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Written in fRoots issue 220, 2001

SVEIN WESTAD
The Jews’ Harp World
Etnisk Musikklubb EM3 (2000)

The jew’s harp is often regarded as little more than a little toy, a twangy novelty sound, but in many parts of the world there are traditions, often with extraordinary and highly developed techniques, of the making - usually from steel, bamboo, brass or bone - and playing of jew’s harps, including in Europe where, for example, ace Swiss maker and musician Anton Bruhin has recently been making very effective innovations such as electrically vibrated jew’s harp and the use of resonating tubes.
      The fact that all jew’s harps play in a natural harmonic scale, rather than equal temperament, means that they have affinity with musics that still use that scale. Norwegian fiddling and folksong are just such musics, and Norway has a considerable tradition of making and playing of the instrument, particularly in the silver-smithing heartland of Setesdal. Svein Westad is a virtuoso, and also a researcher into Norwegian and other world Jew’s harp traditions, for example those of the Ainu in Hokkaido. On The Jew’s Harp World he plays traditional tunes, mostly from Norway using Norwegian instruments but occasionally featuring tunes and instruments from Kirghizstan or Rajahstan. For some tracks he multitracks langeleik or seljefløyte, or duets with hardanger fiddler and singer Anne Svånhaug Haugen or tabla player Jai Shankar. To show some of the instrument’s variety and world range, nine of the twenty-nine tracks are given over to guest virtuosi - Japanese Leo Tadagawa, Vietnamese Jew’s harp and dan (zither) player Trân Quang Hai, and English player and singer John Wright - and the final track is an improvisation by all four made during the 2000 Jew’s Harp Festival in Molln, Austria.
      The booklet notes contain a concise background on Norway’s regional jew’s harp traditions, some useful European maker and worldwide organisation web contacts, and a world overview of the many types, playing styles and names of the instrument.


© 2001 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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