[ni:d]
Folk
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"New dimensions of ensemble playing"
Sweden
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8037
Last Login:
9/22/2008
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| [ni:d]: General Info
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| Member Since | 10/2/2006 | | Band Website | nidmusic.com | | Band Members |
[ni:d]
Mia Marin - Fiddle
Hanna Wiskari - Saxophone
Petter Berndalen - Percussion
www.nidmusic.com
Buy our CD!
Review:
There is something about trios. The spare nature of the lineup and the direct connection between the ear and the individual musicians make them attractive to me. These same qualities also make the musicians more attuned to each other, locked in to nuances that might be missed in a larger ensemble, yet offering sonic complexities that might elude the duet or solo performance.
This particular instrumental trio from Sweden offers an unusual sonic structure. Mia Gustafsson is the violinist, Hanna Wiskari plays saxophones and Petter Berndalen whacks, strums and caresses kit and frame drums and all sorts of small percussion. The violin and saxophone often play in tight unison or harmony, breaking off to counter and challenge one another in careful, open improvisations. These two young women clearly have learned their lessons from some of the best, and you can hear phrasing that indicates how much they revere masters of the previous two decades, like Lena Willemark, Mikael Marin, (who produced this recording), Sven Ahlbäck, Jonas Knutsson, Sten Källman and Ellika Frissell. Berndalen's playing owes much to the great Nordic drummer Terje Isungset in his use of brief, spacious patterns, irregular rhythms that fit tightly between the beat and unusual approaches to the instruments. They have studied the best of the best.
But they are ultimately their own masters. They show an astute understanding of regional folk music, with a particular focus on Värmland and Bohuslän, but they are not chained to the past and are willful in their reinterpretation of the old tunes. They freely mix in the jazz and classical idioms they all have training in, while never remaining true to the folk music, never becoming a fusion. Each tune offers a surprise, be it an unexpected sense of drama or a sudden flight of whimsy. This is all brilliantly expressed in their austere reading of Norwegian fiddler Hans Brimi's "Gammelhussin," where the fiddle and percussion don't so much take alternate lines of the tune as hurl them at one another, each challenging the other to take chances. They follow this with a warm romantic interpretation of the Brimi march "Nävårsetermarsjen" that starts as a slow fiddle solo and then evolves bit by bit into a raucous turn on the American fiddle tune "Blackberry Blossom," punctuated by a brief animated line from "Amazing Grace."
[ni:d] may have complicated their professional lives with their unusual name, (the phonetic of the English word 'need' as well as a reference to a Swedish song style), one that is impossible to file alphabetically. But perhaps that is the point; it is a name to match their equally undefined approach to folk music. As Wiskari explained to me, "Mostly it's about having a need for something - for example, playing music!"
- Cliff Furnald, Rootsworld
www.rootsworld.com | | Record Label | Academus | | Type of Label | Indie |
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| About [ni:d] |
[ni:d]
Three musicians with a common goal: Unison ensemble playing.
Together the group [ni:d] dive into the depths of folk music to explore how three people can sound like one.
The melodies are always in focus and give inspiration and ideas for what [ni:d] wish to communicate.
Their close ensemble playing captures and entrances the audience, taking them on a
journey unlike any other.
Review:
" I understood immediately that this was going to be something extraordinary, when I heard the first production from these three talented musicians. It had a unique sound that captured me instantly. A playfulness and freshness in combination with great ensemble playing.
Their music felt like the early primeurs of spring or the first tender green leaves of
the beech wood, all bathed in a special light. The light! It may not be very common to associate
music with light, but that was one of the first sensuous impressions I got from [ni:d]´s tone art.
Totally unique! When listening, I can only close my eyes and go on a sparklingly clear journey through the warm sound and light landscape of [ni:d]. I hope you, as a listener, can do the same.
Finally I would like to express my gratitude for allowing me to be there from the beginning. Few people besides the musicians themselves get the opportunity to follow the development from nothing to completed wonderful art.
Thank you! It has been a pleasure."
Mikael Marin, Producer
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