Lillebjørn Nilsen and Andy Irvine – Live in Telemark (Heilo, 2021)
Two renowned singer-songwriters, Lillebjørn Nilsen and Andy Irvine, recorded this album in 1994 at the Telemark Festival in southeastern Norway. Nilsen (Norway) and Irvine (Ireland) had known each other for about 17 years when they met again at the Telemark Festival back in 1994.
“Live in Telemark” is the collaboration they both had dreamed about. Lillebjørn said at the time: “We got together this summer when I visited Dublin, but decided that there was no rush to practice since we had so much to talk about. Today was the first time we really sat down and went through our material.”
The two songwriters have distinct voices that pour emotion into the songs. The vocals are in Norwegian and English. The inspiring set includes songs drawn from Norwegian and Irish folk music traditions.
“We were on the same wavelength from the moment we met,” said Andy Irvine back then.
The topic of migration, which affected both Ireland and Norway, appears on the album. Lillebjørn Nilsen talks about the Norwegian emigrant who became The Girl in Chicago, while Andy Irvine responds with the homesick Irish immigrant in Indiana.
Lillebjørn Nilsen is a leading Norwegian singer, songwriter, and folk musician. In total, he has five Spellemannspriser (Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy) both as a solo artist and as a part of bigger groups.
Andy Irvine is an acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Andy led legendary bands such as Planxty and Sweeney’s Men.
Lineup: Lillebjørn Nilsen on vocals, guitar, willow flute and hardanger fiddle; Andy Irvine on vocals, mandola, bouzouki and harmonica.
Buy Live in Telemark
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.