Essential Nordic Albums

There's a long history of music in the Nordic countries - Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway - but it's only within the last couple of decades that it's emerged from its rural past onto the international stage. In Sweden the seeds were sown in the 1980s by bands like Groupa and Filarkfolket who presented a kind of folk-rock, inspiring the generation behind them to mix modern sounds with old music. In Finland, the creation in 1983 of a folk music program at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy opened the door for young musicians to learn and be inspired by the tradition, which has lead to a host of young bands and performers with their own takes on the tradition. Norway (whose music was spotlighted on The Sweet Sunny North by David Lindley and Henry Kaiser and Denmark are still finding their musical feet, but in artists like Annbjorg Lien and Sorten Muld are beginning to make a global mark.

In America, the Northside label has specialized in releasing music from all the Nordic countries, having discovered, as you will, that it's very addictive.

Various Artists: Kuulas Hetki(Olarn Musikki)

The folk music program at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy has been the major catalyst in bringing young people into folk music. This 1993 album showcased some of the graduates, and highlighted the quality of the playing. There was a mix and match of styles and instruments, but true regard for the tradition, as well as contemporary music with one foot in the past, like Arja Kastinen showed on the kantele (a kind of Finnish zither) on "Seitakivi," a composition by kantele master (and Sibelius Academy teacher), Marty Pokela.. An innovate program with remarkable standards, it's no surprise that many alumni have gone on to illustrious careers.

Garmarna: Vittrad (Crumbling Away), (Omnium)

The first rumblings of the new wave of Swedish folk music came with Garmarna, who included sampling in their arsenal, alongside fiddle, lute, and hurdy-gurdy, all topped by the exquisite vocals of Emma Hardelin. They took the darker traditional ballads, like "Straffad Moder & Dotter" (""Mother & Daughter Punished"), and added even more shadows. The revelation came in the presentation; children of the rave generation, they weren't afraid of making technology a vital part of the mix, while keeping faith with the country's instrumental and song tradition. This American debut from 1994 let people know there was more to Sweden than Abba.

Annbjorg Lien: Felefeber (Norwegian Fiddle Fantasia) (Shanachie)

The leading modern exponent of the Norwegian hardanger fiddle (a fiddle with sympathetic drone strings under the fingerboard) tradition, Lien became a folk music star in Norway while still in her teens, with her command of the varying regional styles. Her first American album from 1995 let her roots shine through, as on "Halling After Ola Mosafinn," where she offered genteel ornaments to the dance music, and showed her authority of tone and technique mixed with a lot of warmth and heart. She's moved on to become a very individual stylist and composer, but folk music remains at the heart of her work.

Wimme: Wimme (Northside)

The nomadic Sami, or Lapp, people use a vocal technique called joiking as their music, evoking the subject through sound. Wimme, working with the Finnish band Rinneradio, brought joiking out of the tundra, while still keeping its sparse majesty and sense of spirit, as on "Bieggajorri" ("Weathervane") where you can almost hear wind pushing the object around. Whether backed by the band or unaccompanied, it's raw, and very primal, yet quite moving, utterly modern in its setting without losing any of the history of the people. First issued in 1995, it remains one of the strongest Sami recordings, a standard that no-one else (except Wimme) has yet matched.

Frifot: Summersong(Northside)

It would be impossible to delve far into Swedish music without encountering Ale Moller. For the last twenty years he's been a force in both jazz and folk music. Frifot, his collaboration with the acclaimed singer/fiddler Lena Willemark and multi-instrumentalist Per Gudmundson is something of a supergroup. This 1999 compilation is the cream of a rich crop from the superb players who bring intelligence and virtuosity to everything, from a frisky folk ballads to a capella pieces and herding calls like "Kulning Fra/Nattleken" ("Herding Call/Night Tune"). The quintessence of modern Swedish acoustic music.