Radio Planet 3
Simple Elegance &Nordic Noise
by Cliff Furnald

I never cease to be amazed at what's coming from the Nordic countries these days. This year has been particularly fruitful: Major recordings have come out of areas from eastern Denmark all the way to western Finland.

First, from Denmark comes a simple, elegant recording of guitar and fiddle by Morten Alfred Høirup and Harald Haugaard. Høirup's guitar work has been featured on many recordings in the past decade, most notably those with the American Café Orchestra, a Nordic-American hybrid in which he has been able to show off both folk and jazz chops. His 1997 solo album, Vingarden, has received critical praise for its subtle innovations and masterful playing. Harald Haugaard is an award-winning fiddler with a graceful yet visceral style that owes as much to American country and swing as it does to the folk music of Denmark. Duo for Violin and Guitar [Blue Apple, via Go, Denmark] is an elegant adventure in folk melodies and dance numbers, played without restraint and with plenty of unexpected turns of phrase. The tunes may be traditional Danish, but the renderings are au courant, personal, and exuberant. The pleasure in such a recording is in the exchange of ideas evident in each tune, as two excellent musicians both share the spotlight and vie for center stage.

There are four more albums reviewed in this column in Dirty Linen #84 (October/November '99)
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