One, Two, Happy, Ketun Reinon polkka :-)

 

Jouko Kyhälä

Filip Jers

New Scandinavian Harmonica

Vol. 1
2013

Tracks:

01. Brudmarsch efter familjen Dahl - 3:04
02. Ketun Reinon polkka - 3:32
03. Polska efter J. Bruun - 3:47
04. Gammal marsch från Gustav Vasas tid - 2:40
05. Lyckönskan - 3:11
06. Lorikspolska No. 3 - 2:23
07. Lakeuden Kutsu - 3:00
08. Orpolasten Polska - 3:05
09. Satiaisen Polska - 1:42
10. Polska från Skog - 2:58

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ. 

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

Two harmonica professionals, Finnish traditional musician Jouko Kyhälä and Swedish jazz musician Filip Jers, met for the first time in 2011. Both were immediately fascinated by each others playing and they decided to make a co-operation one day.

They got specially excited about the idea of playing traditional music from their home countries with two harmonicas. The challenge of translating the music originally played on fiddle to harmonicas was rousing. From this challenge and the joy of playing together this CD was created.

This recording is a tribute to all great traditional musicians from Sweden and Finland. Especially the harmonica players.

The harmonica is found in many parts of Sweden and Finland. It has been used by traditional musicians for more than a hundred years. Everyone is familiar with this modest instrument, but very few people really know how it was played in the past, and even fewer know how to play it today.

Two of the leading harmonica specialists in Europe, Filip Jers from Sweden and Jouko Kyhälä from Finland have teamed up and formed a Scandinavian power duo. The duo performs traditional music from their home countries: rhythmic polskas, joyfull polkas, melancholy waltzes, schottisch, menuett and beyond. All played on only two harmonicas.

Filip Jers first heard the harmonica being played by his father when he was small child. It made an unforgettable impression on him, and twenty years later he graduated as the first harmonca player ever with jazz master’s degree from Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Jers is a third generation harmonica player, who inherited the tradition from his grandfather. Today Filip is the most in demand jazz harmonica player in Sweden. He performs with various ensembles and often as a special guest with big bands. Jers is also a member of the world music band Stockholm Lisboa Project.

Jouko Kyhälä began playing hammond organ as a teenager in rock bands. However, he soon discovered and fell in love with the harmonica, at which time he began studying traditional music at the Sibelius-Academy. He was the first harmonica player to be awarded a master’s degree from the Folk Music Department. A decade later he became the first Doctor of Arts in harmonica in Finland, perhaps even in Europe as well. Kyhälä is the leader of the internationally known harmonica quartet Sväng, and also plays in several other bands and performs as a solo artist.

In October 2013 these master musicians sat down in Jouko’s countryside studio in Kirkkonummi and recorded their debut cd!

source & place to order the cd !

*♥+♥* 

 

Doctor of the Harmonica

 

Jouko Kyhälä 

Saalas

2005

Tracks:

01. F-Polska - 5:03
02. Juusjärvi - 5:40
03. Maanitusta - 5:09
04. Rakkolevää - 5:58
05. Mäkliinin Uni Ja Syrjälän Kaappoon Polska - 5:15
06. Orpolasten Polska - 7:00
07. Savikankaan Polkka - 3:11
08. Lyckönskan Menuetti - 3:16
09. Taklaxin Polskamylly - 6:27
10. Kaikuja - 2:17
11. Lappfjärds Brudmarsch - 3:55

Musicians:

Jouko KYHÄLÄ : diatonic and chromatic harmonicas

Piia KLEEMOLA : fiddle, kantele
Janne LAPPALAINEN : bouzuki, low whistle
Abdissa ASSEFA : percussion
Pekka LEHTI : bass

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ. 

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

  

A mixture of finnish instrumental folk with new tunes and traditionals. Played by harmonica, violin, bouzoki, double bass, kantele and percussion. Serious delightful.

  

Mr. Harmonica Jouko Kyhälä steps out from his work with worlds’s top harmonica band Sväng, to make his first solo album with special guests. Kyhälä has the exquisite touch on his catchy original tunes and the trads. Guest stars grace the session and add richness to the sound: Piia Kleemola (violin), Pekka Lehti (bass), Janne Lappalainen from Värttinä (bouzoki) and Abdissa Assefa (percussion). Delightful joy of playing!

"I came to read historic documents about a great wedding that went on for days on end. All the music was played by a single musician, often a fiddler. I began to wonder what he played on the fifth day. I reckoned that he couldn’t have mastered a program of hundreds of tunes to satisfy the publics’ longing to dance. Finally I understood that a folk musician could improvise to produce a given dance forever. He knew the rhythms and the melodies so well that he quite simply just went on playing polska, mazurka or polka. He played music, not tunes!

This record is about the things I feel are important in my folk music: the joy of playing, the freedom of creating, improvisation and spontaneous reactions to the music making of others. I want to hear what people discover at the very moment they play music. I want to hear what they come up with on the fifth day of a party. I didn’t arrange the other musicians’ music beforehand, because I wanted to hear each time a fresh version by each player. The cd was recorded live as we played together in the same room. I did not want to record over or tidy up anything. This music was created as we played it, and that is what I want you to hear.

