Artist Profiles: Ale Moller

Ale Möller – Photo by Johan Månsson

Ale Möller found his roots in Swedish folk music by way of first falling in love with the sounds of Greece. En route, he became a master of the bouzouki and a multi-instrumentalist with a lot of different flutes in his belt. He has played with Filarfolket, Enteli and Nordan to name but a few.

Today he tours the world as part of Frifot, but foremost he is just Ale, the multi-musician and performer who is a master at making people join him in joyful musical experiments.

When he released Bodjal, the first CD using the name of Ale Moller Band, the album earned Ale the top Swedish music award and numerous other awards. Ale returned to Sweden after Celtic Connections 2006 to receive the prestigious Musician of the Year Award from the Swedish Event Academy on the following day.

The World Heritage Orchestra emerged from the Stockholm Folk Big Band, a child of Stockholm’s Cultural Capital of the Year Bash in 1998, and the strange rumblings created in the last couple of years at Falun Folkmusik Festival. And it is a very rich heritage of world music that Ale and companions as trustees have been trying to investigate, develop and regenerate within that framework.

Audiences have crowded into concert venues to embrace the legacy of music taking new shapes before their very eyes, quite often in chaotic circumstances and divinely guided by inspiration and the moment shared. In the very best moments, everyone present becomes part of the creative process and of the music itself.

The Ale Moller World Heritage Orchestra features singers, players and dancers from Sweden, Greece, Senegal, Quebec and Mexico, whose combined expertise also takes in Jazz, Afro-Cuban and Indian music.

Moller plays mandola, accordion, flutes, shawm (skalmeja), cow horn, etc.

Discography

Nordan, with Lena Willemark (1994)
Frifot (1999)
Bodjal (2004)
The Iron Stone, with Robin Williamson, Brre Phillips, Mat Maneri (ECM, 2006)
Djef Djel (Amigo, 2007)
Beyond the Stacks, with Aly Bain (Northside, 2007)
Jul i Folkton – Live (Sally Wiola Music, Playground. PGMLCD 113, 2009)
Argai (2012)

Web Site: www.alemoller.se

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.

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