Irmelin skivinspelning med fjällvandrartermos och yogi-te

Irmelin har just spelat in på Kingside studio materialet till nästa platta.
Sångerna som är vår första förälskelse.

Otto Wellton är vår inspelningstekniker. Tre intensiva inspelningsdagar i vackra höstglödande Sörmland. Fyra katter och vackra stora hund-damen Tamla spred värme med sin närvaro.

Orsapolskor efter Gössa, bröllopskväden,
visor från Dala-Floda,
Enviken, Rättvik,
och inslag av Helsingfors, Estland och Norge.

Visor och låtar vi älskat sen tiden vi började med folksång.
Koraler, kulning, vallvisor, vaggvisor och en massa sköna polsketrallar.

Koklockorna.

Otto, Maria och Karin i kontrollrummet.

Hjärtervärmare från Nås, in the making....

Mina tillbehör i inspelningsbåset. Yogi-te och stämgaffel. Samma gamla fjällvandrartermos.

I januari 2016 räknar vi med att släppa vår kommande platta.
Håll utkik!

Nu är det en stunds vila och återhämtning.
Kreativt skapande kräver en god portion vila, enligt forskning har jag sett.
Så jag bestämmer att det är ok att grotta in sig hemma
nu kring omställning till vintertid.

Eva

Welcome 2015 with all your adventures in music

A new year has just begun.
First of all I want to thank you all my readers, you who visit my blog.
I truly wish you a beautiful year and lets all pull our forces together for
a year of more tolerance and love in the world.
Music, dance and story telling makes the world go around.
I know so many beautiful initiatives, activists,
thinkers and peace makers all around the globe
to make me want to contribute also what I can bring on the train.

One thing is to celebrate truly who we are and
be daring in creativity.
I've decided to fully live my dream of releasing
a solo album.

It's getting closer and closer,
the launch of my new cd, Vida.
February 12 in Göteborg,
please come to celebrate with me in Hjällbo church.


I just heard some music on the radio that makes me so happy.
For the first time to me, I found this gem of new jazz, Chlopy Kontra Basia.
The pure happiness of language, without knowing the meaning of the lyrics,
I just love the sounds.




Chlopcy Kontra Basia - Oj Tak


Got to keep on working now, the day is bright and  I have lots to plan and organize. 
Final steps of the cover and textbook of my CD. 

Eva

Pure love for sounds and voices

The creative has a good soil here.
Key persons make a huge contribution in bringing the good things together. Thank you so much initiative makers, crew and leaders of this lovely voice festival, Naturstimmen - Klangfestival in Alt St. Johann, Toggenburg.
The pure love for sounds and voices made a great impact on me.
For example:
This house with a black smith on the bottom floor, powered by a water wheel. Water and fire energy steaming up in the rest of the house.
On the other floors in the house it was room after room filled with  music of many kind. Music therapy, music exploring, music to touch and be touched by. Instruments with pentatonic scales so beginners can feel the happiness of being creative with tones. And vibrations.
On the top floor Irmelin had our course every morning, sharing the songs of the north. Thank you participants who signed up to spend four whole days with us. We had a lovely time with you!

Here's Bernhard Betschart performing his pure yodel from Muotathal. Irmelin had the pleasure to perform together with him on the night out at the lake Schwendisee in the Alps of Toggenburg. Nature gave us blessings of rain and it was pure life being there listening to Beny's yodel answering in with our shepherd calls from the north.





“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

After Toggenburg I continued to Hochdorf to work with cellist Annika Dobler, a long time music partner. We were both members of Rosenbergs Sjua and have several tours together all around in many countries.
The magic linden tree in their garden. Perfect for en evening session with music in the garden.

Last concert was performed in a local church in Hochdorf in the morning, Annika and me singing away in a non-picture-only-colors-and-shapes reformert church. It was a cleansing experince and very etheric.
Then finally, time to just relax!
On my last day in Switzerland I had an afternoon & evening free. We took the train to Luzern. Annika and Alain showed me around to their get-away-places of tranquility in the middle of a city.
Seebad in Luzern.

Seebad in Luzern. My friends grandmother used to come here every day.

My first swim for this summer, in Lake Luzern.

