Jo Asgeir Lie and Tom Willy Rustad of KVARTS @ The Contented Cow

One of Norway's best known traditional music bands, KVARTS (Norwegian for "quartz"), will be visiting Northfield March 28-30 and there will be three events in town.

On Saturday, March 28, Jo Asgeir Lie and Tom Willy Rustad of KVARTS will be playing at The Contented Cow. beginning at 8 p.m.

KVARTS has twice won the Spellemannspris — Norway's version of the "Grammy" — and their recordings and performances have won high critical praise.

The musical backgrounds of KVARTS' members range from classical to contemporary, bluegrass and blues to folk music. This range allows them to experiment and improvise without weakening their bonds to traditional folk music. Individually, the members of KVARTS are recognized throughout Norway for their skills as solo and group instrumentalists, music educators, composers and arrangers.

Jo Asgeir Lie (accordion) is from Ål, Norway where he is the principal of the Ål Music School for Children. He has performed numerous times both as a soloist and with other performers. He has also performed on many CD recordings. In addition to performing, Lie composes and arranges music for other groups and soloists.

Tom Willy Rustad (bass, two-row diatonic accordion, guitar, jaw harp, willow flute) is from Sør-Fron, Gudbrandsdal. He is head of the department of traditional music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He plays guitar, diatonic accordion, contrabass, jaw harp and willow flute. He has won a number of international awards for his performance and has been nominated three times for the Spellemannspris, winning with the KVARTS recording, Steinsprang. In 2003 one his pupils, Mona Holm, won the World Championship for diatonic accordion in Tyrol. He has written two books about how to play the diatonic accordion.

There will be instrumental workshops -- co-sponsored by the Contented Cow and Northfield Arts Guild on Sunday, March 29 and a old-time community dance at the Northfield Eagles Club on Monday night, March 30.

Want a preview? Check out the YouTube video of KVARTS.

For more information and the complete schedule, see the Multe Music web site.