Swedish folk music band Bazar Blå is to celebrate its 20th anniversary and perform its latest album ‘Twenty’ at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on September 16.
The innovative trio of percussionist Fredrik Gille, bassist Bjorn Meyer and Johan Hedin who plays nyckelharpa (a traditional Swedish chordophone) are touring Iran for the third time, ILNA reported.
Twenty, their new album, was prepared in May. It is the sixth album in 20 years of their artistic activity, during which they refined their work and charted their own niche in world music.
The concert starts at 9 pm. It is titled ‘Swedish Soundscapes and More’. “Seven eventful years have passed since our previous release and, looking back, it seems both like it was just yesterday and also a very distant past. At times we came close to getting lost forever, but we just could not rush this music or force it into existence. Now it is here and we are very happy to present this next step in the evolution of Bazar Blå,” the band wrote, introducing their latest release.
“Twenty is about the magical gravitational forces of music and its mysterious effects on life. Just as much as it marks our 20-year anniversary as Bazar Blå, this music is also a celebration of the rare friendship that has kept us together for all these years. A unique musical and personal connection which inspires us to push boundaries and develop as musicians. From the very beginning, Bazar Blå has functioned as a sort of safe-house for musical experiments and exchange of artistic ideas, many of which have found their ways into our music and thus into our musical personalities.”
Hermes Records, a Tehran-based publisher and producer of modern music, is releasing the new album in Iran.
“The role of Swedish musicians and their impact on the world’s music is undeniable. Bazar Blå is yet another proof of the thriving and prosperous musical culture of the Nordic states. The virtuosos of the band offer a palette of unique sounds and a deep intimacy that no listener can avoid relating to. Although loyal and respectful to their Swedish roots, Bazar Blå humbly shapes their boundary-free musical net so fine that ears become keen to get caught in it,” Ramin Sadiqi, director of Hemes Records said about Bazar Blå.