Strolling the streets of Luzern on a summer evening.

Have a beautiful day out there!
Eva

Folkvocal day 3 in Stockholm

Today is the World Day of Voice!
What can be a better idea to celebrate than to spend a full day with these powerful and creative song sisters? A capella at it's best.

Amazing how much flow we've had the two past days. The music is coming together beautifully. We have come to the point of putting the whole set together. There are already clear links between some songs, patterns that will go in and out of each other. Yet we have to decide who will sing what, a sort of casting for the different roles.
We are four composers in this and it's definitely four unique voices with so much personality. We are also united by the roots of our vocal tradition.

Can't wait to meet with the four other singers who will together with us make the full ensemble.

Susanne Rosenberg
Maria Misgeld
Ulrika Bodén
Eva Rune
Lisa Laestander
Karin Ericsson Back
Maja Eriksson
Sofia Sandén

Mark the day in your calendars. Please come and share this unique event with us when we perform the piece in Stockholm on the 18th of June.

In the studio composing music.

Favourite guitarist John Doyle playing Queen of the earth, child of the sky

A couple of years ago I had the chance to encounter John Doyle while we were at the same festival in Finland. He made a solo performance there that is forever living in my memory.

Earlier that day we had lunch together and talked among other things about mining songs. In his set list of music that night he added a mining song, powerful in beauty and rawness. He also invited me up on stage to sing one mining song together with him, Dark as a dungeon.

Here's a taster for you: Queen of the earth, child of the sky & Coolaney Reel.



We swaped cd's and now his album Shadows and light is one of the CD's that is played again and again here at home. You can get it on line, I'm sure! Check out amazon.com or his own webpage: www.johndoylemusic.com/


Little Sadie:


Here's a link if you want to see and hear him perform a song from that CD, his own piece The Arabic.
John Doyle: The SS Arabic

Photo taken at Lempo Festival, Kouvola, Finland:

Photographer Minna Raskinen

Way faring stranger coming home

It was absolutely crowded, almost three people on every two chairs and people standing inside and outside the venue of Gamla Elverket in Falun. Someone said it was the highest number ever in the crowd.
It was a very special manifestation of music, poetry, spoken word that all centered in one person. Tommy Johansson.
Yesterday night was his farewell concert.

I think everyone on stage and in the crowd has a reason to give deepest thanks to Tommy for his determination to stand up for the creative, the misfits, the entrepreneurs, the weak, the abandoned kids in our society. He's been part of giving a room for everyone to work through culture a way out from drugs or loneliness. The open arms at Gamla Elverket, the atmosphere there, is in one way or another part of Tommys work with this place. Of course many other great people are co-creators with Tommy and keep on doing this very special work in Falun.

When culture change the world.

Now it's time for carry his torch further, without him. He's got short time left to live, he's seriously ill.

Nevertheless Tommy was up on stage yesterday, singing his own songs, adding the words "to come home". Courageusly giving us a full speach on his situation, his dreams for Gamla Elverket, his love for life and his dear ones, his fear to die and also his acceptance and peace to let go. He will look forward to play music again with his friends who has gone before him.
The whole room was electrified with emotions in this moment, you could reach out with your hand and touch that strong love that was shared.

You are already young.

On stage there was a great number of musicias who all paid their homage to Tommy. Among others we heard Stina Berge, David Tallroth, Jennifer Fergusson, Pierre Swärd, Pelle Lindström, The Tallest Man on Earth, Idiot Wind.

The Tallest Man on Earth & Idiot Wind

Gamla Elverket take part in an art-project, Before I die. Several notes where placed on the walls.

My thoughts today goes to Tommy and his family. Thank you for this great reminder again and again that we have to live our lives fully and at our best as long as we are here.

Eva

Bengt Hallberg in memory

The piano where we prepared for last summers concert.

Last summer I had the great honour to work with the jazz pianist, late Bengt Hallberg. We did the opening concert of Ljungskile Sommarjazz, doing songs in the borderlands of jazz and folkmusic.

Blogpost: after-singing-with-bengt-hallberg

Rehearsal at Bengts home, June 2012. 

