Have you heard of the conservatory-educated pianist who swapped the jazz club for the pub? When Anders Lillebo fell in love with Irish folk music, his music career took an unexpected turn. – Sometimes it can feel like life makes our choices for us, and that you can't do anything but go along with the flow!
/ 13/09/2019 / Kristian DugstadName: Anders Lillebo
TONO member since: 2010
Current with: Homecoming (Album)
Who is Anders Lillebo?
Accordion player and multi-instrumentalist from Engerdal in Hedmark. Ex-jazz pianist and newly converted folk musician.
Tell us about your musical background?
I started playing piano and keyboards in various rock and blues bands in my teens. After I started studying music, I was introduced to jazz and started playing in big bands and such. When I eventually decided to study further at the music conservatory in Agder, it felt natural to continue pursuing the jazz track. I was particularly interested in the Hammond organ, and spent a lot of time studying the old masters from the 60s and 70s, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith etc. For a long time I thought that this was what I would do for the rest of my career.
Let's say a trained jazz pianist moves to Ireland and falls in love with folk music. Does that sound familiar?
Sometimes it can feel like life makes our choices for us, and that you can't do anything but go with the flow! This was definitely one of those moments. It all started when I visited a folk music festival in the Irish town of Ennis. There I fell completely in love with the island's folk music, there was something about the groove and the vibe that really "spoke" to me. When I got home to Norway I decided that I just had to learn this! I quickly bought myself an accordion and eventually ended up moving to Ireland. There I spent two years trying to learn as much as I could about Irish folk music.
What was it like to change musical pastures?
Not easy! One of the most challenging things has actually been finding my way in a new musical identity. I went from identifying as a jazz musician, to moving into a landscape where I didn't have much of a network and didn't know the codes.
During your time in Ireland you also learned a new main instrument. How was the transition from piano to accordion?
It definitely made the transition even more challenging. I quickly realized that I needed a more “pub-friendly” instrument than the piano to explore this music. I eventually ended up on the accordion as I assumed I could transfer a lot of the technique from my piano playing. This turned out to be only partially true and in many ways I had to start all over again. I remember at one point sitting in an accordion workshop with a bunch of Irish 12-year-olds who were already playing much better than me, and asking myself what on earth I was doing!
What made you continue?
It's always been fun! I've never had a problem motivating myself to practice. My motto when it comes to music is that you have to do music that gives you the most joy, anything else I don't think is sustainable in the long run.
How do you experience playing traditional music from a "foreign" country? Does it present any challenges?
It has certainly led to both identity problems and confusion. It is probably especially difficult to build a professional career as a folk musician if you do not have an ethnic connection to the country the music comes from. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the fact that if you have grown up in the folk music community, you have an advantage over others who come in at a later time. I see that clearly here in Norway too. Nevertheless, I also think that we are still used to performers of folk music from different countries looking and appearing in a particular way. For example, we have no problem with a Japanese pianist interpreting Beethoven, but are we perhaps more skeptical of Japanese performers of Irish folk music? I still believe that this will change. We live in a time when our culture is becoming increasingly global, and ideas and impulses are exchanged across national borders at a high pace.
What made you start writing music yourself?
I've always written music, regardless of the musical genres I've identified with. For me, it's an inevitable consequence of doing music.
Folk music is a lot about continuing old music. What is it like to write new melodies in such a world?
It is almost a field of its own to be able to write music that slips unnoticed into the repertoire of a folk music tradition. I must admit that this is not something I think about much when I write music myself. For me, it is about finding melodies that best represent the megIt sounds like a cliché, of course, but it can be easy to end up writing music you think is expected of you, instead of what you get the most out of yourself.
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Where and how do you write?
I write everywhere. In my home studio, on the road, in a hotel room, in the car, etc. Since I have a background as a keyboard player, I often have thoughts about harmonization and chord progressions throughout the process, but after diving into folk music, I have really opened my eyes to good melodies. I often try to write melodies that can be interesting all on their own.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by musicians and artists with a clear identity who are able to experiment with different expressions without losing the essence of who they are. Bela Fleck, Pat Metheny, Martin Hayes, John Mayer are some of my favorites. Knut Reiersrud and the Swedish folk musician Esbjörn Hazelius are two of my biggest sources of inspiration here at home.
Do you have any equipment or tools that are indispensable in the writing process?
No. I've written songs in my studio with my entire arsenal of instruments available, but I've also written some of my best melodies by singing them into my phone during long car rides. I've found that limitations encourage creativity.
You have released two solo albums of Irish folk music. This year, your second album, "Homecoming," came out. Tell us about it.
This is the second solo album I have made with a clear focus on Irish folk music. Most of the songs are traditional, although I have also sneaked in a few of my own compositions that I felt fit in with the traditional material. I think the next album will probably be even more influenced by my own musical ideas, but I felt I needed to focus on the traditional repertoire on these first releases in order to later experiment with the material with authority.
You also have a foot in Norwegian folk music, browsing through the band Stampestuen, do you see similarities between the different folk music genres?
Absolutely! After I returned from Ireland, it felt natural to seek out the folk music scene here in Norway, and that's how I've become acquainted with an incredible amount of cool music I didn't even know existed before.
Scandinavia and the British Isles share a lot of history and it is only natural that there has also been an exchange when it comes to folk music. A big difference between Ireland and Norway today, however, is that while Irish traditional music is very visible in the public eye, Norwegian music is a bit more "secret" and perhaps needs to be sought out to a greater extent?
What are you working on now?
I'm currently working on a new album where I explore the borderland between the Irish/Celtic musical language and elements from pop and jazz. Very exciting! I'm keeping my cards close to my chest for now regarding this project, but hope to be able to start recording before Christmas.
What is your career highlight so far?
Maybe getting to record two songs with one of my biggest musical idols, Esbjörn Hazelius, on my first album. I was a bit starstruck then, haha!
Can you share your greatest music experience – as a listener?
There is of course a lot to choose from… One of my best musical experiences was a house concert with the legendary Irish singer Andy Irvine a few years ago. He is an incredibly warm and generous musician who really gives his all when he plays, regardless of whether he is on a big stage or an intimate house concert in Norway.
