Gjallarhorn: Grimborg cdRoots Home Page More music from Finland and Sweden

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Gjallarhorn
Grimborg
14.99

Modern Swedish folk-rooted music from Finland, by one of the most innovative bands on the Nordic music scene.

Listen:
Grimborg
Polonaise

"What they rescue is our faith in the power of music to transcend the mundane. The unfettered strains of the Hardanger fiddle wail over the growl of the didgeridoo and the jingle and thump of a slew of world percussion. Jenny Wilhelms' crystalline voice soars over it all" - Peggy Latkovich, RootsWorld "In the tradition of folks like Hedningarna, Gjallarhorn speak in tongues and their music reaches you though the language barrier with effortless beauty and strength." - RootsWorld, 1999

The Musicians: Jenny Wilhelms - lead vocal, violin, hardanger fiddle Christopher Öhman - viola, mandola, vocals, kalimba Tommy Mansikka-Aho - didgeridoo, slideridoo, jews harp, udu, djembe David Lillkvist - various ethnic percussion, kalimba

The record label press sheet:
Finally, the long anticipated third CD from Gjallarhorn (pronounced "yal-lair-horn") is here. Gjallarhorn have a dreamy, completely acoustic sound featuring intense fiddling, the drone of the didgeridoo, mandola, global rhythms, percussion, and the sweeping vocals of Finally, the long anticipated third CD from Gjallarhorn (pronounced "yal-lair-horn") is here. Gjallarhorn have a dreamy, completely acoustic sound featuring intense fiddling, the drone of the didgeridoo, mandola, global rhythms, percussion, and the sweeping vocals of Jenny Wilhelms. Obviously, the didgeridoo is not a native instrument, but it supplies a low drone as the Swedish bagpipe would in the same role. Their music is a modern echo of the ancient Nordic folk tradition with medieval ballads and mythological themes. Using the sound and resonance of their instruments to greatest effect, this is Nordic music with a global view.

The lyrics on Grimborg are all about transformations; first to hide one's true face, to conquer obstacles on the way, to discover the subconscious, and to finally rediscover one's right element. "Entering a grimborg" is an old Finnish ritual, when people trod the stone mazes found all along the shoreline. In the maze ritual the difficulty lies in reaching the center, where the maiden is, then you exit the maze together. 'Grim' comes from the word grímr, which means concealing, a person who hides his true name. 'Borg' stands for a stronghold, or dwelling.

The band is Finnish, but hails from a Swedish-speaking area on the West Coast of Finland, a fringe geographical area where 50% of the people speak Swedish and the music remains Swedish in character. Most of their repertoire is the folk music of these Swedish-speaking Finns, from the unique minuets and ballads that have only survived in Ostrobothnia, to the oldest traditional waltzes.

The narrative of Gjallarhorn's songs spring primarily from Nordic mythology. The Gjallarhorn (pronounced "Yallarhorn") is the horn with which the gatekeeper god, Heimdal, sent messages from the gods of Asgård to the mortals of Midgård. The name of the horn is related to the word gjala, which means 'to shout' or 'to sing out.'

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