A Musical Experiment in Sápmi

At the turn of October and November 2022, three musicians met in Kautokeino in Northern Norway. Their meeting brought together countries and traditions, and they experimented with new material that was later performed in two public concerts.

They wished to explore music as ritual and the forces it carries. What happens when joik, herding calls and jazz are allowed to merge, strengthen one another and draw inspiration from each other? Joik is one of the strongest living expressions of pre-Christian Sámi spirituality with deep ties to the land. Kulning, a traditional Nordic herding call, is rooted in forests, open fields and animals. Both traditions have long stood close to silence, born in times and places with slower rhythms and little noise. The trio wanted to explore the silence within joik and kulning and what it can mean for us today.

Musically, they investigated how the unique timbres and vocal techniques of joik and kulning blend or differ, and what arises when these ancient vocal forms meet virtuosic jazz piano with its layers of melody, harmony and rhythm. They also experimented with soundscapes, both acoustic and electronic, where beauty was not required and sounds from nature could be part of the whole. They played with joik’s complex polyrhythms and uneven meters in relation to jazz. All three musicians see music as something with the power to heal and to convey strong forces, and they wished to explore this together.

Director / DoP / Editor - Susanne Walström
Producer - Elisabeth Berg, Switzerland

Participating musicians
Caroline Pehrson, Stockholm, Sweden  – Vocals / Kulning / Violin / Ableton Push / Composition.
Ingor Antte Ailu Gaup (artist name Ailloš), Kautokeino, Norway – Joik / Goavddis (Sámi drum) / Composition.
Andrea Pellegrini, Livorno, Italy – Piano / Melodica / Mouth harp / Composition.