour. Solo, mostly Swedish tunes - Orsa and Bingsjö with Nils Agenmark and Gössa Anders inspiration - but also non-obvious English and Border that stand up well in subtle Swedish company thanks to her finely expressive playing. [thumbs up]"
fRoots, Jan/Feb 2006
"This is a courageous tour de force of a debut album, taking its name from a style of playing characteristic of the Bingsjö fiddler Nils Agenmark. Reid is equally at home in the English and Swedish traditions, and here she plays mostly polskas and Morris tunes together with a smattering of her own compositions.
She chooses to produce an album entirely of solo fiddle and rises to the challenge and succeeds gloriously, where others would surely fail. Her exquisite playing is assured, unhurried and gentle, yet it brims with energy and rhythm. Such is its strength that any accompaniment would be at best superfluous and at worst detrimental.
Any doubts one may have about a solo fiddle are instantly dispelled by the first track, Fäbodlåten, a Bingsjö tune, which introduces us to the sound of snake bow. Other highlights include the superb adaptation by Chris Wood of the Morris tune, Saturday Night, here played with wonderful light and space. And Tokpolskan, The Crazy Polska (they all sound crazy to me!), which brilliantly lives up to its name."
Boz Boswell, Taplas no. 132, Oct/Nov 2005
"This May this country's most important violin periodical, The Strad asked me to review Fiddles on Fire at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and since even the headliners' names were in combinations unfamiliar to me, the prospect of a blank canvas extravaganza was irresistible. Emma Reid was on the bill. Without any awareness of her album or its title, her playing registered as serpent-like, like watching adders dance. Snake Bow / Ormstråk (EMR ****) is a compendium of highly arresting fiddle pieces. Much of her repertoire is from Bingsjö in Sweden. Highly impressive. Bilingual English and Swedish notes."
Ken Hunt, Record Collector Issue 314, September 2005
"Best instrumental album in years. I find huge landscapes opening up in it, congratulations!! I think that this is a very important recording and I hope that English fiddle players take notice. Apart from the obvious exceptions, too many complacent English musicians have been getting away with it for far too long. You have thrown down a gauntlet and I hope that those players that hear it will take it as a challenge."
Nick Woodward, August 2005
"It's quite enchanting, very fresh and characterful, full of unexpected dipping and diving, colour and wit, with a kind of dreaminess of tone which is often hypnotic. Your Swedish-Northumbrian roots make a fascinating blend"
Howard Goodall, June 2005
"Brave, respectful and revealing. Musical - above all musical."
Chris Wood, February 2005 |
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Tuulikki Bartosik & Emma Reid - Truculent ladies (2006) |
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Tuulikki Bartosik • free-bass accordion
Emma Reid • fiddle
Tuulikki and Emma discovered the music of Orsa independently: Emma as an 11-year-old at a fiddle course in Malung, and Tuulikki via a crackling archive recording at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Now they share a deep passion for the music inherited after the Orsa fiddler Gössa Anders Andersson (1878-1963). Together they have plunged into the depths of his fiddle style and tonal language, listened to archive recordings and then developed their own interpretations of his music.
They want to find a way back to Gössa Anders’ ancient style of playing – the complex rhythms, the truculent swing, the phrasing, articulation, ornaments…the list is long.
Tuulikki faces challenges like imitating the crisp accent of the bow with bellows and fingers, and adapting microtones to her chromatic instrument.
The arrangements are most often based on a modal thinking, with inspiration taken from Gössa Anders’ two foremost playing partners, his daughter Gössa Anna Andersson (1906-1999) and Jämt Olof Ersson (1872-1938).
"When we discovered our mutual fascination a never-ending and winding journey began, taking us through time, backwards and forwards.
The characters belonging to the music, our interplay and the continuous search have opened up a new world full of little insights and lessons.
And the music itself carries so much wisdom! It is at the same time both fragile and stubborn, simple and hopelessly complicated.
It speaks of joy and misery, life and death. We are forever grateful."
Reviews
"One of the best folk music albums this spring"
Jonas Bergroth, Lira 3-2006
"Emma on fiddle and Tuulikki on free-bass accordion bring new dimensions to the heritage after the fiddlers Gössa Anders Andersson, Blecko Anders Olsson and Pål Karl."
Hans Olander, Moratidningen 3 April 2006
"If the Harbron/Reid album whets your appetite for traditional Swedish music, then this album will provide a veritable feast. Largely influenced by the Orsa fiddler Gössa Anders Andersson (1878-1963) the free-bass accordionist and fiddler deliver an intriguing array of tunes not familiar to our ear.
The modal scales, the microtones, some unusual rhythms all make for a CD ideal for those wishing to extend their own repertoire into a challenging style – or just lie back and conjure up images of Scandinavia!"
