MUSICANS Sofia Sandén: Vocals Ida Täpp: Fiddle Jenny Täpp: Fiddle Zara Helje: Fiddle Mattias Helje: Fiddle Anders Almlöf: Fiddle Jonas Hjalmarsson: Fiddle
The county of Dalarna has always been renowned for its wealth of musicians tunes and songs. Folk music has always been important here and right up to modern times has been a natural part peoples everyday lives and festivities, from cradle to grave. The colourful fiddlers often put their stamp on the music and a number of local playing styles have consequently developed. It is fascinating to note that even today one can hear the differences in how a melody is played in different parts of the county. In the west of Dalarna there have been close ties with Norway, while Bingsjö, in the east, has had more to do with Hälsingland, which you can hear in the tunes.Many of the Dalarna fiddlers have become legends. Trend-setting fiddlers such as Pekkos Per and Lejsme Per are still widely discussed and revered, although a century has passed since they were actively playing. Their tunes have proved unusually durable and are still very popular. There has been a marked interest in playing the tunes in recent years and with the present proliferation of talented young musicians and singers we can rest assured that the rich treasure of Dalarna tunes will live on and thrive well into the next millennium.
"Kurbits" features seven young folk musicians of varying musical backgrounds. They are influenced and have been inspired by a number of musicians from different parts of Dalarna. Singer Sofia Sandén (b 1973) comes from Leksand. Sisters Ida (b 1975) and Jenny (b 1978) Täpp are from Gärdsjö, near Rättvik. Zara (b 1971) and Mattias (b 1970) Helje live in Lima on the banks of the river Västerdal. Anders Almlöf (b 1971) has his roots in Malung and Jonas Hjalmarsson (b1965) grew up in Älvdalen. They are all outstanding musicians noted for their playing which combines tradition,personality and creativity as natural ingredients. Kurbits represents living folk music.