Overwhelmed by this chance to be in the presense of such a great musician and soul filled with music, in the beginning I was a bit shy. Our first rehearsal was at his home in Uppsala some weeks before the concert. So I soon learned how compleetely grounded this remarkable gentleman was in himself without the slightest need to show off, and possessing a fine combination of being grand and humble at the same time.

My last memory of him was after the concert in the middle of the warm summer night. He and his sweet love Mariana came down the stairs from the back room on second floor, a steep stair case, and they were laughing-smiling-talking, being true age-less lovers.

Café Tant Grön, Ljungskile.

On the 28th of June this summer, two weeks ago, I came back to the little café Tant Grön in Ljungskile where Bengt and I prepared and rehearsed for our concert last summer. A strong sense of memories came to me and I sat down at the table where we at that time had coffé between the songs we played.
I didn't know then that it was just a few days before he passed away, on the 2nd of July at the age of 80.


With deepest gratitude I say: Thank you, Bengt. For all the inspiration and great music you have flowingly given to me and everyone.




I would like to borrow this song from Patti Smith, thinking of how Bengt and Marina went out in the summer night the last time I saw them.

Because the night belongs to lovers.....

Best cds in my player 2012

Ahmad Al Khatib, Youssef Hbeisch: Jadayel. Maria Misgeld: Romans i moll.

John Doyle: Shadows and light.

During the year that passed I had some cds that kept spinning in my player, over and over again. I would gladly like to share some brilliant work made by musicians from near and far. Some cds has been with me for many years and they will steadily be my companions here. Other cds just released now, hot from the print.

2012

January:
Lhasa, The Living Road Toutoutard 2003
This great voice will never be silent, her artistry is forever. This cd is the first I encountered of her works. Heard first in the dining room at Dala-Floda Världshus in the unforgettable settings of Paul and Christina Aarts food, music, style of folk art from different corners of the world.

February:
The Boswil Concert, Paul Hanmer and McCoy Mrubata. 2010
Paul Hanmer, piano, organ. McCoy Mrubata, saxophone.
Künstlerhaus, Boswil, www.africanmusic.unibas.ch

Mars:
Ilmajousi - Luftstråk. KMH Förlag 2001
Maria Kalaniemi & Sven Ahlbäck

April:
John Doyle: Shadow and Light, Compass Records 2011
John Doyle performed at festival Lempo in Finland where I first heard him live. Totally mindblowing music, him alone on the stage. Great honour for me to guest him on one song. Unforgettable.

May:
Moses Hightower: "Búum til börn" Record Records 2010
I heard them live in Germany when I toured with Nordic Wedding Music. Lovely to hear music sung in islandic language.

June:
Tetra: Hiyya, Footprint 2010
Lovely a capella quartet from Göteborg.

July:
Algérie Voix des Femmes: Compilation cd by Blue Silver. 1997
My absolute favourite track is Djurdjura ura's Azemmour.

August:
No other listening then just dig into Irmelin repertoir, work in progress. Sometimes I go into a kind of music fasting when it comes to consuming music from other artists. It's not so concious from my side, I just go inte to the process of creating my music and then it fades away with listening to other. Or I dont have so much time to listen to other music. I can imagine that the brain is working that way, to give a lot of space for the process of creativity.

September:
Hornroh Modern Alphornquartet
Phonag Records 2009
www.hornroh.ch
Our new friends in Hornroh! Irmelin had the chance to meet and work with Hornroh while doing the performance Blaue Stunde in Basel, in september.

October:
Maria Misgeld: Romans i moll.
Misgeld Music 2011.
www.misgeldmusic.com
Maria's own soloalbum, the album following her first one, "Margits sånger". And again, she's made a touching, vivid and profoundly beautiful piece of art. I will listen to this album for a long time to come.

November:
Otonal.
Mattias Pérez and Nano Stern 2009
A meeting between Chile and Sweden guitar mastery. My friends and former collegues, I long to the moment we will reunite in music one day.

December:
Ahmad Al Khatib, Youssef Hbeisch, Bela Quartet: Jadayel.
My full review can be found in december blogpost.
Jadayel has been spinning in my player ever since. The more I listen, the deeper it goes. Wonderful.


