Bazar blå
Bazar Blå creates new music that manages to be just as Swedish as it is globally irresistible
Discography
Malmö 1999 (2000)
When we started thinking of a new release after our 2016 jubilee release “Twenty”, we realised that we all had really fond memories of some of our older songs. So we decided to browse through the archives and search for special recordings. It wasn't long before we found a real treasure. A live recording of our concert in Malmö in 1999! After some technical post-processing - 21 years is a long time in the development of music recordings! - we proudly present the seventh album of Bazar Blå!
Twenty (2016)
“Twenty” is about the magical gravitational forces of music and its mysterious effects on life itself. Just as much as it marks our twenty-year anniversary as Bazar Blå, this music is also a celebration of the rare friendship that has kept us together for all these years. A unique musical and personal connection which inspires us to push boundaries and develop as musicians and as a collective. From the very beginning, Bazar Blå has functioned as a sort of safe-house for musical experiments and exchange of artistic ideas, many of which have found their ways into our music and thus into our musical personalities.
Seven eventful years have passed since our previous release and, looking back, it seems both like yesterday and a very distant past. At times we came close to getting lost forever, but we just could not rush this music or force it into existence. Now it is here and we are very happy to present this next step in the evolution of Bazar Blå.
Lost (2009)
This album was recorded in September 2007. As always, we had sought out a room we liked to work in. This time it had white stonewalls, an old wooden floor and, of course, a very comfortable sofa - the right ambience for creating music and a new album. We filled a van with instruments and equipment and after ten intense days we had recorded everything we wanted and felt very happy with the result. But some surprises were on the way.
Just before Björn wanted to start the final mixing of the album thieves broke in to his home and stole all the recorded material – originals as well as backups. For a while this seemed to be the end of Bazar Blå. Time, energy, budget and even the music was .. lost ..
However, left in the car of a friend, there was a single, forgotten copy of the rough mixes they made each night during the recordings. Luckily these mixes turned out to be very close to ideal and could be saved with a bit of quite creative mastering. “LOST” was finally released and was nominated for the main Folk/Worldmusic award in Sweden - Release of the yearand Group of the yearat Folk och Världsmusikgalan 2009 - a great honour after such adventures!
Nysch (2004)
Nysch is the fourth CD to emerge from the creative minds of Bazar Blå. Their appearance at WOMEX 2003 opened doors to new collaborations, tours and festivals, which brought their artistry to many fascinated audiences far outside the borders of Sweden. The music on Nysch is to a large extent a result of these adventures. The title is short for “Den nya schottisen” - the new schottis – and that is one of many musical explorations to be made here. Bazar Blå continues to break new musical ground, this time in a mostly acoustic soundscape.
Bazar Blå have a habit of using remotely located cottages to record their albums. Keeping with tradition, Nysch was also recorded in a very cosy outhouse but this time closer to Stockholm. A car full of instruments and recording equipment, three inspired musicians, and two intense recording sessions was all it took. The result is new folk music composed, performed, recorded and produced by Johan Hedin, Björn Meyer and Fredrik Gille.
"We create our music without considerations about any specific genre but with an urge to invent our own paths through the musical territories that inspire us. The music itself, rather than stylistic conventions, tells us how to play it and the expression we want to give each tune becomes our guide to choosing instrumentation and playing techniques.”
Live (2003)
The performance captured on LIVE was recorded in Switzerland and was in many ways a remarkable event. Björn lived in Zürich at the time but this was the first time the trio performed in what soon after became his hometown – Bern. It was part of the first season of concerts in the “Tonus Labor” – an intimate cellar in the ancient old town, actually used as the creative hub of some very progressive minimal music experiments where Björn was a frequent collaborator. For most of the audience this night was the first ever encounter with anything even remotely close to “Swedish” music.
Much of the anticipation, curiosity and warm atmosphere in the room turned the concert into a very strong experience that lingered on for a long time. Following an invitation to perform at WOMEX in 2003 Bazar Blå decided to release these recordings as a CD and share a special memory.
