THE IDEAL SWEDISH-FLEMISH MUSICAL HARMONY.

CAN A SPIDER PLAY A CHIMNEY? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK, DOES IT SING TO IT?

Although the Belgians never sing and the Swedes never play anything, they fit together perfectly. For a simple reason: when it comes to old folk music from their regions, they stick to the motto "better to keep the fire burning than to worship the ashes". So you don't feel like you're in a history class with them, you're more like you're leafing through an adventure comic book in which Chief Wör fights for your favor with the spider Konger, who you're not sure can make a multi-ton chime ring, but that's a detail, especially when he sings in the folk'appella style. Similar to the Swedish polyphonic female trio Kongero alias Pavouk, which has been playing for twenty years: with a modern swing, temperament and unusual harmonies.
Even before jukeboxes came, people stood in the square and shouted to the towers for the "DJs" to play what they wanted, and the rest of the city then got the current hits. Except that, as the 18th century was written, the gentleman on the tower played preludes to the bells and it would not have occurred to him that they could ever be replaced by a baritone saxophone, accordion, bagpipes, guitar and violin. Although we are talking about compositions for carillon, church organ or dance promenades by Flemish authors from that time, this does not mean that we should imagine musicians who do not deviate from a single written note and look serious about it as WÖR. The Flamish, as we remember well from the Folk Holidays Festival in the summer of 2019, did not let themselves be lured into this trap: they continue to send old music with a mixture of jazz, folk and Irish melody.
The shift for them occurred when they met Kongero and received an offer to sing their previously instrumental songs for them. In exchange for the accompaniment of the Swedish ones. So they hit it off and when they started performing together and released the album Songbooks Live in January this year, perhaps no one believed that such an ideal harmony of two different musical traditions had only recently occurred. Well, when good people who are passionate about music meet, everything comes easily. So we have something to look forward to.

Photos by Mattias De Smet