Have a good journey out there!
Eva

Lhasa de Sela

This is music I keep returning to, year after year. She's unfortunately not with us anylonger in this world but she's eternal with her music.

Anywhere on this road:



Anywhere on this road the very first song I heard from her music. It's such a moment that is clear in my memory. I was teaching in a voice workshop, my own weekend course in "kulning" at the lovely small hotel, Dala-Floda Värdshus. The owners then at this time were Christina and Paul Aarts who now run a small hotel, Subira House at Lamu in Kenya. They had the most interesting collection of music from all over the world, from classical to jazz to folk music and everything in between. One morning at breakfast they played Lhasa in the dining room. I was not the only one who immediately went to the kitchen to ask what this music was. Of course I had to buy the cd later on.


Lhasa: Rising

First of January with some mountain music with Maxida Märak

Today is easygoing,1st of January, sleeping long and having a day in the sofa....mmm, nice!

On new years eve we spoke about resolutions and we could agree that we identify areas where each person want to higher or lower the ambitions.
Theese ambitions apply for me:

* Slow down the speed a bit.
* I want to cook more food with good real seasonal vegetables, meat, fish. Less factory made food.
* I want to be daring and without compromises in my music. Simplicity, space.


I've been asked if I do new years resolutions. Yes, I guess I do in a way, but it's an ongoing process. I have my own manifesto that I re-evaluate from time to time. It's hand written in a black book where I add new thoughts, or old thoughts that are important to me. Sometimes it's principles I've found, sometimes it's rooted in my own earlier experience and follows what occurs in my own development. I love to share "seeds of thought". I love to read what other people have been thinking. For 2013, let love and tolerance start within our own thinking.



Don't judge...
Let go of expectations.....
Have acceptance for things that happen.....
Trust that the unexpected things that occur in your life has something to do with your own growing.
Have the courage to make the decisions.
Accept what you can't change and learn to see the difference between what you can or can't change.
Life is abundant. Instead of seeking for having as much as possible on behalf of others, there is plenty and enough for all if we share.


"People don't make you angry, they don't make you happy. They are simply invitations. Notice whether you are reacting or responding. Oneness ALLWAYS applies." -MahaNomi

Some days ago I discovered this lovely singer from north of Sweden, Maxida Märak. I'm very happy to find this music, it's a unique collaboration and new interpretation of mountain music. I just love it.






Maxida Märak & Downhill Bluegrass Band

Eva

Blue hour in Sweden

Half an hour before 4 o clock in the afternoon the Blue Hour is spreading over Göteborg. It's time to read and listen to music.

Why is it so hard to just do nothing?

There are many things to prepare for work in January with Irmelin, with Ahmad Al Khatib, Martin Holmlund, Roger Johansson-project, and other concerts too. It's going to be lot of rehersing time. Irmelin cd will be mixed. Travels and administrational big time job, applications as usual. I'm privileged to work with so fine musicians, and I'm again full of passion for what we do.  (During autumn I had a "close-to-hit-the-wall-experience") Each and every project I'm in makes me jump out of bed in the morning.

But I fight to not start any of that yet. Holiday first. I must take some time free, really free.

Wait.

Say no.

(Alexander techique)

Wait and observe the directions.

Up tall.

Down earthed.

Front.

Back. Breath with your back side.

Relax.

One side.

The other side.

Width.

Now it's time to decide when to take action. Say no to the auto pilot. It's my decision. It's on me to drive now.

Here's some music for a so far grey day, now turning to blue hour.
Miss Li in her official video, shot in Enviken at Jonssons Fik (and other places like the main road in Enviken....) I enjoy it especially because it's made in Enviken.





Sågskära songs from the cd Apelgrå, for games around christmas, "Räven, höken och ungersven". This film was showed on television when the cd was released. Thank you Yoshiaki in Japan for finding this link on youtube!




Eva

Jadayel, CD with Ahmad al Khatib, Youssef Hbeisch and stringquartet Bela

This is the cd that will be the soundtrack of my midwinter.

You had me at first hello.

Jadayel is an instrumental cd with musicians Ahmad Al Khatib, oud, Youssef Hbeisch, percussion, and the Bela Quartet (France). Frédéric Aurier, violin, Julien Dieudegard, violin, Julian Boutin, viola, Luc Dedreuil, cello. Compositions on the cd are made by Ahmad Al Khatib and Frédéric Aurier.

