Christian Yakowlef

ith this band it has always been Hardanger fiddles, and the gentle ringing of ethnically Swedish minority residing in the music that chooses the mandolas with the exciting percussive attack . While the group members’ native members,” Jenny Wilhelms of world music. On top of it all soars language is a dialect of Swedish (a Scandi- said. “It is like a living being of Wilhelms’ voice, pure as the driven snow navian language), their other national its own in a way.” and wild as…well, the driven snow. It’s a language is Finnish (a Finno-Ugric If Gjallarhorn is a living being, Wilhelms perfect vehicle for the Swedish, Norwegian, language), and for Wilhelms to sing in both is its head; she is the band’s lead singer, and Icelandic ballads and Finnish runo songs is no more contrived than, say, Celine Dion fiddler, and primary spokesperson. After 12 she interprets as the group’s main singer. singing in both French and English. years with the group, she is also its only The result has been critical acclaim in Europe Wilhelms explained a bit further: “Politi- remaining original member. The next- and North America, a regular touring cally, Finland belonged to Sweden from longest-serving member has been in the band schedule, and three (soon to be four) highly medieval times until the 19th century, and less than half as long. For over a decade, regarded albums. most castles, cities, churches, and universities Gjallarhorn has been playing Nordic (Scan- With Finnish and Scandinavian music were founded during this period. The official dinavian and Finnish) songs and music for coming from the same band, readers might be language was Swedish in those times. Now audiences all over the world. Its sound forgiven for thinking this was pan-Nordic the situation has been the reverse for almost combines the earthy pulse of deep-drone fusion. But there’s a more organic explana- 200 years, but the position in society for the instruments like the Australian didjeridu with tion. Gjallarhorn has its origins in the commu- Swedish-speaking minority is still fairly good, the lushness of Nordic violins, violas, and nity known as Finland-Swedish, the and we are much better off than most minorities

24 June/July ’06 #124 Jenny Wilhelms Adrian Jones Allan Price courtesy of Guinness Irish Festival in the world. We have our own broadcasting “I decided to become a hard-core folk Göran Månsson networks, newspapers, publishers, theaters, and musician and study the traditional music - schools, as well as universities in various cities, oughly.” For 15 years she has pursued this and all street signs are in two languages in the interest. In addition to performing with Gjal- western parts of Finland. The Swedish- larhorn, she has studied at several important speaking people remain mainly in the coastal folk-music conservatories, including the regions and in the archipelago.” Malungs Folkhögskola in Sweden, the Ole Being from this minority even has its Bull Academy in , and the Conserva- advantages; their own Swedish sounds archaic tory of Keski-Pohjanmaa in Finland. She is to people from Sweden, for example. “They currently finishing a master’s degree at the tell us we have preserved a much older version Sibelius Academy, also in Finland. of the Swedish language than the one spoken How did this self-described hard-core in Sweden today. We speak a little like their Nordic folkie come to form such an unusual great-grandparents did.” It’s perfect for ballads band? It was the didjeridu, she explained. One from before their great-grandparents’ time. night in 1994, Wilhelms and fellow fiddler Wilhelms, like many of the folk musicians Christopher Öhman got together with didjeridu in Finland, is a conservatory-trained musician player Jakob Frankenhaeuser for a jam session. from a conservatory-trained family. “My “We immediately discovered that this sound grandmother studied piano [at the Sibelius was something to build on,” she remembered. Academy in Helsinki],” she began. “My “We suddenly had an enormous range, bass mother played the accordion and the clarinet, from the didge, then viola in the middle, and and also taught dances from various ethnic fiddles and vocals on the top.” The didjeridu, cultures, so we have always listened to ethnic she thought, was surprisingly well-suited to music from all over the world since I was a Scandinavian music; its rhythmic droning baby. She wanted me to play the violin. I started made it like a gigantic, bass version of the when I was 8 and played classical music until Jew’s harp. “It sounded like much more than

