Artist Category: Instrumental

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc

From the moment Kevin Henderson, Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall of The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc first played together in 2009 they felt a particular chemistry in the sound they created.

Some seven hundred gigs later, playing across Scandinavia, mainland Europe, the U.S. and the UK, that chemistry continues to draw the trio together.

Passion is a word that comes up often in conversation with Henderson, Mjelva and Hall. It’s a word that lies behind the trio’s determination to find exactly the right tunes to play and exactly the right way to play a certain phrase (Henderson has been known to find forty different examples of them playing the same motif stored on his mobile phone from rehearsals). Passion for the music they make is also what makes them endure forty-two-hour flights that should only have taken two – to – three hours to get to a concert rather than let the promoter and audience down.

Hundreds of tunes have been tried and laid aside in The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc’s quest for the music which on two albums, their self-titled debut from 2011 and Deliverance, from 2016, has charmed listeners in the same way that their live performances beguile and satisfy.

In the beginning they were intrigued. For Henderson, who grew up in the fiddle-rich tradition of the Shetland Islands, there was a mystery in hearing his Scandinavian colleagues harmonise with one another. Although Fiddlers’ Bid, the Shetland group he has played with since his teens and continues to work with, create a harmonious, four-fiddle sound, the Swedish tradition of having one fiddle play a melody and another shadowing it with a harmony line, was something new to him.

The jamming sessions that led to the threesome coalescing into a group showed them that they could not only create a unique sound, they also had a richness, helped by their use of standard fiddles, octave fiddle, viola and Hardanger fiddle, that has led to them being likened to a string quartet rather than just a trio.

Folk music promoters and festivals internationally have picked up on the Bloc’s uniqueness. They have played at major events including Tønder Festival in Denmark, Scotland’s mammoth Celtic Connections winter music festival, Cape Breton’s prestigious Celtic Colours, and the annual A Celtic Christmas Sojourn in Boston.

Recognition, including a Norwegian Folk Award and a place in Songlines magazine’s Top of the World selection for their first album, has come their way and as fellow musicians including Dutch jazz violinist Tim Kliphuis invite them to participate in events such as his Rotterdam Fiddle Weekend, the trio have opened their ears to future possibilities in the jazz and classical spheres.

As dedicated tradition bearers, they have also created their own annual fiddle camp, which has taken place in Norway (2018) and Sweden (2019) and is due to visit Shetland next.

“On the evidence to hand, pure fiddle doesn’t get much better than The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc.” Folkworld

Ben Roberts

Ben Roberts is a cellist and composer based in Boston and originally from Denver, Colorado. Having studied classical performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and contemporary improvisation at the New England Conservatory, Ben is now a freelance musician performing and teaching primarily in classical and Irish styles.

After graduating undergrad in 2020, Ben programmed, organized, and performed over 100 outdoor house concerts in Denver and Boston. He has performed as part of the Askia and Corylus string quartets, and has worked with artists such as John Patitucci, Esperanza Spalding, and members of the Emerson String Quartet.

The Hanneke Cassel Band

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”

The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best in the new generation of fiddle players. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is in no way bound by it. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with cutting edge harpist Mairi Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages – folksongs, ballads and dance music – from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion.

Together, the Hanneke Cassel Band creates a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.

Sunniva Brynnel

Sunniva Brynnel is a Swedish accordionist, vocalist and composer within improvised music, folk music, devotional music and more.

Sunniva comes from a lineage of seven generations of female musicians, and her mother – Swedish folk singer Moa Rosa Brynnel – is one of her major influences.

Sunniva has toured extensively in Sweden and the US, and have recorded and/or performed in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, England, Slovakia, Estonia, France, Hawai’i. As a freelancing musician for over ten years, she has shared the stage with amongst others Timo Alakotila, Neil Yates, Jai Uttal, Praful, Peruquois, Dave Douglas, Dónal Clancy and many others.

Sunniva has performed on Swedish National TV, SVT 1, and her original music recordings have been broadcast on National Swedish Radio P2, as well as on international radio stations in the US, England, Ireland and more.

She is the recipient of Albin Hagström Minnesfond’s scholarship for accordionists through the Royal Academy in Stockholm, Anders Holger Gustafssons Musikfond, as well as having received substantial support throughout her music studies from Gull & Stellan Ljungbergs Stiftelse.

Sunniva was born in Uddevalla on the Swedish west coast and started to play the piano at the age of five. From the age of ten, she went to a primary school which had a special focus on music – especially choir singing.

Aged 18, Sunniva studied world and pop music full time at Ljungskile folk high school, Sweden.

She then went on to study Irish/Gaelic singing and music at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin. Her vocal teacher at DIT was Seosaimhin Ni Bheaglaoich.

After a year spent in Dublin, she moved on to study jazz performance at Birka folk high school outside Östersund, Sweden. This year; living in the Swedish snowy midlands by beautiful lake Storsjön, and having both inspiring teachers as well as brilliant fellow students, made a big impact on Sunniva’s playing and composing.

At Birka folk high school, Sunniva met guitarist Calle Jönsson, who insisted that every folk pianist should also play the accordion. And sure enough – she got herself an accordion and never looked back.

To be able to immerse herself in both jazz and the music of the British Isles, Sunniva then went on to study a BA jazz at Leeds College of Music, England, with composition as her major subject. Within her degree at LCoM she composed everything from small sized ensemble works to big band pieces.

While in the UK, Sunniva was also fortunate to study with accordionists such as Karen Tweed, Piero Tucci, Ian Lowthian and Murray Grainger.

Sunniva graduated from Leeds College of Music in July 2012 (BA Jazz 1st class honours). She also has a Swedish music teaching degree from Gothenburg University (2016).

