Groupa

Groupa has reshaped Swedish folk traditions by weaving in contemporary instruments and inventive improvisations under the guidance of Mats Eden, whose playing on drone fiddle, viola and accordion has kept the ensemble at the vanguard of the country’s folk revival for over twenty years. Rock'N'Reel magazine asserts that Groupa “will challenge people’s preconceptions of Swedish music,” while Roots World observes that the band “achieves near perfection as they go further afield without leaving the ancient muse behind.” In an interview from the early 1990s, Eden described the collective goal: “each of us has in his own way been searching for new means of expression within the range of traditional music. Having deep knowledge of these old methods has given us a secure base from which to explore new artistic possibilities.”

The group’s inventive approach has earned it widespread domestic acclaim. Manskatt, issued in 1991, and Imeland, issued in 1996, each received Swedish Grammy awards, and in 1992 Eden was honored as “composer of the year” at the Musik Vid Siljian festival. He has sustained parallel careers with the Nordic Project and as a solo performer.

Several musicians who once belonged to Groupa later joined prominent Swedish folk-rock outfits. Lena Willemark and Ale Moller remain active with both Frifot and the Nordan Project, the latter of which also includes Mats Eden; Totte Mattson, a lute and guitar player, helped establish Hedningarna; and Gustav Hylen performs with Hoven Droven.

Mats Eden remains the ensemble’s central figure. Born in Varmland, Sweden, a modest community close to the Norwegian frontier, he pursued composition studies at Musikhoyskole, the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and in 1979 he received the title of Riksspelman, or master musician.

A sweeping change of personnel occurred in 1990 when Mattson, Willemark and recorder and bass clarinet player Bill McChesney departed. The present lineup comprises Eden together with flute and bass saxophone player Jonas Simonson, keyboardist Rikard Astrom, percussionist Terje Tsungset and beautiful vocalist Sofia Karlsson.