On parle de la Fanfare...

par Dolf Mulder in Vital #588 (Pays-Bas), 6 août 2007

In one word: this is a fantastic cd! Hollmer and Fanfare Pourpour would have fitted perfectly in the program of the resurrected RIO-festival last april in France. Between the dark - but more then excellent!! - music of Guapo, Présent and others, their positive and uplifting music would have been a great contribution. Why linking this Karusell with RIO? Well, Lars Hollmer with Samla Mammas Manna, was one of the groups involved in the RIO-network in the early 80s, as were Stormy Six, Étron Fou, Univers Zero, Henry Cow, etc. RIO had its function in creating a global audience for these groups. Now, so many years later, we can say this was a success. Accordionplayer Lars Hollmer made friends in Canada (Jean Derome, a.o.), and travels the world with his Accordion Tribe. But before that Hollmer made several great solo-albums in the 80s and 90s. From these lps come most of the compositions that we hear on Karusell Musik. Great tunes, all inspired on Swedish folk music. Jean Derome did a great job in arranging them for the fanfare. Fanfare Pourpour are some 20 musicians playing a diversity of wind instruments of course, but also several string instruments (mandoline, guitar, banjo, violin) plus percussion. And accordion not to forget, one of them played by Lars Hollmer himself who also sings on several pieces. The pieces were rehearsed and recorded with Lars Hollmer during a week in October 2006. They must have had a lot of fun, as the Fanfare gives way to a very joyous interpretation of Hollmer’s pieces. They embraced his music with great enthusiasm. For Hollmer it is the second time that his super melodic tunes are interpreted by musicians somewhere else on this planet. In 2000 he recorded with a group of japanese musicians (Global Home Project). Fanfare Pourpour has a history going back to the 70s, but since they are working together with musicians from the impro scene, they release every now and then a cd. The first one in 1999 (Tout le monde), the second one (Le bal) in 2004 with compositions by band members. And now the irresistible Karusell Musik, a very successful collaboration. Chapeau!