Thempest in a Theapot

I would love to go on a long, long walk with Tuulikki Bartosik, gently humming as the leaves rustle underfoot, and the birds sing high in the trees. This album is rather like that, ushered in by the sweetest birdsong before the accordion becomes our guide. The landscape and nature of Estonia has shaped her thinking, musically and personally, and while she is capable of delicious wildness and daring collaborations, there's a real intimacy in her music, which is one of the great strengths of Thempest in a Theapot. ‘Forgotten Village Polka’ is like coming across a clearing in the forest where a festival is in full swing, Bartosik and the accordion swept into an inflectious dance. And that sense of journey is ever present in the mysterious title-track and the ‘Rouge Waltz’, which are as captivating as the forest mists. She ends with a song and the gentle sounds of the Estonian kannel (traditional zither) before we realise she has disappeared back into the forest world and the birdsong that she loves. From start to finish these are compelling performances from one of the finest of accordionists, and it's all been sensitively produced by legendary Swedish saxophonist and teacher Jonas Knutsson.