A duet of acoustic music with instruments that probably never graced a Saratoga Springs stage warmed the audience on February 12th at Universal Preservation Hall.
The Passport Music Series took us to Sweden with the duo Vasen playing a 90 minute set of acoustic music that teased the audience into a deep listening experience.
Mikael Marin (bearded) plays a bowed violincello de spalla (cello of the shoulder) and can use a separate one shaped more like an electric version pizzicato. He also played a smaller version of this instrument that functioned like a bass guitar. Both were amplified by a small bass amp in between them.
His colleague Olav Johansson plays a Nyckelharpa, a hurdy gurdy-like keyed fiddle with three melody strings played like a pedal steel guitar. There is a bass string and a dozen others that are allowed to vibrate freely to add to the polyphony and complexity to the sound.
The band has played together since 1980, toured the world numerous times and recorded with other world/folk musicians. That 40 plus years together has enabled the duo to play their intricate music almost telepathically.
Even though they are virtuosos in the true sense of the word, the duo do not take themselves too seriously; the cookie monster hat on Mikael says it all. Interspersed in between the music, there were many tales of life on the road, the origin of their instruments, the little villages from where much of the music originated and the efforts to continue to keep the music alive during the pandemic.
This performance felt like a warm fireplace in a great room to warm us all up during the chilly winter, giving a sense of community for all who attended.
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