Photo by Nicolas Damuni

Jadayel is about blending together modal music with contemporary and harmonic music. It's experimental and very melodic, sometimes vivid and fast, sometimes airy.




When I started listening the very first tone hit me. Track number one, "La colombe bleue", starts with a ringing beautiful sound of the oud, struck just once. The first open chord lasts just as long as the sound is fading away and then followed buy unfolding of the beautiful piece written by Ahmad Al Khatib to his wife.

Youssef creates a world of rythm and sound from his drums. Lamento, track number 5, a piece written by Frédéric Aurier, starts with solo percussion that immediately takes me away to a place deep inside the music. Youssef has a wide range of different instruments and use them very precicely to give each piece it's soundscape of rythm.

Quartet Bela creates emotions in their music, it's story telling on high level. Their artistry to blend with the oriental melodies and scales is made with great skill. I love the way Ahmad Al Khatib's compositions add harmonies to the microtonality, and the way Quartet Bela performs this. The string quartet concept is truly an amazing art form. Cello and viola are two of my favourie instruments. The highest notes in the violin is here adding air and space to the whole creation.

One of the pieces, Quodlibet, has a atmosphere of old style renaissance music to it. I've always felt drawn to renaissance music and the way it's explored here really makes me happy. This piece starts with solo cello and then follows the whole ensemble, adding more contemporary parts. It is written by Frédéric Aurier.

I learn that Quartet Bela is reaching out far in different directions. They also explore free form improvisations and sounds to the limit of what the ear can take. But in order to break the rules you have to know the rules. It's also very encouraging to hear that musicians of this high level of skills and talent are daring to create way out and beyond the pleasing type of music we are over flooded with.


Jadayel was recorded 2012 and released by Ta'mour.


Have you seen the little animated pearl of a film, "The fourth king" by Ted Sieger? (Den fjärde kungen, Folkets Bio) The soundtrack to this film is also strings working together with oriental instruments. Maybe I got into this blend of music by seeing the film every year around christmas.

Eva

A capella inspiration: Voice Squad singing Parting Glass

Here's a vocal trio from Ireland I really like! The Voice Squad:



Members in Voice Squad is Gerry Cullen, Phil Callery and Fran McPhail.
They have made three albums:

Many's The Foolish Youth, 1987, Tara, TARACD4004
Holly Wood, 1992, TARA 4013
Good People All, 1993

The Parting glass is a farewell song sung in Ireland, Scotland and Newfoundland with records found as early as in the 16-hundreds.

Of all the money e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm I've ever done,
Alas! it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit
To mem'ry now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be to you all.

If I had money enough to spend,
And leisure time to sit awhile,
There is a fair maid in this town,
That sorely has my heart beguiled.
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips,
I own she has my heart in thrall,
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be to you all.





Eva

Svenska Kammarkören singing "Stjärnan" by Susanne Rosenberg

What a joy, very special for me to sit and listen to this beautiful concert Sunday 16th of Dec in Christinae church in Göteborg.

Svenska Kammarkören (Swedish Chamber Choir) conducted by Simon Phipps.

A program of christmas songs and as a very special event they performed for the very first time a piece written by Susanne Rosenberg, "Stjärnan" (The star). Susanne is my former teacher from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. I appreciated her piece very much, it was performed with elegance by the choir. It's based on various folk traditions like the old "star-songs" that I have written about in my blogg recently + religious hymns sung in the villages in the old days. Susannes mastery of this art is famous not only in Sweden but abroad. Susanne has a unique knowledge how to create multi-part singing out of the techniques provided in folk music.

Among my top favourites in their concert was Praetorius Det är en ros utsprungen in a beautiful arrangement by J. Sandström.
I favour Susanne's piece because I'm so deeply attached to her music and my long history hearing her artistery in music. Plus I love to hear when choirs perform newly written music in addition to the classical pieces.
I also enjoyed very much hearing Ding dong merrily the sky. Just because Simon Phipps has his background in english choir tradition and he really made something light and extra out of this wellknown song.

