MåNMORS GäSTABUD
by Bothnia Rhythm Orchestra with Ulvens Döttrar

This unique outing makes an interesting musical meeting between the characteristic music of folk melodies and harmonies, combined with the powerful rhythmic, harmonic and rich sounds of a Big Band. Ralf Nyqvist - a pianist, composer and conductor based in Vaasa, Finland - composed two compositions for BRO and Ulvens Döttrar.

Ulvens Rop was composed while Ralf was visiting Visby in Gotland. The tune is a traditional fiddler melody with a Northern character, and a mantra repeating in the melodies and voices. The arrangement is a dialogue between the vocals and the orchestra, with an open section for piano and saxophone solos. There is also a short a passage with "kulning", an ancient singing method for people to call the animals by simulating the sounds of the wolf. This piece is a tribute to Bengt-Arne Wallin who combined the traditions from Northern folk music with big band music.

Song for the Stones was also composed in Visby, and its inspiration comes from the stones along with the waves making sounds at the shore. This song is also a melody with no lyrics and it has a Medieval character combined with a modern funk groove in the background. The melody in simple triple time has a background in compound duple which gives the music a great swinging character. The modal mood is conveyed by a trombone solo and the arrangement gives room for a dialogue, with an oriental touch, heard in the three voices and the big band.

Månmors gästabud also contains music composed by Ella Grüssner Cromwell-Morgan and Ralf Nyqvist, lyrics written by Isabella Grüssner-Sarling and several others. The instrumental arrangements are made by the creative pens of Hans Hjortek and Ralf Nyqvist.

Ulvens Döttrar
Johanna Grüssner (vocals, djembe, ankle bells, frame drum) has graduated from Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music and works as a professional jazz vocalist, choral conductor, music producer and vocal instructor. She has released ten solo albums in addition to those with Ulvens Döttrar.
Isabella Grüssner-Sarling (vocals, spring drum, clocks, tambourine, rainstick, jew's harp) has a master of education from Åbo Akademi University, specialized in music and the Swedish language. She freelances as a cultural worker mostly hired as a director for plays and as a writer. She writes lyrics for Ulvens Döttrar and several other music groups.
Ella Grüssner Cromwell-Morgan (vocals, frame drum, ankle bells, jew's harp, fipple flute, key fiddle) composes music for Ulvens Döttrar and other groups and teaches oenology at the University of Åland.

Bothnia Rhythm Orchestra (BRO) is a big band with some of the most creative musicians in the Nothern Gulf of Bothnia region of Sweden and Finland. BRO was founded in 2013 by saxophonist Peter Nordwall and trumpetists Tobias Udd and Henrik Sjöberg. The album "Månmors Gästabud" is the first collaborative album between BRO and Ulvens Döttrar. Ulvens Döttrar come from the western Finnish archipelago, the Åland Islands, in the Baltic Sea. They primarily perform original songs influenced by ethnic Nordic folk music, and songs from the Viking age. They are also inspired by dramatic folk rock, Latin rhythms, and the mystery of nature. Ulvens Döttrar always performs its music live. They play instruments like jew's harp, fiddle, didgeridoo, djembe drum, rainstick and key harp. However, their main instruments are their voices mostly sung in three-part harmony and used for special effects.

Conductor: Hans Hjortek

http://manmorsgastabud.bluemusicgroup.com