Lars Hollmer tribute:
1.Accordion Tribe "Portaletyde" sa albuma "Sea of Reeds" (Intuition)
2.Samla Mammas Manna "Circus Apparatha" sa albuma "Samla Mammas manna" (Silence records)
3.Zamla Mammaz Manna "Den Flamtande novellen" sa albuma "Families Esprickor" (Silence)
4.Von Zamla "Fur Munju/Indo Jazz" sa aluma "No Make Up! (JA&RO)
5. Lars Hollmer "Optimist Beat" sa albuma "Fran Natt Idag" (Krax)
6.Accordion Tribe "Soonsong" sa albuma "Lunghorn twist" (Intuition)
It is with great sadness to report the passing of Lars Hollmer. A member of Accordion Tribe as well as many other projects and ensembles, he was known as one of the most adventurous musicians in the world for the past forty years, starting with the Swedish band Samla Mammas Manna and continuing forward to his most recent 2007 album Viandra. His last performance was on October 17, 2008 in his home town Uppsala, Sweden with Canadian group Fanfare Pourpour. Lars’ energy and passion for adventure and fun in music was matched by his generosity and unlimited energy. His spark, in music and character, was unique in the world and will be deeply missed.
Fellow Accordion Tribe member Guy Klucevsek writes this tribute to his friend and fellow musician
My dear friend and Accordion Tribe colleague, Lars Hollmer, passed away on Dec. 25, 2008, at the age of 60.
I first heard Lars's music in the early 90s, through singer-songwriter and DJ extraordinaire, David Garland. I instantly recognized a kindred spirit and he was the first person I invited to be a part of what eventually became the Accordion Tribe. We began the group in 1996 and continue to this day, although there will be a gaping void on stage and in our hearts from now on.
Lars was an auto-didact and multi-instrumentalist (accordion, keyboards, voice, melodica, etc.) who was completely fearless in his approach to music. He could be unabashedly sentimental (Boeves Psalm, Soon Song), write incredibly dense and complex counterpoint with the best of them (Pas de Valse, Utflykt med Damcyckle), and be mischievous and joyfully wacked-out (Circus I, II). And that's only the Accordion Tribe repertoire! He managed to record about 30 albums in all, mostly in his legendary home studio, the Chickenhouse, both solo (11), and with his many groups, including The Looping Home Orchestra and Samla Mammas Manna.
What is the common element in all these? To quote Lars from the documentary film, "Accordion Tribe: Music Travels" (Stefan Schwietert, Maximage Films, 2002), "It all begins here," (he says, pointing to his heart); "it may go through here eventually," (he points to his head), "but it all begins with the heart." - Guy Klucevsek
