Sally Wiola Sessions

Sofia Karlsson has been working on the project Sally Wiola Sessions since 2016, along with a group of talented musicians. This has resulted in an album trilogy that started with Piano Solos by Martin Hederos, was followed by Fiddle & Accordion Conversations by Lisa Rydberg and Lisa Långbacka, and recently finished with Sofia Karlsson’s Guitar Stories in September 2019.

A Slow Motion Festival includes all three artists, photos by photographer AnnaReet Gillblad, jewelry from designer Isabelle Hällsjö and food from the slow food movement. This trilogy of musical, and other, artists will tour during 2020-2022 and create the concept of a ”slow festival”, with the philosophy behind the concept being a slow movement idea encompassing music, arts, food, and slowing down the pace of life.

GUITAR STORIES (PART 3)

SOFIA KARLSSON, MATTIAS PÉREZ & DANIEL EK

Sofia Karlsson is, without a doubt, one of Sweden’s most beloved singers. With a catalogue filled to the brim of her own self-penned material, as well as interpretations, her music has gently found its way into the hearts of many thousands of listeners around Sweden.

She has been working on the project Sally Wiola Sessions since 2016, along with a group of talented musicians. An album trilogy that started with Piano Solos by Martin Hederos, followed by Fiddle & Accordion Conversations by Lisa Rydberg and Lisa Långbacka, now finishes with Sofia Karlsson’s Guitar Stories. The album was released on September 27th, 2019, and brings the Sally Wiola Sessions cycle to a close.

Guitar Stories is an album that does not follow conventional patterns. The album moves through both instrumental stories, as well as sung ones, in an exuberant narrative tempo. Along with the guitar virtuosi Daniel Ek and Mattias Pérez, Sofia Karlsson has created a tribute to the instrument that sits at the album’s very core.

Sofia Karlsson says:
– Guitar Stories is a tribute to the guitar, both the regular and the unusual. All the tracks are separate stories about something from our lives; a journey home, an abandoned man, a dying child, a love being born, and an unending desire of running barefoot and stealing apples.

Guitar Stories is handmade, organic music and was recorded live, without overdubs. Singer Jakob Algesten is also featured alongside Sofia Karlsson, Daniel Ek and Mattias Pérez.

FIDDLE & ACCORDION CONVERSATIONS (PART 2)

LISAS

The duo LISAS is a rising star. While rooted in Swedish folk music, also equally at ease experimenting with new forms and inspirations from genres such as Baroque, Celtic folk music, jazz and tango. Their album Fiddle & Accordion Conversations (SWS Records/Playground) was released in February 2017 at the prestigious festival Folk Alliance International in Kansas City.

LISAS has represented Sweden at the European Broadcasting Union folk music festival in Croatia; performed at the International Festival Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordéon in Quebec; at Glogerfestspillene in Kongsberg, Norway; MAfestival in Bruges, Belgium; at Musikfestspiele in Potsdam, Germany and many concerts around Sweden. They have collaborated with violinist Gjermund Larsen, string trio Zilliacus/Persson/Raitinen and Danish Radio Chamber Choir.

Lisa Rydberg is a Baroque violinist and Riksspelman (National Folk Musician of Sweden). She obtained her diploma in Baroque violin and is now a freelance musician with a wide range. She has released five albums on her own, including Bach in Swedish with organist Gunnar Idenstam.

Lisa Långbacka’s exploration of the free-bass accordion is unique, with her finding new ways of arranging traditional music, bringing her harmonic ideas and influences together in her compositions. Lisa was elected accordion player of the year by the Swedish Accordion Association, has been the band leader in Édouard Lock’s performance 11th Floor with the Cullberg Ballet, and has played Cabaret at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.

PIANO SOLOS (PART 1)

MARTIN HEDEROS

Few musicians possess the ability to cast themselves between roles, styles and contexts as Martin Hederos does. From world-renowned rocker in The Soundtrack of Our Lives, to progressive jazz pianist in one of Sweden’s biggest jazz exports Tonbruket, to the magnificent orchestra thunderstorm Fire! Orchestra, to the most notable duo projects with names such as Mattias Hellberg, Nino Ramsby and Sofia Karlsson.

Martin is now performing a concert with music from his first real solo album, Piano Solos. The album is a ”diary record”, curated by Sofia Karlsson as the first of the Sally Wiola Sessions trilogy.