Colin Andrews, Devon’s Folk Magazine Autumn 2006 |
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Robert Harbron & Emma Reid - New Dogs, Old Tricks (2006) |
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Robert Harbron • English concertina, vocals, guitar
Emma Reid • fiddle
Together Rob and Emma bring a natural, uplifting sound to bear on a varied repertoire which includes their own new music alongside traditional songs and tunes. The heart of the repertoire is in the dance tunes of England, which they bring to life inspired by archive recordings and contemporary musicians to expose the vitality, swing, lift and articulation at the core of each tune.
A highly accomplished yet delightfully informal debut album.
Reviews
"These two highly regarded young musicians originally met as teenagers, but only last summer, while teaching at the Folkworks Summer School, did they consider doing some actual duo work together. And by all accounts, so naturally did the two gel that after just a couple of days of playing this CD emerged! Meantime, Rob's continued his involvement with the English Acoustic Collective and Emma's been teaching and performing both in the UK and her motherland Sweden. This disc turns out to be an intensely uplifting experience that fully conveys the joys of informal music-making. The majority of its ten tracks are duets for English concertina and fiddle: fresh, sparky and uniformly intelligent adaptations of tunes that range from morris and Kimber (the opening set) to an intriguing pairing of waltzes American and Swedish and sets of Northumbrian classics both traditional and composed (Alistair Anderson, Willie Taylor) – the way the two musicians intuitively intermingle the individual lines and parts on these is but one of the many delightful features of their playing. The CD also showcases two descriptive pieces by the musicians themselves: a severely beautiful short sketch of Emma's (Midnattssolen, described as “a reflection of an ascent in the remote fells of northern Sweden”), and a delicately managed invention of Rob's (Mercury) on which he swaps concertina for guitar. Rob also sings for us on the “minor re-write” Brown Is The Colour and the Laurel Swift setting of Kingsley's Young And Old. All told, this is a genuinely exciting disc which it'll prove hard to grow tired of, for with each twist and turn of melody Rob finds felicitous subtleties in his chosen instrument and Emma's joyous, earthy phrasing springs new surprises. Rob's also responsible for the superbly immediate and close recording."
David Kidman, fRoots November 2006
"The idea of Emma Reid and Rob Harbron playing together seems a natural one. Both players like to delve deeply into the music they play, perhaps playing an English tune we’ve heard a hundred times before, but drawing out beauty and nuances not touched upon by more boisterous players. The combination of their playing is, as you would expect, and as evidenced on their collaboration New Dogs, Old Tricks (ROBREC CD01) – a sensuous treat."
Adrian McNally, The Living Tradition July/August 2006 (read the whole review)
"By chance I discovered this duo were performing at a ‘house folk concert’ in North Devon – a format which they are successfully promoting in this country. The informality of the venue allows an interaction between artists and audience unsurpassed in any other kind of format.
I was always impressed by Rob’s contribution to Dr. Faustus on the English concertina, but in partnership with the amazing fiddle playing of Emma Reid, the combination is truly inspirational. From familiar Morris tunes (Rose Tree & Getting Upstairs) through Northumbrian connection (Morpeth Rant and two each of Alistair Anderson and Willie Taylor’s pieces) to intricate melodies and cadences from Sweden (Emma’s mother is Swedish) the two musicians play to each other’s strengths, taking the lead or supporting with imaginative and, on concertina, quite experimental harmonies and accompaniments.
Robert also sings two songs, Brown is the Colour, and a setting of a Charles Kingsley poem, Young and Old. He’s got a pleasant though not powerful voice, but again the accompaniments alone are quite superb. In contrasting style, though none the less most listenable, is his own composition, Mercury, played on guitar.
This is an album I defy you not to enjoy. Had I not been reclined in a very comfortable sofa I would have been on the edge of my seat throughout their live performance."
Colin Andrews, Devon’s Folk Magazine Autumn 2006 |
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Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams (fiddle, viola) & Emma Reid (fiddle) - Rough and Shiny (2006) |
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Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams • fiddle, viola
Emma Reid • fiddle
The Swedish term for two fiddles played an octave apart is ‘rough and shiny’.
The high, shiny melody gets depth and colour from the low, rough octave.
For at least 100 years Swedish fiddlers have used this arrangement technique to effectively combine the forces of two fiddles.
To us, ‘rough and shiny’ has yet another meaning. Traditional music functions mostly as dance music and needs to be rhythmic and powerful, rather than pretty.
At the same time, fiddlers love to decorate and there is plenty of room for elegance and beauty. It is the shine – the intricate ornaments and the playful counter-melodies – that tickles the heart and inspires the imagination. It is the roughness – the stamping of feet and the bite of the bow – that makes it impossible to sit still.