I was 19.” During her teens, however, Wilhelms just a few people, and that has been one of our courtesy of Guinness Irish Festival also began to explore other musical styles, key ideas since then. I remember we played all seeking a direction for her own developing night...we just could not stop.” Petter Berndalen musical creativity. “Melodies kept coming into After the band was underway, it added my head all the time, and I picked up new tunes another major element to its sound: drums. Its very fast by heart,” she remembered. “Instead first drummer was David Lillkvist, who was of practicing my etudes I found it more inter- replaced by the band’s current drummer, Petter esting to improvise over different modes. So at Berndalen. Although there are few drums or first I started to learn from all the LPs I could percussive elements in modern Nordic folk find with violin on them. I listened to every- music, the drum has a long history in the from Gong and Mahavishnu Orchestra to region, since the days of ancient shamanic Jean-Luc Ponty and Stephane Grappelli.” drumming. The members of Gjallarhorn see Wilhelms was already familiar with “the themselves as bringing back to the music an green wave” movement of the late 60s and element that has been largely lost, rather than 70s, Swedish and Norwegian youth bands adding an element that is alien. Moreover, associated with folk-jazz-rock fusion music. their current drummer has a particularly Several veteran players from this movement, melodic approach to his kit that fits in better such as multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller, with than purely rhythmic drum- Hardanger fiddle player Gunnar Stubseid, and ming. “Petter has this very unusual technique vocalist Kirsten Bråten-Berg, were inspira- where he actually produces traditional fiddling

tional figures to the teenage fiddler and singer. tunes on the drums, a bit like a tabla player, but courtesy of Guinness Irish Festival

