Sweden’s Väsen Returns to Santa Cruz
Celebrating New Album: Vågor
By Julie Horner
One of life’s greatest pleasures is experiencing live music played on traditional acoustic instruments. Wood and strings meld with bones and sinew, connecting the humus of the human spirit with imperatives that lie outside of ‘self’, erasing borders, smoothing differences, expanding imagination and worldview. Make plans to experience Sweden’s Väsen-Duo, featuring Mikael Marin (viola, violoncello da spalla) and Olov Johansson (nychelharpa, silverbasharpa, oktavharpa), performing ground-breaking composed and evocative traditional folk music at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday, February 22 at 7:30 pm. Celebrating the release of the band’s latest CD, Vågor, the evening will be transformative.
Sweden’s Väsen-Duo: Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson perform at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on Sunday, February 22 at 7:30 pm.
Olov Johansson began playing nyckelharpa at age 14 and became the first ‘world champion’ of the instrument in 1990. The nyckelharpa (pronounced “nickle-harpa”) is a bowed string instrument that uses a series of wooden keys operated by the left hand to play the notes of a melody rather than the fingers as you would normally play a violin. Known as the Swedish “keyed harp” or “keyed fiddle,” versions of the instrument can be dated to 14th century Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Germany, and other European countries. Nychelharpas are distinctive for the haunting resonance created by sets of sympathetic strings that are neither bowed nor keyed while the instrument is being played. Often called the national instrument of Sweden, the sound is synonymous with Swedish folk music.
Mikael Marin plays the viola, larger than the violin and tuned lower, which brings a rich alto voice to the music. He also plays the violoncello da spalla, Italian for “cello of the shoulder,” which is worn on a strap and played like a violin rather than bowed vertically like a typical cello placed on the floor.
Olov and Mikael met at the Oktoberstämman festival in Uppsala, Sweden in 1983 and have played together ever since. The band Väsen was formed in 1989 with fellow countryman, guitar player Roger Tallroth. The original trio made 16 studio albums and 4 live recordings together, and have collaborated with mandolinists Mike Marshall and Darol Anger, “new-grass” group Punch Brothers, Michael League of Snarky Puppy, and many more. After Tallroth left to pursue other musical adventures, Olov and Mikael re-formed as a duo. Their first album as Väsen-Duo, “Vågor” (Swedish for waves), was released in the fall of 2025. “Many of the songs on this album are connected to water,” Olav said. “There are some islands, a small bay, a water mill, and someone going against the current. The waves are always present. This theme has sparked our imagination!”
Swedish music offers a unique tapestry. Naturally influenced by the region’s long, cold winters; modal scales paint dark tones, while the asymmetrical rhythms in dance forms such as polskas and mazurkas are spirited and uplifting. Väsen’s music is necessarily intense, plunging into the frigid depths of the Scandinavian Peninsula yet tempered by the kind of improvisational soundscapes you might find on sunnier shores. Olov said of the new album and the duo’s evolving sound, “We have also developed and deepened our rhythmic interplay between the nyckelharpa and the bass viola. Tracks like Kungshatt, Motströms, and Årsta holmar clearly show the step towards something new. Let curiosity live!”
Väsen-Duo, Sunday, February 22 at 7:00 pm. Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Center St., Santa Cruz. Find tickets on the Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay website: celticsociety.org
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