This record contains many discoveries made at the very moment of playing music as well as other discoveries and delight aroused by them. I do hope that they have the same effect on you." Says Jouko.
 

 

Harmonica maestro and multi-instrumentalist Jouko Kyhälä belongs to the top rank of Finnish folk music players. In addition to his own Saalas project, he leads the remarkable Sväng harmonica quartet and plays with Pekka Lehti & Outo voima, Markku Lepistö and many others. He also plays solo performances, which can range from acoustic folk music to experimental electronic sound-sculpting.

Kyhälä's musicianship is wide-ranging: In addition to folk music he has been involved with free improvisation, avant garde, contemporary classical and electronic music. Session playing on pop and jazz projects is also familiar territory for him, and he has worked extensively in film and theatrical productions. Kyhälä also has solid experience of working in the field of contemporary dance: He has composed and performed music for seven full length dance projects and worked for over 10 years in the Suomussalmi group of Finnish improvisational dance and music pioneers. Collaboration with visual artists has also played a strong part in his development as a musician.

Jouko Kyhälä is the first and so far the only graduate of Sibelius Academy to major in harmonica. The folk music department awarded him a masters degree in 1999 and Jouko continued his studies to become, this year (to the best of our knowledge), the world's first doctor of the harmonica!

Kyhälä's first solo record IMA-C was released in 2000. In this composition, Kyhälä combined electronics, harmonica, vocals and jouhikko into a highly imaginative fusion. His next solo record, Saalas, was released in 2005. This record concentrates on acoustic expression, the folk music of Kyhälä's homeland as well as his own folk music compositions. Other records featuring Kyhälä in the last few years have included Markku Lepistö's Silta and Pekka Lehti & Outo voima's Sohjo (both released on Aito Records). Kyhälä has performed on over 20 recordings and has worked in numerous diverse musical line-ups.

Sväng

Sväng home

 buy cd :-)

 ♥

 

Wang Wang Blues Harp

HARMONICA BLUES

Great Harmonica Performances of the 1920s & 30s

1976

Tracks:

01. Railroad Blues - Freeman Stowers
02. Crazy About You - State Street Boys
03. Wang Wang Harmonica Blues - Carver Boys
04. My Driving Wheel - Lee Brown
05. Bay Rum Blues - Ashley & Foster
06. I'm Going To Write & Tell Mother - Robert Hill
07. Blowin' The Blues - Chuck Darling
08. Harmonica Rag - Chuck Darling
09. Man Trouble Blues - Jaybird Coleman
10. I Want You By My Side - Jazz Gillum
11. Friday Moan Blues - Alfred Lewis
12. House Snake Blues - Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton
13. Need More Blues - Bobby Leecan & Robert Cooksey
14. Davidson County Blues - De Ford Bailey

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ. 

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

 

 

It is not difficult to imagine why the harmonica should have been a favorite among bluesmen; its price, portability and loud volume made it ideal for them. Moreover, the harmonica was perhaps the best suited of all blues instruments to imitate and exaggerate the sound of the human voice. It could produce glissandos and vibratos that even a bottleneck guitarist would have been hard put to duplicate.

 Harmonica

French Harp, Blues Harp, Mouth Organ

The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country music, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers) or multiple holes. The pressure caused by blowing or drawing air into the reed chambers causes a reed or multiple reeds to vibrate up and down creating sound. Each chamber has multiple, variable-tuned brass or bronze reeds, which are secured at one end and loose on the other end, with the loose end vibrating and creating sound.

Reeds are pre-tuned to individual tones, and each tone is determined according to the size of reed. Longer reeds make deep, low sounds and short reeds make higher-pitched sounds. On certain types of harmonica the pre-tuned reed can be changed (bending a note) to another note by redirecting air flow into the chamber. There are many types of harmonicas, including diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, orchestral, and bass versions...

...wiki

 Harmonica Blues

Although the harmonica was present in many pre-war recordings, it became a dominant force in the 1950's, when it was amplified by the likes of Big Walter Horton, Little Walter and Snooky Pryor. As such many players and fans seem to think that blues harmonica began with Little Walter and are unaware of the rich early tradition of harmonica recordings. In the early days harmonica soloists were common who played now forgotten pieces like train imitations and set pieces like Lost John, Fox Chase, Mama Blues and other call-and-response pieces that featured the harmonica over the voice, if the voice was used at all. We hear many of these players on today's program including DeFord Bailey, George "Bullet" Williams, William McCoy, Alfred Lewis and Sonny Terry. We also feature early harmonica/vocalists like Daddy Stovepipe, Jaybird Coleman and Jazz Gillum. In addition we hear some great accompanists like Rhythm Willie, Robert Cooksey and Blues Birdhead. There were also play tracks by several notable harmonica players who worked in jug bands like Noah Lewis, Jed Davenport and Eddie Mapp. It was John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson who defined the language of modern blues harmonica playing...

