Pre Develske Drom

EM54 / 2010

Henning Gustavsen contributed three songs a cappella on the album Viser på vandring Volum 1 [Songs of the Romany People in Norway I,EM 11, 2002], and was an important co-worker in the making of its sequel, Viser på Vandring i Norden [Songs of the Romany People in Finland, Norway and Sweden, EM 21, 2007]. Now, we hear him a cappella as well as singing to his own guitar accompaniment. On several cuts he is also accompanied by banjo, mandolin, fiddle, tuba and piano.

The album includes Henning’s own superbly arranged versions of familiar songs, as well as songs that will be new to most Norwegian listeners. Henning is well known as a skillful performer of Norwegian Travelers’ songs. His primary source for these is his mother, Anna, but his uncle and other relatives also have these songs as part of a strong family tradition and repertoire. Having grown up in this Traveler-family environment, Henning’s singing style is solidly based in his family tradition. Henning has a charming, natural presentation, and is comfortable performing for public and social events. He has great potential for reaching out to many kinds of audiences in Norway, the other Nordic countries and the rest of the world. On this CD, he presents a new and different, mild, but powerful voice and expression from the well of Norwegian Romani/Traveler tradition. Honors also to his co-producer Kent Morgan Johnsen and Studio Ranch.