FRODE HALTLI

There’s nowt so tuneful as 10-piece Norwegian jazz folk fusion.

“Just how prog is the accordion?" Well, if you factor in players such as Lars Holmer, Maria Kalaniemi and Kimmo Pohjonen with his King Crimson associations, the answer is ‘plenty’. Norwegian Frode Haltli is another practitioner with a keen interest in creating inclusive spaces for musicians that include Motorpsycho’s Ståle Storløkken. The triumph here is the extent to which the 10-piece ensemble he directs weave between improvisation and composed sections, and the blending of traditional folk sources and newly written pieces. Often emerging from tremulous beginnings, tunes blossom into garlands of unfurling melodies, one layered over the other. The ancient Hardanger fiddle frequently takes the lead in evoking images of cold landscapes from which indomitable spirits reside and rise up. Though essentially acoustic in nature, delicate sprays of electronica glisten between Haltli’s ruminative notes. Ritualised choral chants and skronky electric guitar add textures and lustre, subverting possible expectations of an album whose principal instrument is the humble accordion. It may be called Avant Folk but it’s so much more than that.