NILS OKLAND Vinyl & CDs

Review: Nils Okland, known for his innovative playing style on the Hardanger fiddle, violin, and viola d'amore, comes from the folk music tradition and internationally recognized, is interested in the journeys and dialogues of music across time and space, a music without national and traditional borders. But he is also inspired by local music from various places and often prefers old fiddlers and singers who have a unique personal playing style. The Nils Okland Band debuted in 2014 and since then has released the Norwegian Grammy-nominated Kjolvatn on ECM and Lysning on Hubro. It has been seven years since their last release but now the highly anticipated album Gjenskinn (Gleam) arrives after being worked on for a long time. It is a genre-defying, cohesive work inspired by influences from around the world.

Review: Violinist Nils Okland and keyboardist Sigbjorn Apeland have been working togeter on music for 30 years. Their work often explores a place where Norwegian traditional music and improvisation meet and this new album is another exceptional one full of touching and tender moods. Glimmer builds on the folk music traditions of the Haugalandet region of Western Norway and is built around original compositions that range from those written for a film about great Norwegian landscape painter Lars Hertevig, to pieces inspired by modernist composer Fartein Valen. The two musicians find great harmony throughout to ensure this is another moving work from the old friends.