Simon Phipps with parts of Svenska Kammarkören.

Svenska kammarkören is one of the top choirs, and they are capable of diverse styles and complicated choir pieces. Hearing them do a piece by Susanne was really interesting. They bring out some deep qualities in her song Stjärnan. Because I'm familiar with folk music I also know what a singer can do if you are trained in the style. I can imagine that there are more to explore for Svenska Kammarkören, especially in the field of rythmical singing, the very small details in how to make the music bounce. What they did now was beautiful, I'm not talking about right or wrong, it's just that there are so many levels to explore.

Karin Ståhl, to the left on the bottom row, sang the beautiful solo-part by the end of Susanne's piece "Stjärnan".

Let's face it, we are in the time of holy madness of christmas concerts.....



I wish you all a very good week! Eva

Oud is honey for the soul

Preparing for tomorrows rehersal with Martin Holmlund, upright base, and Ahmad Al Khatib, oud. Listening to this fabulous song that is found at the cd Madar, by Jan Garbarek, Anouar Brahem and Shaukat Hussain. This cd was launched in 1994 and I bought it probably the same year. I remember how I was compleetely filled with the music for a week when I was ill with the flu. I read a book, a biography of american painter Georgia O'Keeffe and listens to the cd over and over again. It made me almost hypnotised. I guess it's one of my strongest musical impressions, wich later lead me to form the enseble Alruna years later.
In the youtube clip it's fascinating to see all the images of desert, wich was so much the life and home of Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico. Georgia O'Keeffe herself, what a role model as artist, so pure, strong minded and consequent in her believes and life.

Sull lull:



And one more of my top favourites from the same album, Qaws:



Eva

Sommarkonserter 2012

Glad försommar!

Nu när jag tittar både framåt och bakåt finns det så mycket som jag gärna vill dela med mig av. Det fyller mig med tacksamhet till familj, vänner, arbetskamrater i musiken, publik, och sångelever. Utan er hade det inte varit nåt!
Under mina resor har det också blivit flera nya upptäckter på spännande musik, som nu snurrar ofta i min skivspelare. För att bara nämna några favoriter:

Maria Misgeld och band, CD Romans i moll. Äntligen uppföljaren till Margits sånger!
John Doyle, från Irland, CD Shadow and light.
Moses Higtower, från Island. CD Búum til börn

Här är några av mina favoritinspiratörer, i olika kategorier. Människor som förverkligar sina drömmar och har ett vackert och roligt sätt att berätta om dem.

Equilibrium: Min lärare i alexanderteknik, Barbro Olsson, skriver om balans i kroppen och tillvaron, utifrån sin långa erfarenhet som alexandertekniklärare. Dessutom ger hon många fina tips om andra kreativa och inspirerande människor. http://www.alexandertechnique.se/

Drömma - lite som du... Fantastiskt vackert foto på denna blogg. Jag älskar att titta på alla klänningar och kjolar som Lotta har på sig. Hon skriver rakt på sak om sitt eget liv. http://www.dromma.se/

Täpp Lars, skinnskräddare och konsthantverkare. Fäbodbrukare på somrarna. Inspiratör för många. www.larsofscandinavia.com



Och här kommer den roliga sommarturnén:


29 maj Irmelin på Arbetets Museum i Norrköpin kl 18

16 juni "Vi segla ut på livets hav", kurs i bröllopssånger och kärleksvisor i Övertänger, kl 10-15

17 juni Kulningskurs i Övertänger, kl 10-15.

23 juni Ödsmåls kyrka i Stenungsund tillsammans med Gunnar Eriksson och Göteborgs Kammarkör. Kl 19

17 juli Irmelin i Stora Mellby kyrka, Sollebrunn. Kl 20

22 juli invigningskonsert Sommarjazzen, tillsammans med Bengt Hallberg, legendarisk pianist, Ljungkile. Ljungskilegården kl 20.

28 juli Irmelin i Sölvesborg.

2 aug Irmelin i Orsa kyrka. Kl 20

9 aug Irmelin i Rättvik på Nyfiken, Gammelgården, kl 19.

