Search - Gudmundson/Moller/Willemark, Ale Moller, Lena Willemark :: Frifot

Fascinating..... everything

Steve Brown (stephen_j_brown@hotmai | Wiltshire, United Kingdom | 01/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fascinating CD combines the mystic calm of a northern isles fiddle with the fire and fury of Swedish folk-jazz - and boy! does it swing! There are ample evidences of the jazz and 'new age' influences of the players - but the CD never makes the mistake of slipping fully into either of these genres. The sound quality is excellent, as you'd expect from ECM, and the fascinating mix of instrumental timbres - including a hammered dulcimer and Swedish bagpipes! - is a joy to the ear. Full of both complex and simple melody, this disc mixes striking vocals with rich instrumental soundscapes that never get dull - just when you think you know what's coming next, it all changes! But it all hangs together too - beautifully. Highly recommended - a must for anybody who likes jazz, or folk, and who thought they had heard it all!"

I like Frifot a lot

Steve Brown (stephen_j_brown@hotmai | 01/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first exposure to Swedish folk music, and I'm loving it. And these are some fine fine musicians. I saw a rave review of this album, so I bought it because I was in the mood for something new. The music is exotic, sometimes lively, sometimes melancholy, but always spirited. This is one intense record. I just love the Swedish bagpipes and the fiddling."

Fascinating and smart music

Kylie Felder | Boston | 09/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a classically-trained musician, I am fascinated by the quirky harmonies and rhythms of Swedish music. Ale Moller, Lena Willemark, and Per are outstanding musicians in every sense of the word...while not losing the spontaneous and rough-hewn quality of good folk music, they arrange the music in a very smart way so that every chord change and every improsivatory passage is absolutely captivating. This kind of music excites the imagination and takes it on all sorts of fantastical journeys. This is folk music at its best --endlessly rich and varied, surviving the test of repeated listening."