Dirty Linen 25 with a kit of his own. He is very much a folk wife of Aegir, a sea goddess of Nordic we find, in living tradition, a trace straight to musician and a melodic player, too. The fact mythology associated with drowning. With its the medieval perception of sacral vocal music. that we are all melodic players, who are used heady blend of elemental sounds and mytho- And this is, in my opinion, a true treasure for to performing solo concerts on our instruments, logical themes, the band was quickly hailed as a folk musician.” makes the sound even more dynamic, and the an up-and-coming force in Nordic music. Sjofn also gave the band a chance to make style even more Nordic,” Wilhelms explained. Its second CD, Sjofn, was a more polished videos for the first time; they are included on With an initial sound palette involving production that nevertheless carried through the “Enhanced CD” release. “We went out to fiddles (including violin, Hardanger fiddle, with many of the same ideas and themes. a remote island here in the archipelago with a and viola), mandola, didjeridu, drums, and Wilhelms thinks it’s more accessible to people film team,” Wilhelms recalled. “The island is voice, the band started to research and arrange who don’t know Nordic music, and the world very special; it has old mazes from the Bronze material. The process is much the same today. seemed to agree. It won several European Age. The fishermen who brought us there said First, the group members do research to find prizes and was certified a gold record. One they would pick us up after five days. So what unusual songs and tunes. Wilhelms finds thing Sjofn continued strongly from Ranarop do you do on a remote island in Finland? Well, almost all of the songs. “I need to have lyrics was the pagan orientation; the album is titled first you heat up the sauna!” It wasn’t all a big I can relate to, and I think the boys have learned after a Nordic love goddess, and the opening party, however. “We started with the structural I won’t just sing any planning of camera tune. So usually I do the angles and in-ear moni- archive digging and pick toring with remote the lyrics.” The men controls. Then the rest come up with the instru- was all about waiting mental tunes more often. Christian Yakowlef while the mosquitoes ate From there, the process us alive when we stood is collaborative. “Who- in the woods covered in ever comes up with a body paint, waiting for tune also presents a basic the right moonlight or structural idea, but we sunset or morning mist don’t want to tell each to arrive. But there was other strictly what to lot of sauna in between, play,” she said. “We try and very much fun. And to leave space for the video made it all the everyone to add their way to German MTV own talent into the and World Link TV in arrangement. the U.S.” ”We also aim to be After the success of modern when we create Sjofn, the band spent the soundscape, for three more years touring example, for a dramatic and developing, and ballad,” she continued. replaced both Öhman “We work a bit like directors in a movie: We song, “Suvetar,” is a hymn to the goddess of (with Adrian Jones) and Lillkvist (at first with make soundscapes to emphasize stories. Or we spring. “The Finnish runo singing tradition various session players). With a new lineup and make patterns that melodically help to bring out from Karelia was very well preserved in a new repertoire, Gjallarhorn produced a third the wonderful blue notes in a tune. To bring out living tradition, and this was a pagan tradition. album, Grimborg. “Musically, I consider it the the essence instead of adding layers, we also try They had songs for everyday life, for hunting most dynamic and varied album,” Wilhelms to stay modal most of the time. Of course, a lot and for good crops,” Wilhelms explained. stated. The critics agreed. Grimborg won the of this happens via a process of experimenting “Then there are elements of pagan culture prestigious Prix Charles Cros in France, an with more controversial riffs. You must have and old ways of life in many medieval ballads, award given to only seven albums a year across that freedom in the beginning of a process, then because Christianity adapted and renamed all categories. Still, Grimborg is not “easy you can start ‘killing your darlings’ and some- many, many of our pagan rituals. I like to listening,” and may be a bit more introspective thing good will remain. I read a review once broaden the awareness of the fact that these and less accessible than Sjofn. “I have to admit where they called us musical painters. That two belief systems lived on simultaneously that it requires more time and devotion from sounds about right to me.” and affected each other more than we know, the listener to really get into the mood of this One of the first steps the group took was to for a quite long period of time up here in the CD,” Wilhelms said. “It has beautiful and go into the studio and record the album north. For example, the people believed very dramatic themes — I always recommend it to Ranarop. “That’s when we created our sound strongly in supernatural beings, because we our fans. Perhaps it is like a chapter in the end to start with, together with Martin Kantola, were living in the midst of nature with great of a book. You need to be familiar with the our sound engineer,” Wilhelms remembered. forests and the sea, but people still went to previous chapter a little before you can enjoy “A lot had to be figured out back then, like how church and believed in Christ as well.” it. And it also was like an end of a certain area to mix a band without a guitar, drum kit or bass She hastens to point out that Nordic folk on our journey. Now we are on to something player...we used rocks, poles of wood, and a lot music also has Christian elements. “There are totally different!” of stuff for the effects.” Among other material, also important influences that the church What is so different about today’s Gjal- the band chose songs drawn from Nordic contributed to folk music; the Catholic Church larhorn? Well, one major change since its last mythology and medieval folklore, about with its Gregorian chant, for example, gave album has been the decision to give up the fairies, witches, saints, and pagan gods. The birth to the wonderfully beautiful tradition of didjeridu. After three albums and two Finnish title of the album is rendered in English as folk hymns. In these hymns, preserved in didjeridu players (Frankenhaeuser and Tommy “Call of the Sea Witch,” but it refers to Ran, remote valleys with strict religious movements, Mansikka-Aho), the Australian Aboriginal