19 aug Nordic Wedding Music, Insikten, Trollhättan. Kl


Konserten den 22 juli vill jag berätta lite mer om. Jag har blivit uppringd och ombedd att göra öppningskonsert tillsammans med Bengt Hallberg, denna emininente gentleman till pianist-legend, under Sommarjazzen anordnad av L'Jazz i Ljungskile. Vi har fria händer att göra en jazzkonsert i folkton, det är nästan för stort och jag försöker förhålla mig med barnslig glädje att helt enkelt passa på att göra musik på ett lekfullt sätt. Men det är alltid väldigt speciellt att ha premiär på ett program man aldrig gjort förut, att spela med en av de främsta inom sitt gebit, och som jag dessutom beundrar nåt alldeles ohämmat. Bengt och jag gjorde en duo-låt under julkonsert i Ljungs kyrka, "En gång i bredd med mig" efter Anna Sjöbom. Den upplevelsen glömmer jag aldrig. Bengts pianospel är så fint utmejslat som bara hans långa karriär och erfarenhet kan vaska fram.

De andra sommarkonserterna har givetvis lika mycket plats i mitt hjärta, man älskar alla sina barn så att säga. Gunnar och kören, Irmelin och Nordic Wedding Music, och de härliga sommarkurserna i min egen stuga i Övertänger. Varmt välkomna att lyssna och delta, hoppas vi ses någonstans i sommarvimlet.


Bland dessa kommande nyheter vill jag gärna också säga att sångboken "Bröllopssånger och kärleksvisor" kommer att färdigställas i juni, då vi tar foton med våra vänner som modeller. Ett foto för varje kapitel, vart och ett foto gestaltar en fras ur en noga utvald sång. Vi har under de senaste 12 månaderna kommit in i mer konkret kreativ fas av vad foton i boken ska gestalta. Det är en väldigt stor glädje att jobba med så kunniga medarbetare som var och en har lång erfarenhet, Gabriella Persson formgivare, Janne Mellqvist fotograf, och Eva Petrén, stylist. Det har öppnat upp för mig helt nya sätt att skapa bild, hur alla detaljer i bilden samverkar att utrycka det vi tänk. Som röd tråd genom alla bilder ska vi använda blommor av silkespapper.
Jag kan avslöja att min favorit-traditionsbärare, coola Anna Sjöbom, kommer att finnas med som en hjältinna i både foto och text i boken.


Soliga sommarhälsningar,


Eva Rune

Let's do something!

Today I saw the film "Sing your song", a documentary of Harry Belafonte and his tremendous history in arts, music and social activism. Stunning history! And not always the history told as I learned from his daughter Gina Belafonte, producer of the film. Gina met us the audience here in Göteborg today and after the screening we could ask her questions and she really met us with a warm heart and openess.

It's all really touching. There's pictures in this movie from the most heart aching moments of human despair, from the violent days of racism, apartheid, famine and war. Each time Harry Belafonte heard the cries he acted: Let's do something! He was constantly movement-building and searching for Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities, Freedom for the people who lack this.

He got very close to Martin Luther King and the non violent movement. He met Mandela, who greeted him: "-Ah, there you are Harry-boy!" when Mandela came to the US for the first time after being released from his 27 years in prison.

The story is really long, how he always stood up for human rights. And Harry Belafonte called himself a constant optimist, that's the only way to have hope.

The film is a great portrait of a unique artist who devoted his whole life for the believes he had, to make his country a good place to live for all inhabitants. In his old days he put a lot of focus on children and young voices all around the world. Being a Unicef embassador he really gained a lot achivement.
It's also scary to see how other forces tried to stop him and destroy for all the leaders of the movement, blacklisting them, threatening them. Bravery is what' always been needed if you want to really make a difference. How hard the struggle was at some point.

Harry once asked Martin Luther King if he feared for his life, and the answer was firm: I care mostly for doing a good job. Life is somehow short, and it's not so much about how long you live but what you do with your life.

As always when I see the documentary pictures of killings in Soweto during the 1960th I can hardly breath, I get an immediate pain in my body. But most of all, I feel so uplifted to see the determination and the achievements and how people stood up and joined for freedom and equal rights.

