From Senegal to Norway

Kirsten Bråten Berg
Solo Cissokho
Kouame Sereba
Bjørgulv Straume
Frå Senegal til Setesdal
Grappa Records, Norway ([email protected])

This recording has finally been released in the US (summer, 1999) as
Kirsten Bråten Berg
From Senegal to Setesdal
Six Degrees (www.sixdegreesrecords.com)

"Tiramakan / Eg Vippa Meg"
Traditional Songs
used by permission

This is a simple yet stunning recording. Kirsten Bråten Berg is one of Norway's best known folk singers... voice like an angel territory here. She and her munnharpe (Jew's harp) are joined by Cissokho on vocals and kora, Sereba on voice, do-do (a African mouth harp) and djembe; and Straume on munnharpe and voice. It's a very simple collection of instruments, some of the oldest and most basic in the world, but the music they make is quite unusual and beautiful.

These are mostly Norwegian folk songs and fiddle tunes, sometimes played straight as pure vocal pieces, other times mixed with new African lyrics and rhythms to create something that is still effectively Norwegian, but clearly a product of creative thinking and deep feeling on the part of all four musicians. This is not some cagey cross-culture experiment made for the times. These musicians seem to intuitively know each other and their roots, and bring out one another's best impulses.

Frå Senegal til Setesdal will not rattle your bones, force you to dance (although you could!) or confuse you with esoteric cleverness. But it will make you listen, sharpen your senses and bring a smile to your fusion weary face. - CF