...source & more

♥

Live together in perfect harmonica...

  

Arina Stam

Dança de Tranca
Traditional harmonica
1995

Tracks:

01. Dança - 1:28
02. Länsmansvals - 1:16
03. Beira Minho - 3:05
04. Reel de Trois-Rivières - 2:34
05. Svi Per Jerkers polska - 1:59
06. Danza da Ribadavia - 1:50
07. Nos Os Dois Em Corridinho - 2:43
08. Reels (Québec) - 1:46
09. Hewlett - 2:47
10. Galop de la Malbaie - 2:17
11. Xulita Redondita - 3:26
12. Reel Du Cultivateur - 1:46
13. Soldiers' March from Leksand - 1:39
14. Valse Du Péril - 2:46
15. Reel à Jean-Marie Verret - 1:40
16. Carmela - 2:23
17. Rosinha - 2:30
18. Brincadeiro - 2:57
19. Chula - 2:34
20. Fals - 2:01
21. Mazurca - 1:35
22. Reel de Bellechasse - 2:19

The musicians:

Arina Stam: harmonica, footstamping [4], [5]
Danielle de Baat: classical guitar [1], [3], [6], [7], [16], [18], [19], [20], steel string guitar [4], [10], [12], [14], [15], [16], [22], egg-maracas [8]
Linda Rigters: classical guitar [6], [8], [9], [11], [17], cavaquinho [3], [18]
Jolanda Romeijn: cucharas (wooden spoons) [6], [8], [15], tambor (drum) [11], [18], triangle [3]
Dees van Dijk: güiro [8], egg-maracas [19], triangle [11], castanets [3], tambor (drum) [3], zambomba (friction drum) [16], table-drum [18]

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

.ღ•:*´♥`*:•ღ. 

♫☆`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫`*♥¸¸.•*¨*•☆♫

 The harmonica 

 

Many people learned to play the harmonica in their youth before they chose a "real" musical instrument. The harmonica has never been taken seriously, probably because it is a diatonic instrument and not all melodies can be played on it. Diatonic harmonicas are characteristically tuned to produce the natural tones of the scale without any sharps or flats. Another restriction is that only the middle octave of the three octave range is complete, with the lower and upper octaves having a "gapped" scale. Fortunately this problem is solved by the chromatic harmonica where, with the necessary dexterity, it is possible to play any tone. This is because it includes a slide button which, when pressed, will raise any tone by a semi-tone. The handicap remains however that (even with a chromatic harmonica) the traditional playing style requires a harmonica in the appropriate key. An example of playing in a minor key with a chord, which is not possible on a diatonic harmonica, is the section in G major of Xulita redondita [11]. 

Traditions 

The mazurkas, waltzes, and polkas on this CD have their origins in post-medieval Europe. This dance music was played by farmers and labourers in inns and at noisy celebrations to entertain ordinary people during times of hardship. A distant ancestor of the harmonica is the sheng which was already played in China in 3000 BC. In the first half of the 19th century, a great many instruments were designed with free reeds. These are essentially the precursors of today's harmonica and accordion. The factory production of these instruments began in Germany in about 1850. The Hohner factory (which was set up in 1857) is still the largest in the world. Harmonicas and accordions soon became all the rage because their music was danceable. It was finally possible to play the melody and bass simultaneously, by using the tongue to block and unblock a number of low notes within a single chord [2], [20]. Because the harmonica is so marginal it is difficult to find tunes which have originally been written for the harmonica. In fact, Sweden and Québec are almost the only regions where traditional music is played on the harmonica [2], [5]. Most of the music featured on this CD was found on old records and played on other instruments, such as violin [4], [10], [15], [20], accordion [3], [6], [7], [11], [12], [14], [16], harp [9], [13], bagpipe [9], [16], [18] and flute [19]. In our arrangements we strive to maintain the original strength. For the music from Québec we chose guitar accompaniment, although piano is a more traditional accompaniment [4]. For Spanish and Portuguese music guitar accompaniment is very common. The percussion instruments are chosen according to the respective traditions of the country or region. To preserve the original atmosphere, Arina had to resort to some unusual techniques. For instance, the trill of the flute in the Swedish march [13] was produced by using the slide button of a chromatic harmonica. Playing equal intervals, which is relatively simple on a bagpipe or violin, also required a special technique. For the traditional style of playing melody and chords simultaneously a different Hohner Chromonica had to be used for each key. The exceptions are the (chromatic) Hohner Larry Adler Prof. 2016 [9] [16], and the non-chromatic Hohner Echo Harp [5].

text from the booklet 

Arina Stam played the gaita gallega (Spanish bagpipe), hurdy-gurdy, and harmonicas with the music group Ames. This group played music primarily from Galicia and Portugal. But recently she has returned to playing intensively the love of her youth: the harmonica. She teaches hurdy-gurdy and harmonica. Dança de Tranca is a collection of traditional European dance music compiled by Arina Stam. Determination and passion for the meticulous recreation of the original, traditional European folkmusic characterizes Arina Stam.

♥