Ånon II by Ånon Egeland

I think Ånon Egeland is one of the most important contemporary fiddlers in the Scandinavian traditions, with a growing and dedicated audience around the world. Like no one else, his repertoire and playing style show us how tunes and techniques from masters of the previous generations can be the basis for contemporary musical expressions. It is more than just "inspired by" tradition, and more than just "playing like the old masters"; Ånon creates a genuinely personal musical world with great emotional and communicative power.

Also in Sweden, Ånon has like no other Norwegian fiddler, a large following. On any session with Swedish musicians, you are likely to hear one or several tunes from Ånon's albums.

It is perhaps hazardous to claim that Ånon's generation is the last to learn fiddling "the old way", but there have certainly been some important changes - culturally, technological and economical - that neccessarily influence the way music is learned, and, not least, the perception of what music is about. Without the immediate availability to a vast body of recorded material, nor relevant full-time education for traditional musicians, Ånon's education as a musician depended to a large extent on tracing fiddlers with interesting repertoar, and get tunes directly from their fiddles. Also important were all the digging in not-so-easily accessible archives and collections for recordings and old hand-written sources of tunes.
In the process, he got a broad view of playing techniques, and a large repertoire of more or (most often) less well-known tunes.
His three last albums (Sorpesoll, Egeland/Edén/Marin, Farvel, farvel) have all gotten nominations to important prizes. His playing is firmly rooted in the traditions of Southern Norway, and, at the same time, is, highly personal and contemporary in style. - Tellef Kvifte

This album is a homage to the performers who generously and freely invited the young man I once was into their homes, serving him coffee and cakes and – as if that weren’t enough – sharing their music with him. In doing so, they made me into a link in a long chain of tradition-bearers that stretches far back in time. My oldest teacher was born in 1893, his teacher in 1857 and his teacher again in 1811, and so on. It’s a humbling thought.

None of my teachers were involved in organised folk music circles; they played for the sheer joy of it and to keep their legacy alive. As a result, their repertoires and playing styles flourished freely, impervious to the influence of ideology and fashion. The qualities of their music and their relationship to it left an indelible mark on me.

I have made a point of creating a varied soundscape by using different instruments: the strings on the four Hardanger fiddles and three regular fiddles are made from different materials and the instruments are in different tunings. The three Jew’s harps also have different fundamentals in order to explore different timbres. With very few exceptions, none of the tunes on this album have been recorded commercially. In most cases, they come from the southern county of Agder – one of many areas of our country that lays claim to the cliché of being Norway in miniature. But Agder must be one of the more serious contenders to this title. Few other regions in the country boast a greater cultural variation, whether in dialects or other immaterial cultural heritage. The repertoire on this album reflects not just a similar diversity but also my musical journey and the fiddlers who helped shape me. Here we find the archaic alongside the new, ancient hallings rubbing shoulders with reels and waltzes. - Ånon Egeland

Norwegian record label with a catalog consisting of Nordic folk and traditional music, free improv and contemporary jazz.

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