The Nordic Fiddler's Bloc

From the moment Kevin Henderson, Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall of The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc first played together in 2009 they felt a particular chemistry in the sound they created. Some seven hundred gigs later, playing across Scandinavia, mainland Europe, the U.S. and the UK, that chemistry continues to draw the trio together. Passion is a word that comes up often in conversation with Henderson, Mjelva and Hall. It?s a word that lies behind the trio?s determination to find exactly the right tunes to play and exactly the right way to play a certain phrase (Henderson has been known to find forty different examples of them playing the same motif stored on his mobile phone from rehearsals). In the beginning they were intrigued. For Henderson, who grew up in the fiddle-rich tradition of the Shetland Islands, there was a mystery in hearing his Scandinavian colleagues harmonise with one another. Although Fiddlers? Bid, the Shetland group he has played with since his teens and continues to work with, create a harmonious, four-fiddle sound, the Swedish tradition of having one fiddle play a melody and another shadowing it with a harmony line, was something new to him. The jamming sessions that led to the threesome coalescing into a group showed them that they could not only create a unique sound, they also had a richness, helped by their use of standard fiddles, octave fiddle, viola and Hardanger fiddle, that has led to them being likened to a string quartet rather than just a trio. Folk music promoters and festivals internationally have picked up on the Bloc?s uniqueness. They have played at major events including Tønder Festival in Denmark, Scotland?s mammoth Celtic Connections winter music festival, Cape Breton?s prestigious Celtic Colours, and the annual A Celtic Christmas Sojourn in Boston. ?Fiddle aficionados were thoroughly spoilt for choice all weekend, what with the gorgeously multi-layered tones and textures of Nordic Fiddlers Bloc? Sue Wilson - The Scotsman £17 General Admission | £15 Concessions | £6 Under 16?s * * We are offering a free carer/companion ticket for any disabled or wheelchair-user audience members throughout our shows this season. Please note that it is helpful if this is booked in advance via the WeGotTickets website, so that we can ensure that there is adequate accessible seating reserved on the day/night of the event. Wheelchair access, or entry for people with a disability is available from the side entrance, by the Phoenix Café.