Maja & David

Two musical cultures meet and a journey through differences and similarities begins.

“Maja & David” are Maja Kjær Jacobsen (fiddle, Hardingfele, song) and David Boulanger (regular and cross tuned fiddles, foot-percussion).

"It is both simple and majestic, sophisticated or rough, territorial and without borders, profound, bouncy, timeless, melancholic or cheerful, in harmony or unison, à cappella, in a waltz as well as the polka, reel or jig: Smooth!”

- Yves Bernard
Le Devoir, Montréal, Canada

During the last two years they have toured in Europe, Canada and USA. Their debut album, “NORD”, was very well received by critics as well as audiences wherever they have been. Their second album will be ready for launch by the beginning of 2015.

Combining these two master fiddlers’ musical traditions, “Maja & David” are known for their intense performance and phenomenal contact on stage. They possess an incredible ability to create their own sound and atmosphere in their music and their songs, and while they tell stories of their home countries you get a glimpse of the secret behind their craftsmanship and musicality. Coming from cultures geographically far apart, Maja from Denmark and David from Québec, their inspiring combination of musical heritages shows that music knows no borders.

They explore all options in being only two musicians on stage – and they take advantage of the limitations it gives, which makes them show their creativity and inventiveness to the full. A concert with Maja & David is an exhibition of virtuosity, fearlessness, happy reels, joyful polkas, furiousness, and melancholy, all put into a tasty melting pot of music.

"At Folk Alliance, people were literally running to their room to see what the music was about, so I predict that this will be a breakout year for both Maja & David!”

- Devon Leger
Kithfolk.com, 2014

Biography.
Maja Kjær Jacobsen and David Boulanger met through mutual colleagues and friends as early as 2009, but it was not until 2012 that they decided to get together and make music.

As soon as they started performing around Denmark and Québec during the summer of 2012, they caught the attention of their audiences. Their new and exciting sound struck something that made them stick out in the crowd.

October 2012 “Maja & David” decided to record an album. They did a “crowd funding” and with the enormous help of their followers and fans, the duo managed to pre-sell enough records, downloads and other merchandise, to be able to start the recording process.

January 2013 they went to the Studio Chemin 4 in Joliette, Québec, where many of Québec’s finest trad bands have recorded their albums. They recorded the music for their debut album in four days. Marc Busic, a very well respected sound engineer and musician himself, was behind the soundboard.

Their debut album ”NORD” was released at Festival Chants de Vielles in Québec in late June 2013.

Since then, the duo and their activities have developed quickly; many concerts, radio interviews, reviews of “NORD” and participation in several conferences has given their international career a perfect kick off, and they now travel more and more to please audiences in many different countries.

” This is a real feast for fiddle fans. Their two traditions blend sweetly and seamlessly on Nord, showing that springy Scandinavian dances can segue beautifully into raucous Québécois reels, and that drone-rich Danish airs work beautifully with their Canadian cousins. ”

- Stephen D. Winick,
The Huffington Post, 2014