Horta
Elias Akselsen, Stian Carstensen og Ola Kvernberg
Despite the fact that Elias Akselsen and Stian Carstensen have been musical partners for many years, the project "Horta" is quite new. Together with fiddler Ola Kvernberg, they released an album (Heilo/Skøyerstaten), with the same name in October 2022.
The album consists of nine personal interpretations of Tater music that range from shilling songs to Balkan rhythms, and guests younger generations of Tater musicians such as Sara Wilhelmsen and Anita Kleppe.
With Akselsen's clarity and experience, Molde Cathedral will be served a cross-section of the Tatar musical heritage, from one of the last time witnesses to the tragic (but also rich) history of the Tatars - a real romani.
We also hear traces of how the contemporary cultures have mutually influenced each other. We know, for example, that famous Norwegian folk musicians such as Myllarguten and Fante-Karl played Tater music, which has survived in the form of slatter (and become Norwegian).
The way folk musicians, taters and art musicians have made an impression on each other throughout history reflects jazz's philosophical ideals and attitude to life: you meet the world and its movements with an open mind and take with you what makes an impression - and then you go further.
Perhaps we will be left with a more nuanced impression of cultural identity creation than the polarized version we are used to after hearing "Horta"? Time will tell.
Akselsen has for many decades been an important communicator of the history and culture of the Taters. Watch, among other things, this documentary on NRK before the concert!