Flight Paths

Siskin Quartet are a melding together of two remarkable duos. English-born fiddler Bridget Marsden and accordionist Leif Ottosson – outstanding proponents of Swedish folk – are joined with Scottish-Finnish-Norwegian duo Sarah-Jane Summers (fiddle) and Juhani Silvola (guitar), whose succession of dazzling albums have all been Top of the World choices.

Flight Paths takes its inspiration from the theme of migratory birds, reflecting the band members’ own relocations from country to country. All four musicians contribute original pieces, and the variety of styles – and birdlife – is wide-ranging, from Summers’ jaunty opening, ‘The Peewit’, to Silvola’s gently atmospheric conclusion, ‘Albatrossi’. The nine tracks cleverly evoke distinct characteristics of the wildlife involved. ‘The Siskin Reel’ is a lively little tune, reflecting the eponymous yellow-green finch, while ‘Firefinch’ (a small, fiery-red African bird) is appropriately a desert blues polska, showcasing Silvola’s shimmering electric guitar, with fiddles and accordion darting hither and thither. The backdrop is a familiar terrain of polskas, waltzes and reels, but Siskin Quartet show a delightful willingness to experiment making Flight Paths, like the migratory journeys of the birds, an adventure in itself.