The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc was formed in 2009, and “at the beginning it was a curiosity for us,” recalls Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson. As a member of Fiddlers’ Bid, he was used to a four-fiddle sound. Still, the Swedish tradition of having one fiddle play a melody and another shadowing it with a harmony line was something new to him.
Meanwhile, Norwegian fiddler Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Swedish fiddler Anders Hall met at a festival in 2007 and have been playing together ever since. “We just clicked in a social and musical way,” Mjelva recalled. Soon after meeting, Hall joined Norwegian/Swedish band SVER, “and after that came the idea of a fiddle trio.”
Hall and Mjelva quickly found a shared understanding of the Scandinavian music world. But the Shetland style “is quite different from the Scandi style,” said Mjelva. “But that´s one of the big points with this trio. We have huge respect for each others’ traditions.”
The connecting threads in their styles, and the possibilities in their differences, became evident for them even in the early jam sessions. The mixing and colliding of different backgrounds and a certain “why-not?” attitude resulted in a fresh, compelling combination of tradition and innovation.
Concert programmers soon noticed the trio. The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc has played at major events including the Tønder Festival in Denmark; Scotland’s Celtic Connections winter music festival; Montreal’s La Grande Rencontre; and Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours International. In the United States, they have toured from New York to Seattle, including appearances at WGBH’s annual “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” in Boston, and at Symphony Space in New York City.
As to how they come up with their unique type of fiddle music fusion, “It’s a very natural process,” notes Henderson. “We basically just sit down and play and see what happens.”
“We care about good tunes that suit our setting,” says Mjelva. “New or old, it doesn´t really matter.“
Discography:
The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (Etnisk Musikklubb, 2011)
Deliverance (NFB Records, 2016)
Bonfrost (NFB Records, 2021)
[headline photo: The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc – Left to Right: Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Kevin Henderson, Anders Hall]
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.