Projekt Dialekt

For the first blog entry, it’s not a CD review, but thoughts about a DVD. Mette Kathrine Jensen and Kristian Bugge (collectively known as Jensen & Bugge, an accordion and fiddle duo who perform together regularly) had been working on Projekt Dialekt for quite a long time, and it’s finally seen the light of day.
It’s traditional music and dance from four distinct regions of Denmark – Læsø, Fanø, Vestjylland (West Jutland) and Thy. The dance aspect is every bit as important as the music as different areas have their specific dances, which are perfectly illustrated here. Not in a dry documentary fashion, but from the musicians (with local accompaniment) playing for a night of dancing.
Add to that recollections of dancers (especially charming are Doris Thygesen’s memories of dances on Fanø just after the war) and you have a package that explores a very significant part of Danish music.
Much Danish music (tunes, not songs) is intended for dancing, even in the old notebooks of fiddlers that are the basis for some of the music being made nowadays. Unlike its darker Swedish counterpart this is music for twirling the partner with the head up. Many of the origins lie in 18th century English music, but the tunes themselves develop and take on local flavour, with variances from region to region (and kudos for including the venerable Karl Skaarup playing, as well as Vagn Dahl Hansen, another veteran of dance music, and Sonnich Lydom). There has to be a swing to it to make it danceable. That swing is a common factor internationally, and it’s certainly present here.
The Danish dances aren’t always easy (as I once discovered; Kirstine Sand was an excellent teacher but I was a hopeless pupil), but well-performed they have real grace, and the dancers here obviously love what they’re doing. The truly encouraging part is that a fair number of those out on the floor are young, so the traditions won’t quickly die away.
Project Dialekt is something that’s eminently satisfying. It gives a context for everything, a feel for local history, for time and place. Musically it’s all wonderfully smooth and played with gusto and pleasure. It helps to preserve things, which is no mean feat, and serves as a reminder that traditions are living things, not to be left in museums