In May 2018, Sunniva graduated with a Masters of Music in Contemporary Improvisation (Academic Honours) from The New England Conservatory.

Her teachers at The New England Conservatory include: Ran Blake, Jason Moran, Warren Senders and Jerry Bergonzi. She is a student of Indian Classical music, studying with amongst others her dear mentor Warren Senders.

In the spring of 2020, Sunniva became a Certified Deep Listening Instructor (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY, USA), and she is currently enjoying facilitating groups in Deep Listening. Deep Listening is the lifework of American accordionist and composer Pauline Oliveros.

Sunniva has hosted accordion-themed radio shows for Swedish National Radio P2 and she is the news editor of Swedish roots and jazz magazine Lira.

Her musical projects include:

Sunniva Brynnel Group – jazz quartet, US

Blå Dager – folk music quartet from the Swedish West Coast

Sunniva Brynnel & Timo Alakotila Duo – this Swedish/Finnish folk music & originals duo released their self-titled debut album in July 2016. The album is available on all major digital platforms

Night Tree – American/Swedish contemporary folk sextet which toured the US extensively and released two acclaimed albums: Night Tree (2017) & Dedications (2018)

Sunniva Brynnel & Yaniv Yacoby – Swedish and Celtic folk music on accordion/voice and Irish bouzouki

Masterplants – improvised music to the music of plants

Sunniva Brynnel & Ludvig Seashore – Swedish duo combining acoustic songs with deeply transporting electronics. Find their debut album Gläntan-Vinden on all major digital platforms.

Mareld –Swedish folk group from the Swedish West Coast playing traditional music and originals

Sunniva also writes music for theatre and dance, as well as being a passionate musician for Contact Improvisation and different tantric events and yoga practices.

Sunniva’s original music and recordings has been broadcast on for example Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Irish and American radio stations.

The Late Risers

The Late Risers perform traditional 1920-1940s era Jazz and swing music. Known as the “Pocket Jazz Band,” they have become a beloved institution over the years, performing concerts, swing dances, parties and celebrations all over New England. Sam Dechenne leads the band on trumpet and vocals and is joined by Nat Seelen on clarinet, Tev Stevig on banjo and Josiah Reibstein on tuba.

Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira

First meeting in Scotland, Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira joined their musical forces. Fusing together traditional and contemporary influences, they create powerfully uplifting and soulful music. Their instruments weave a dynamic, rhythmically driving and textured sound, with nuanced fiddle-cello interplay through delicate and fortissimo arrangements. They bring life and fire into their own original melodies, and high-energy tunes from Scotland, Ireland, North America, and Scandinavia – with Canadian stepdancing, to boot. Jocelyn and Ellen are keen to perform, and have been gracing stages and captivating audiences in both North America and the UK.

Performance highlights include: Celtic Connections Festival, Northern Streams Festival, Niel Gow Festival, Edinburgh Castle, Blair Castle, a Royal Visit performance for HRH Prince Charles, and live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3.

BB Bowness

Born in the small town of Marton, New Zealand, Catherine “BB” Bowness spent her early years working and living in her family’s Fish-and-Chip shop. Although an unlikely origin for a bluegrass banjo player, New Zealand would offer BB her first introduction to the instrument, sparking a lifelong love and fascination. A world away from the heart of bluegrass, BB spent much of her childhood teaching herself the instrument, and through dedication and tenacity became New Zealand School of Music’s first banjo student. Inspired by her New Zealand predecessors, The Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, BB was always drawn to the five-piece full band, and after heading to America in 2012 she co-founded her current group, Mile Twelve.

Immersing herself in the traditions of bluegrass and having studied jazz performance at university, BB’s banjo playing is an exciting synthesis of new and old ideas. “She demonstrates a command of the instrument, and plays with great rhythmic clarity both in the traditional and progressive realms. J.D. Crowe co-mingles with the future,” says Tony Trischka. Her euphoric energy and love of the genre are readily apparent in any of her live performances.

Currently, BB lives in Cambridge, MA. Mile Twelve has won numerous IBMA awards, including 2020 New Artists of the Year and 2017 Momentum Band of the Year. BB won the 2015 Freshgrass Banjo contest and was a winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2020.

Simon Chrisman

Hammer dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman brings an unusual style to an instrument that has previously been thought to have limited range and technique… his inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities are redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians from all over the world. He tours with the Jeremy Kittel Band and the Bee Eaters, and has performed with Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Laurie Lewis and Seamus Egan.

The Fretless

The Fretless has toured and recorded together since 2012, winning multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, Western Canadian Awards, and most recently, a JUNO Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.

The Fretless is a new approach to folk music that is quickly gaining high acclaim around the world. This unique band is taking string music to fascinating places as it transforms fiddle tunes and folk melodies into intricate, beautiful, high-energy arrangements.

Simon Chrisman & Wes Corbett

Wes and Simon started down the musical road at around the same time, on the same small island, but only met by chance and with the accidental help of Bill Frissell and a local noodle shack. Fast friends from the start, they’ve made music together every chance they’ve had along the way, making two records with chamber grass outfit the Bee Eaters, and stealing chances to get in a tune or two when passing through each other’s city of residence while on tour with other bands. Now, sixteen years after meeting, they’re releasing their first duo recording.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Wesley Corbett has been playing the banjo since he was 16, after a split from the classical piano. He has performed with many of the most influential acoustic musicians of our time, including Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Bruce Molsky, Robert Earl Keen, Tony Trischka, Molly Tuttle, and Laurie Lewis (among many others), as well as touring internationally with the Indie-Popgrass band Joy Kills Sorrow. From 2011-2015 Wes was the professor of banjo at Berklee school of music in Boston MA. He now lives in Nashville TN and plays in the Molly Tuttle Band.