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From the Shoulder of the Great Bear (Otavaisen olkap​ä​ä​lt​ä​)

from On the Shoulders of the Great Bear by Andrew Cronshaw

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A tune from shepherdess Nattalia Vassili of Tarinaisi in Ingria (outside Finland’s SE border), who was recorded playing it in 1914. A new spell made and delivered by Heikki Laitinen, using mythological runo imagery, about the rocky cavern which was blasted out of Kaustinen’s hill to become Kansantaiteenkeskus, of which the studio Soiva Kivi is part. There’s another runo-tune, from Suojärvi in East Karelia, in the background. Heikki finishes with the words “Otavaisen olkapäältä” - “from the shoulder of the Great Bear”.

Ingrian shepherdess Nattalia Vassili, then aged 40, was recorded in Tarinaisi in 1914, by Finnish ethnomusicologist A.O.Väisänen, playing on a birchbark-bound whistle the tune which forms the first section of 'From the shoulder of the Great Bear'. The words, vocal melody and performance were made by Heikki, and delivered in a remarkable first take.

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from On the Shoulders of the Great Bear, released January 1, 2000
Quenacho, tin whistle, jews harps, whistle, shawm, ba-wu - Andrew Cronshaw
Voice - Heikki Laitinen
Soprano sax - Ian Blake
Double bass - Bernard O’Neill
Kantele - Hannu Saha

Trad. arr Cronshaw/Blake/O'Neill/Laitinen with lyrics and vocal melody comp. Laitinen

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Andrew Cronshaw London, UK

Andrew Cronshaw is a British multi-instrumentalist and producer, soloist and also leader of the Finnish/Armenian/British band SANS, who also has a long career as a writer on roots musics, particularly those of the Nordic, Baltic, eastern and central European and Iberian regions, for fRoots, The Rough Guide to World Music etc. ... more

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