OPEN WINDOW 2008


1. Just One Window / Way out
Michel wrote the first tune in his classroom at the Muziekpakhuis in Amsterdam. Actually a room with just one window and no direct sunlight. In a way it feels like a cell, but it is an inspiring place for writing tunes. Way Out, by contrast, feels a bit like an escape after working hard on the first tune.

2. The Spotter / Sven’s Race 
The first tune was written as a scottisch for Belgian bagpiper Wim Poesen, a member of the band 
until last summer. Every time he came to Holland, Wim used to spend some time at Schiphol, 
plane-spotting! Watching TV one lazy Friday, Michel happened to see a 5000m speed skating championship. In an almost empty stadium in Berlin, Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer skated a marvellous race.

3. Sorrow is a Lonesome Bluebird
Job got this song from an album of Hedningärna, a Swedish band. Originally a wedding dance (täppmarchen) from Mora, it was played as a fiddle tune 100-150 years ago. Fortunately, the CD booklet had an English translation (by Rauni Kanerva) of the modern lyrics, which enabled Job to grasp the strong melancholy of the song’s words and music. We like the theme of letting go and the circular patterns existing in life.

4. Something Sweet in the Dark/The Travellers Jig
These two melodies were composed while Paul was improvising in the low register of his guitar, with it tuned in C G D G B E.

5. Edey’s Polka/The Strathnairn/Backseat polka
We learned the two first tunes from Brian Finnegan. The last one was written in honour of Gilles' new van, which, being larger than the old one, can not hold his family, but also the whole band (though not at the same time). It was inspired by a nice musical phrase in a tune by the great Swedish folk band Väsen.

6. The Cocks are Crowing/Reel for Kent 
Tom van der Meijs, a Dutch bouzoukiplayer and a good friend of ours, introduced this song to Job. It slipped into this funky version the very first time Job taught it to the band and since then it has been fun to let it groove: we hope you agree. And the more Job sings it, the more he is convinced that parents can be useful pretexts in certain tricky situations! Gilles suggested we learn Tim Edey’s splendid reel.

7. Picus
Picus was the ‘working title’ for Gilles' then-unborn son, now called Seppe. Meant to grasp the whirlpool of emotions that accompany a pregnancy, it was written as a tribute to his fantastic wife Barbara, And composed for her 32nd birthday.

8. Jo & Roger’s Wedding Dance
What do you do when your friends live on Orkney, are getting married, and you don’t have the money to go to the wedding? You write them a wedding dance and play the music onto their answering machine while they are having the ceremony! The whistle on this track is played by Isaac Muller.

9. Gorgeous and Bright/Spinning Jig
Job learned this song from listening to Osna, one of Ireland’s many talented bands. It is one of the first pieces that we have been playing together since the latest Maalstroom line-up started. 
Right from the start, Job loved the feeling of ‘taking it easy’ in the song. 
Inspired by the song and Paul’s additional music, Michel (who loves spinning tops) wrote a jig to follow it.

10. Invasion of Caterpillars/Wild Man of the Woods
Michel wrote this slow reel on holiday in France. While he was playing outside in the woods, caterpillars were attracted… by the music? The second tune is his attempt at writing a fast, three-part reel, which reminds him a bit of the reels by Gordon Duncan.

11. Lea
Lea was named after the daughter of great friends of Gilles.