Listen to this interview:



And here's some happy jumping film-festival visitors!
Long live hope!
Eva

Two strong women: Svarta Björn and Djur Djura

This week I'll start a new choir project with womens choir Iris in Göteborg. We'll collect songs made by women, sung by women, and tell stories of womens life. My input in the project will be to coach with folk music, the singing style, and some repertoire.

For the rehersal tomorrow I'll bring three lovely lullabies plus two songs telling the story of Svarta Björn. Anna Rebecka Hofstad was cooking food for the rail road workers near Narvik, and she became a legend during her short life, known for her strength, her intelligense, her rightiousness, her beauty. So much a woman! Strong and beautiful, that's the way! Not much is known about her background, but she came from Norway. Her grave is in Tornehamn, a graveyard for the railroad workers. There are lots of songs about her.
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svarta_Bj%C3%B6rn

I found again Djur Djura. There's something with her voice that sounds like a young girl, but in fact, she's a generation older than me!

Djur Djura moved from Algeria to live in France and make her own music there. She's a great role model for many women. As a baby she was rejected by her own mother just for being a girl baby. She was then raised by older relatives. Djura dedicates her songs to “all women who have been deprived of love, knowledge and freedom”.

This song is about a a girl dreaming of freedom.



So, let's rock n roll into this new day, bring in our strength and our beauty. Come on girrrrls!
Eva

Mera dragspel

Regis Gisavo från Madagaskar.
Idag har jag behövt lyssna på afrikansk musik när jag åkt spårvagn, och detta dök upp ur mina gömmor. Det finns en underbar cd som heter Stories from the sea, med Regis Gisavo (dragspelare från Madagaskar), Louis Mhlanga (gitarrist från Sydafrika) och David Mirandon (trumset). På denna cd finns låten Tsyka Holy, som här verkar vara i en live-version från youtube. Louis Mhlanga har jag haft glädjen att träffa i Johannesburg och han gjorde ett studioinhopp när Paul Hanmer och jag spelade in vår musik.

Ja, mycket fint dragspel har det blivit idag, inte bara på spårvagnen. Jag har repat med dragspelaren Hannu Kella från Tsuumi Sound System, Finland. Hannu har enormt mycket musik i sinnet. Vi ska spela vår första konsert den 17 april, i Härlanda kyrka i Göteborg.

So long!
Eva

Himmelsk sång: Azemmour med Djurdjura

Solen återkom till Göteborg igår.

Nu har jag hört något helt fantastiskt med sångerskor från Algeriet. Musik av sångerskan Djurdjura, låten Azemmour. Det är unisont varvat med stämsång, a capella. En atmosfärisk sång som i klangen påminner om ungdomskör. Jag har en cd hemma, "Algérie - La Voix des Femmes" och där hittade jag detta spår. Nu ska jag leta fler cd's med Djurdjura.


Jag hittade detta om Djurdjura på nätet och kopierar för att sprida kunskapen, jag hoppas författaren ger mig medgivande och tycker samma sak att fler ska känna till denna fina sångerska. Texten finns på http://zighcult.canalblog.com

"Djurdjura was formed by one woman whose struggles in life turned her into a hero for many young Algerian women, myself included. Djura who was born in the late forties in a remote kabyle (berber) village of Algeria, began her existence on the edge between life and death. Rejected by her mother for being a girl, she was raised by her grand-father's wife, who gave her all the love she lacked from her own mother. In the early 1950's with the encouragement of immigration of North Africans as a source of cheap labor by the French government, Djura's father took his family to France. The family lived in a poor district of Paris called Belleville. Because of his involvment with Algeria's National Liberation Front, Djura's father was imprisoned. This event led the young Djura to help raise her seven younger siblings. Djura's outstanding singing voice gained her solo parts in the school choir, but when she was offered at 16 a main role in a TV series, her father forbade her to take it. To escape an impending arranged marriage and hoping for independance, Djura fled Paris for Algiers where she wrote her first songs. In 1977 she formed the group Djur Djura, named after the Mount Djurdjura near her childhood home, first with her two sisters and later with other young Berber singers, accompained by musicians from North Africa, America, and France. Djura dedicates her songs to "all women who have been deprived of love, knowledge and freedom".

Varma fredagshälsningar från Eva