Lysblåin

EM84 / 2011

Å spille sammen med piano har alltid vært naturlig for meg. I første omgang fordi vi har piano hjemme, deretter gjennom møter med ulike samspillpartnere opp gjennom årene. Siden 2008 har jeg hatt min egen trio sammen med Daniel Trustrup Røssing på piano og bror Audun Larsen på kontrabass.

En viktig inspirasjonskilde for trioen er felespilleren Hilmar Alexandersen (1902- 1993) og hans samarbeid med pianisten Sturle Hallås (1913-1997). De to musiserte sammen i over 20 år til fest og bryllup på Innherred, og utviklet et flott repertoar basert på elegant felespill og raffinert pianoakkopagnement. På denne CD’n er flere av slåttene og arrangementene hentet direkte fra dette repertoaret.

Med min forankring i folkemusikken og Daniels bakgrunn som bluespianist og musiker i bandet til selveste Chuck Berry er det naturlig for oss å eksprimentere og leke med musikken som oppstår i møte mellom disse sjangrene. Vi håper å ha fått til en CD som kan peke både framover og bakover i tid. God lytting!

1. Amerikaner’n 2:00

This is a ringlender tune that Hilmar Alexandersen used to play. He
called it the “American one”.

2. Lysblåin 2:39

Daniel and I met each other in 2006 at a “Pols & Blues” concert at
the Bjerkem farm in Henning, in Steinkjer municipality. Daniel was
there with his blues band and I was performing alone. We had to find
a tune to play together, and we landed on this old pols tune whose
name, coincidentally, means“thelightblueone”. Ilearneditfromthe
“Moen-heftan”, two tune booklets that were published by Albert
Moen (1879-1962) just after World War II.

3. Hjemreisen fra Grundset/Galopp Brilliante 4:48

These two polka tunes from the 1800s, in which folk and classical
traditions meet, are typical of the kind of dance music that came into
use at wealthy farms in the region around Elverum and Hamar, in
Hedmark. The first one, composed by Anders Sorensen (1826 –
1896), is a kind of program music describing the train trip home to
HamarfromtheGrundsetwinterfairinElverum.“GaloppBrilliant”
by Oluf Melvold (1843 – 1897) is another good example of this
kind of music.

4. Visetone etter Karl Petter Alexandersen/Tåkeskyer 6:26

Music that Hilmar learned from his parents Ingeborg (1866-1950)
and Karl Petter Alexandersen (1860-1960) comprised a very
special part of his repertoire. His parents sang only, and the melodies
in this vocal repertoire contain an older tonality and often have a kind
oftender, sensitivefeelingaboutthem. Itseemedrightforustocombine
one of them here with a waltz by Johan Fornæss (1868-1916)
whose title means “misty clouds”. Fornæss played with a
distinctivestyleandhiscompositionswereofexcellentquality.
A neighbor of the Alexandersen family, he was also music
teacher and mentor to Hilmar.

5. Ringlender by Sigurd Reitan 2:47

Sigurd Reitan (1897-1952), who was born in Inderøy but
eventually settled in Steinkjer, was from a family with many
generations of fiddlers. Among his many compositions there
are two ringlender tunes that we really enjoy and that fit well
into our ensemble’s concept.

6. Bruramarsj fra Innherred/Polsdans etter Anton
Henning 4:40

OneofInnherred’smostpopularweddingmarches, followed
by a pols tune that fiddler Anton Henning (1874-1956) used
toplay. Bothofthesetuneshavebeenplayedbymanyfiddlers
over the years and traveled far and wide, and are therefore
foundinamultitudeofvariants.

7. B-durvals etter Hilmar Alexandersen 2:56

A waltz, apparently composed by Carl Godtaas (1870-
1939), that is typically “Hilmar” and typical also of the many
waltztunesinB-flatmajorinInnherredtradition. Hilmarlearned
this one from fiddler Arne Kjesbu (1883-1965), Ogndal.

8. Ringlender etter Oluf Homnes 3:33

During one period Hilmar recorded local fiddlers, collecting
“new” material to perform on NRK’s radio programs. This
frisky ringlender tune turned up on one of his tapes. (Oluf
Homnes 1865-1949))

9. Galopp etter Hilmar Alexandersen 2:36

A dashing gallop that Hilmar learned from Arne Kjesbu.

10. Foxtrot 2:18

Hilmar and Sturle had a varied repertoire and they played for both
entertainmentanddancing. Thisfoxtrottune, whoseoriginisamystery
for us, is on a recording of them playing at a wedding in 1959, at
SandvollaninInderøymunicipality.

11. Junimorgen ved Skjærsjøen 3:54

This beautiful waltz is Sturle Hallås’ tribute to a summer morning by
Skjærsjøen, a lake in his home community of Beitstad, Steinkjer.
Sturle composed many tunes, but this is one of the few that he and
Hilmar played together. Our arrangement for it is very similar to the
one they recorded for NRK (the Norwegian Brodcasting
Corporation) in the early 1950’s.

12. Ringlender 2 av Sigurd Reitan 3:39

This is Reitan’s second ringlender, composed when he was 17 and
began as a farmhand at the Vækre farm in Sparbu, Steinkjer. It was
inspired by musical collaboration with the son on the farm, Mens
Folden (1902-1943), who later became his regular accompanist
on piano.

Bonus: How Come You Do Me Like You Do? 2:03
This song was written by vaudeville comedy duo Gene Austin
and Roy Bergere in 1924 and has been recorded by many artists
over the years. Our version is has been inspired by Danish jazz
violinist and entertainer, Svend Asmussen (b. 1916).