What ARE those men playing?
Vasen plays in Proctors Passport Series Thursday at Universal Preservation Hall. These two Swedish musicians span the centuries since their strange-looking instruments were devised, but they sail on timeless melodic flow and intricate string-band kick.
Ears and eyes might report very different descriptions.
Ears might answer that question above by noting the two men are playing a cozy, folkish string-band music, a bit astringent in its Scandinavian simplicity, but rich in feeling and telepathically close in the hands of a duo formed in 1980.
Eyes offer a different answer.
Mikael Marin
Mikael Marin (beard) plays violoncello da spalla, “cello of the shoulder.” He clasps it under his chin and it stretches along his arm. It looks like a burly hybrid somewhere between a viola and a cello, but it has five strings to a cello’s four. He plucks bass lines on it with his fingers, or bows it to make melodies.
Olov Johansson
And if you think that looks strange, check out Olov Johansson (no beard) who bows what looks like a violin that got all ripped at the gym, then blundered into a woodworking shop where beefy structures were hammered onto the bottom. It sits across his knees, like Jerry Douglas holds a dobro, and its complex hardware transforms its sound the way chord bars of an autoharp expand the look and language of a zither. This 14th century contraption is the Nyckelharpa, a keyed fiddle with three melody strings whose pitch changes as keys, in three rows across the bottom, raise and lower wooden pins against them from underneath, a bit like a pedal steel, There’s also a drone and a dozen strings that never get plucked or bowed but vibrate in the air currents of the melody strings.
If all that weren’t instrument-nerdy enough, complex configuration of the nyckelharpa allows it to make chromatic music, which takes its name from “chroma,” or color. Wikipedia tells us chromatic music uses all 12 notes within an octave, arranged in half-steps, rather than the seven notes of the diatonic scale. This enables a more detailed sonic nuance.
If you got all that, somebody from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in a dark suit will knock on your door to present a gilt-edged certificate of Advanced Musical Curiosity and Openness.
Of course, any fan who faithfully follows Proctors Passport Series or its presenting partner Music Haven would likely qualify. As its Presenting Artistic Director Mona Golub likes to put it, the Passport Series is how she presents music from around the world “between the summers.”
Vasen has released 19 studio albums since 1985; their newest is “Vagor,” Swedish for waves, and water is a theme throughout. It’s no surprise, considering that water comprises most of the 1,112 air miles from Stockholm (Sweden) to Dublin (Ireland), that Vasen’s music sounds somewhat Celtic. That’s just about exactly the distance from New Orleans to Saratoga Springs, but that won’t prevent the Soggy Po’Boys from making Mardi Gras magic at Caffe Lena in a sold out show on Valentine’s night. But I digress.
“It’s the melodies,” answered the late, great Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains when I asked him to explain the appeal of Irish music. Vasen does that, too. If Paddy were here to hear Vasen, he’d likely nod, grin and grab a tinwhistle.
They play in Ireland, a lot. Nicki French Davis reported in the Irish Examiner on a 2012 show at Bantry House in County Cork this way. “The second half of the concert featured Sweden’s Väsen, who showed why they are regular headliners at folk festivals worldwide. Featuring the extraordinary nyckelharpa, Väsen have taken old Swedish polskas and turbo-charged them, and their own compositions are lively adventures full of humour and surprises.
“The trio’s arrangements are incredible, full of counter-melodies, rhythmic tricks and spicy harmonies. The highlight was an unexpected, almost jazz-rock improvisation played with gusto.”
When they crossed the Atlantic to play the 2013 Celtic Colours festival on Cape Breton Island, Kate Molleson reported in The Herald, “They write gorgeous tunes and deliver them with a spry step, airtight ensemble and bittersweet lyricism that gets deep under your skin. They’ve lost none of their daft banter, none of their warm and raucous rapport. A hearty cheer went up when they ambled on stage at the Mitchell: they’re Celtic Connections favourites and for obvious reason.”
Vasen has played with Nashville acoustic folk-country instrumental masters Mike Marshall and Darol Anger, earning “Showcase Artist” honors at the World Music Expo in Seville.
Thursday, Vasen plays Universal Preservation Hall (25 Washington St., Saratoga Springs). 7:30 p.m. $34.51 518-346-6204. www.proctors.org
Hoke's Jukebox 