MAJA and DAVID
NORD
GO’ 1013

www.gofolk.dk
 

If you want proof that Transatlantic collaborations can work, look no further than this. Danish fiddler (and singer/Hardangefele fiddle player) Maja Kjær Jacobsen teams up with fiddler and (stepper) David Boulanger from Québec. Not a pair of cultures you’d instantly put together, but their cultures and styles mend with delicious sweetness complementing and filling around each other, exemplified perfectly on “Doucement,” where the joins across the ocean are indistinguishable. They kick off to a flying start, with Jacobsen’s feet and Jacobsen’s feet powering through “Bonne Fête I & II,” but there’s plenty of slow beauty to be found among the dance tunes, whether traditional or self-composed. It’s a very nuanced disc, with plenty of shadings and textures in the arrangements to bring out the delights of the sounds. But the real eye-opener is how well the two traditions blend, and how each player brings something a little different to add spice to a different culture. Perhaps the best illustration is “The Bee Tour,” which doubles up from its slow opening. Throughout, the two players are all this music needs to spill out its cornucopia of delights. Next time out, though, it was would a pleasure to hear more of Jacobsen’s lovely voice. But this one makes for a superb start and exchange of melodic ideas.

— Chris Nickson