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Tripfolk (2000)
It is a difficult task to go on after a start that turned out very well. TRIPFOLK is Bazar Blå’s answer to the success of their first CD. The album was recorded under similar conditions as the debut but with even more extravagant ideas about production possibilities.
The result is new folk music – respectful to its origin but enhanced with a lot of sonic and stylistic experiments. Tracks like BB Cool, Sushi and Laija show the way. Half of it was recorded – thanks to quite a lot of meringue, cream, vanilla ice and chocolate sauce - in a cottage belonging to Johan’s family. To finish, they went back to the first make-shift studio .. and the mosquitoes.
Bazar Blå managed to take their music even further and audience as well as critics were not late to show their acclaim:
“.. wonderfully self secure and one of the biggest surprises of the year”– DN
“.. the super group of folk music” – VK
“.. TRIPFOLK hits bull’s eye. It takes a well planned leap out in the open and sails towards new heights of style, elegance and love of music”– ÖC
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Nordic City (1998)
In 1997 – electricity was finally installed in a small cottage belonging to Björn’s family. Located just outside a tiny village, by a lake in the middle of the Swedish woods, it turned out to be the perfect setting for music.
Bazar Blå packed a van full with instruments and recording equipment and turned it into a very unlikely studio. One week and thousands of mosquito bites later they had recorded “NORDIC CITY”. The album became an instant classic and together with their colorful live performances earned them coverage like:
"Probably the coolest Swedes right now!”
Many years later, tourists were found, amongst moose and other creatures, searching for the studio where “NORDIC CITY” was recorded..
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About
Bazar Blå - three master musicians from Sweden. Since more than twenty years they have constantly redefined their own space in the music scene. Now Bazar Blå is on the road again, with a new repertoire and freshly released album in their luggage.
"Malmö 1999" is a unique live recording from a truly memorable concert in 1999. Featuring never before released live versions of some of their most defining tunes. In times of short-lived musical trends, Bazar Blå decided to take the time to be inspired by their own roots again.
The music of Bazar Blå captivates by sounding as originally Swedish as it is globally irresistible. Melodies, harmonies and rhythms move freely between nyckelharpa, bass guitar, bass mandola and percussion. The grooves develop from tiny bells to huge, enchanting structures and unfold a distinctive dynamic bursting with playful virtuosity.
In 2016 they celebrated their 20th anniversary as a trio. Thus their music is also a tribute to the unique, collective power of three strong personalities who have been creating new music together for a long time.
"When we started thinking of a new release after our 2016 jubilee release “Twenty”, we realised that we all had really fond memories of some of our older songs. So we decided to browse through the archives and search for special recordings. It wasn't long before we found a real treasure. A live recording of our concert in Malmö in 1999! After some technical post-processing - 21 years is a long time in the development of music recordings! - we proudly present the seventh album of Bazar Blå!”
Johan Hedin
ohan Hedin has mastered every aspect of the Nyckelharpa. His way of using and developing this ancient instrument has made him a role model for many – both younger and older players. New constructions and technical solutions to accommodate highly set musical standards are constantly on the drawing board of this creative musician. Musically he also follows a bidirectional path. On the one hand digging through many hundred-years old manuscripts in search of forgotten traditional dance repertoire and on the other, using these traditions as a springboard to new music in collaborations with musicians from other genres.
Björn Meyer
Björn Meyer is a passionate creator of ways to expand the musical potential of the bass. The instruments he uses – six-string acoustic and electric bass guitars and bass-mandola, developed through years of discussions with master luthiers and string makers - are as unique as the way he plays them. In order to express musical ideas he often finds the use for unseen and self-invented playing techniques but also specially designed electronic possibilities, which all become unmistakeable trademarks of his style and make him an integral part of the sound of any project he takes part in.
Fredrik Gille
Fredrik Gille has spent decades traveling the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and Latin America in the pursuit of percussion - its traditions, instruments, playing techniques and musicians. A true aficionado, handpicking each instrument in his ever developing set-up according to what characteristic nuances the specific music or dance production needs. At the same time always caring about what new sound-scapes will inspire his surrounding. The rhythmical landscapes of Bazar Blå are just one of many examples of his artistry.
