The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc Etnisk Musikklubb***

The fiddle has been in its ascendency for the past few years and this Swedish/ Norwegian/Shetland Island trio ramp it up further with a dozen beautifully arranged tunes that draw the listener into worlds at light year's remove from the quotidian sound patterns that populate our airwaves. Two of the trio contribute original music to the mix, too, and Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson's Jenna Reid of Quarffis a hiccuping joy to behold, as is Swede Anders Hall's swinging polka, Maria's 27th Birthday Plattgympa. For many of us, our ears have become accustomed to the Hardanger fiddle from the playing of Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and its plaintive earthy tones are writ large here by Norwegian Olav Luksengård Mjelva. The Bloc's real triumph, though, is in binding the disparate sounds of Scandinavia and Shetland with the stray but welcome American tune, Bonaparte's Retreat.Light and dark, fleet-footed and somnolent in fair measure. See emcd.no