If you are asked to name a kind of music that uses fiddles and accordions, you’d be forgiven for saying Irish or Scottish first. But both the fiddle and the accordion are common instruments in many folk traditions, including Danish.
The Danish tradition shares a lot with its Norwegian and Swedish neighbors, as well as with the Celtic traditions of Ireland and Scotland. And with the advent of the internet and multi-national folk festivals, the music of all of those countries can fuse in interesting ways.
Fiddler Kristian Bugge and accordionist Mette Jensen are two young Danish musicians who are both honoring the tradition and pushing it forward. The two are currently on tour in the Midwest, which actually plays an important role in the revival of the Danish folk tradition. Bugge and Jensen came by the studio to discuss the importance of Danish music and play us a few tunes:
Danish folk group Jensen-Bugge will perform at Shank Hall tonight before continuing the rest of their Midwestern Tour.