26 June/July ’06 #124 woodwind has been replaced by a little- A Scandinavian by descent, as his name known European Renaissance instrument implies, it’s appropriate that he should work called the sub-contrabass recorder. Requiring with this leading band from the Swedish dias- between eight and nine feet of length, it’s an pora. “We are about to go to Mr. Swedien’s impressive-looking flute, to say the least! Christian Yakowlef studio in Florida for the finalizing of the CD Why did the band members choose this in March 2006. It will be an honor to work obscure sound? “We always had as a goal to with a man who recorded so many great remain acoustic,” Wilhelms said. “We feel it productions. What a perspective he must is more fun to experiment with sounds and have on working with music!” delve as deep as you can into your own instru- Rimfaxe means “the frost mane,” and ment, bring every weird sound out of it, and refers to a horse in that use it to emphasize the essence of the tune or carries the goddess Nott (night) over the skies story we want to tell, instead of using synthe- every night. As Wilhelms explained, the foam sizers.” For 10 years, they experimented with of his mouth is the morning dew, and his the didjeridu, including using a pitch- mane is made of moonlight. (Among other adjustable “slideridoo” so they could play in things, he and his daytime counterpart Skin- more keys. But any didjeridu has limits in faxe seem to have been the inspiration for melodically oriented music, and they felt they Shadowfax, the horse that carries in had come to the end of that road. “We needed Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.) “On this something with more possibilities but the album, many songs relate to the magic same qualities, and still acoustic. So we asked horse,” Wilhelms said. “There is the ballad, this great flute player who played the sub- ‘Blacken,’ about a horse who has supernat- contrabass recorder, Göran Månsson, who ural powers and wins every battle with the lives in Sweden, if he wanted to join the band. king; there is the Catholic theme about St. It has been a lot of fun recording the new Stefanos, the guardian of the horses, in album with him. He produces a bass boost, heaven; and the Icelandic Rimfaxe story. I very modern club sound sometimes, but he is believe this album will be accessible for new also a melodic player on this flute, and plays audiences. Even though we stay true to modal various traditional Nordic pipes as well. He music, we will have a very modern sound- has a master’s degree in early music, but has scape through the arrangements, and more played in pop-music constellations as well. So making music for theater plays and such. A strange sounds from Martin’s adaptation of we have broadened our dynamic level again.” great guy to work with. We are expanding this our acoustic sounds, as well as his surround- A second change is the decision to add project in the future and will play with the mic inventions. I can promise that much.” some electronically processed acoustic sounds, UMO jazz orchestra in Helsinki. They usually Wilhelms also cautioned music fans not to courtesy of the band’s producer and engineer, get governmental funding to work with get confused; there are two bands called Gjal- Martin Kantola. Kantola had already been an soloists and artists from all over the world, so larhorn. The other Gjallarhorn, which didn’t important part of the band’s sound from its that’s an honor.” start using the name until almost a decade after inception. From designing its studio and live The Gjallarhorn members are also working her band did, is a heavy-metal band fronted by sound to physically building custom micro- on their fourth album, Rimfaxe, with Bruce an Italian and a Norwegian. “I don’t see any phones for the group, he has made sure its Swedien, engineer for such albums as Michael major threats for us with them using the name, sound is state-of-the-art and consistent through Jackson’s Thriller. Swedien has won 13 although they could have asked us, of course,” over a decade of touring and recording. He is Grammy awards and worked with everyone she said generously. “We have gotten some also an inventor, and has recently innovated in from Frankie Valli to Quincy Jones and from complaints from fans who bought music on the field of surround microphones. “I’ve actu- Paul McCartney to Duke Ellington. He is Amazon, and got confused by this metal band. ally seen him sit with his kit repairing a micro- currently finishing an album with Jennifer So be careful which category you choose there. phone on a beach, while everyone else is Lopez in Miami. He will be mixing and And to our fans: Our new CD is called swimming, or during a festival in Shetland, producing with Kantola, whom he knew from Rimfaxe. No Viking battle ships on the cover!” on one of the remote islands while the rest of sound engineering circles. Swedien heard Gjal- Finally, Wilhelms invited North American the festival crowd was dancing about and larhorn’s sound and offered to work with them. readers to see the band in concert, in July and fiddling frenetically in a pub. That’s a true September 2006. “Live concerts are great,” technician.” Now he’s also contributing to the she enthused. “I mean, we get a kick from the music in a new way. “He imitates our instru- Discography audience, from good sound and big PAsystems ments with his tech board and so we improvise Rimfaxe and from whatever our technician is up to at the live on stage with him,” Wilhelms explained. (2006) moment, and he in his turn gets his inspiration “Sometimes he takes over a tune with the from what we are doing at the moment. And sounds he creates from us, then we answer Grimborg there’s the interaction with the audience. Yeah, him back. It’s very funny!” NorthSide (2002) we like it a lot. It’s a journey of its own.” The group has several plans for the future. Sjofn Most of all, onstage the band enjoys the One involves collaborations with jazz musi- NorthSide(2000) music. “The energy and flow that comes from cians, jumping off from recent work it did enjoying playing great tunes over and over with the Kvarken Big Band. “Composer and Ranarop again. Never lose that, no matter how fine the NorthSide (1997) conductor Ralf Nyqvist made big-band arrangements you have. Every musician can arrangements of our tunes, and we did a tour www.gjallarhorn.com agree with that, don’t you think?” with them last year,” she said. “I have worked with Ralf over the years in many projects,

Dirty Linen 27