The geographical background to this collection is as broad as our musical journeys and inspirations.
The recurring theme is a music that is as rough as it is shiny.
Reviews
This recording is a joy and a treasure. Most of these tunes are from masters of the Swedish fiddle, tradition-bearers who lived late and long enough to be recorded […]
According to the brief liner notes, grovt och grant (rough and shiny) refers to the technique of playing in octaves, one fiddle above the other […]
But the reality is that these two fiddles saunter, swing, turn, and glide past each other not only at the octave, but at many different intervals, now closer, now farther apart, now intersecting in a passing unison.
This Swedish art of stämma—creating a second part that shadows and engages the first—is richly realized here.
A beautiful example of this is Trollpolskan (track 6), which the album notes describe as småpratande (small-talking or chatting). The countermelody work here is truly thrilling; it speaks its own mind quite independently, yet somehow manages to achieve unison with the melody as each phrase tapers to a close. […]
The rough and shiny are always there, as are, always, the dark and the light, but the whole is as graceful and lively as dancers as they step, bob, and twirl around each other, balancing on an unbreaking line between two extremes.
Leslie Spitz-Edson, Jan 2007
This record rocks. […] The Swedish tradition of playing “Grovt och grant” is something I cherish and it requires that the players really know how to play together. Björnsdotter and Reid do. […] Really nice selection of songs on this record.
Excellent opening with a Kalle Almlöf tune. Nice to hear young fiddlers trying to do something funny with the tunes from West Dalecarlia. Kalle Almlöf’s playing is so supreme which makes playing his tunes intimidating. But this duo makes it sound traditional and new at the same time.
Erik Svansbo, Oct 2006 |
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| Emma Reid supporting John McCusker at Celtic Connections 2007 |
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TVÅ (Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams & Emma Reid)
Did you ever see two robins chasing each other on a spring day?
In a fury of trills and twirls, they manage to stay one right behind the other, with effortless acrobatics.
When Emma Reid and Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams take on a tune, they launch into a playful chase much like that.
The two fiddles bend and tease, take a turn, and then one follows smoothly the other. Some of the raw, ancient qualities of Swedish music are mixed with elegant harmony parts.
Swedish fiddle music being dance music, the two of them almost dance on stage. And it is hard not to join in - their love of the music is infectious.
These two young women step boldly right out of the Swedish fiddle tradition and range into the British Isles.
Emma and Alicia both have a performance degree in traditional Swedish music from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and Emma is currently studying towards a Master in Music at Newcastle University in England.
Alongside Swedish music, the vibrant fiddle tradition of the Shetland Isles has a special place in their duo repertoire.
They have each studied with a Shetland fiddle master; Alicia with Aly Bain and Emma with Catriona MacDonald.
Alicia Björnsdotter Abrams is a fiddler in the Swedish tradition but her repertoire stretches into Norway and Finland as well as the British Isles. She started playing and singing at an early age and enjoyed schooling in both classical music as well as the choirs of Adolf Fredrik Music School, before settling for folk music. Alicia has a strong sense of melody and timing and a playing that is both ornate and powerful.
In Swedish traditional music, the fiddle often plays the role of a second voice, with harmonies and counter melodies.
These come through in Alicia's music. Alicia has played and studied with many of the influential fiddlers in Sweden, including Mikael Marin of Väsen, as well as with Shetland fiddler Aly Bain.
She has a performance degree in Swedish folk music from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
Alicia plays solo, as well as in the Swedish group Ditt Ditt Darium and Swedish-Breton group Anak among other musical projects. She currently lives in Philadelphia.
Emma Reid was brought up in the northeast of England with a Swedish mother. She started playing the fiddle at the age of three and soon gained a strong passion for traditional Swedish music.
Twice finalist of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, Emma has performed both at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London. At eighteen she moved to Stockholm to study Swedish folk music performance with Ellika Frisell and Sven Ahlbäck at the Royal College of Music, graduating in November 2003 with a concert in Stockholm's Concert House.
The distinguished fiddle traditions of Orsa and Bingsjö in Dalarna are particularly prominent in her style.
Emma is currently studying towards a Master in Music at Newcastle University.
As well as performing solo she works extensively with the free-bass accordionist Tuulikki Bartosik, and is a member of the groups Ditt Ditt Darium, Fyrland and Tandoori.
Emma has performed in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, England and New England, and is a popular teacher at summer courses.
She has also enjoyed collaborations with actors, storytellers and dancers.
http://www.nisswastamman.org/stamma/tvo.html |
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Emma Reid on "Taplas",
"The voice of Folk in Wales & The Borders"
"Y Gorau o Fyd Gwerin Cymur A'R Gororau"
Taplas, N° 32, Ottobre/Novembre 2005, Pag. 12-13 |
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