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Farmers Market

The band Farmers Market was formed in Trondheim during the fall of 1991. All members where students of the Jazz Department at the Conservatory of Trondheim. At first Farmers Market started out as a free-jazz quintet, but soon found itself heading in a completely different direction; towards Bulgarian folk-music. Since then, this Bulgarian music, with its odd meters, oriental scales and improvisational possibilities, has become one of the main musical ingredients of Farmers Market.

The music of Farmers Market is a mixture of Bulgarian folk music, jazz standards, popular music and humor. Farmers Market has become one of Norway’s most popular live bands, playing at all kinds of venues and festivals: jazz, folk and rock. Farmers Market released their first CD, Speed/Balkan/Boogie, in February 1995. This was a live recording from Molde International Jazzfestival 1994. The CD features four guests from Bulgaria; two singers from the women’s choir “Lés mystére dés Voix Bulgares” (now known as “Angelite”), and two folkmusicians.

Farmers Markets first saxophonist, Håvard Lund, left the band during fall of 1995 and the band had to look to Bulgaria to get a replacement. Through friends they got in touch with Trifon Trifonov. After an audition over the telephone(..!) he joined the band December 1995.

In 1997 – Farmers Market released its second album with saxophonist Trifon Trifonov from Bulgaria. This was an extreme album with elements of many different styles and ideas from bluegrass in odd meters, to Metallica-like versions of traditional balkan tunes, and slick commercial music mixed with Stockhausen! The album got very good reviews from many contemporary music magazines as well as rock, folk and jazz magazines in Europe. A few years later this album made a certain Mr. Mike Patton loose his breakfast and initiate a spamfest towards the band members, the result of which saw the light spring of 2008 – Surfin´USSR.

Farmers Market went into hibernation for a year around 99-98 (or was it the other way around). Upon returning to the bopping R(umenian) & B(ulgarian) scene in 2000 Farmers Market had a new record which they released on the German label Winter and Winter. The title of the album is a secret and we’ll never tell you. For a label with an ethnic predisposition of being irritating – dare we say almost militant – in their effectivenessisity they managed to not only baffle everyone including the band. What is the friggin' title on the album..!? Nuff said.

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Slav to the Rhythm

Read "Slav to the Rhythm" reviewed by John Kelman


It's hard to believe that music can be so compelling that, even if only heard in passing, it's still so absolutely memorable. Catching just the first few minutes of Farmers Market at Natt Jazz 2011, thanks to an ungodly airport pickup time the following morning, left such an impression that when the first notes of the opening title track to Slav to the Rhythm hit the speakers nearly a year later, it was immediately clear that this was the same ...

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Award / Grant

Farmers Market and Sidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus Win Norwegian Grammy Awards

Farmers Market and Sidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus Win Norwegian Grammy Awards

Source: All About Jazz

Saturday evening at Vossa Jazz was an even greater cause for celebration than the performances to that point and still to come. Two of the festival's artists received news that they had been awarded Norwegian Grammy Awards: Multi-instrumentalist Stian Carstensen (accordion, guitar, pedal steel guitar, Kaval, banjo) and his longstanding group Farmers Market won in the Open Category for the group's 2012 release, Slav to the Rhythm (Division Records). Carstensen was at Vossa Jazz unveiling a new commission that, in ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Slav To The Rhythm

Not On Label
2012

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Slav to the Rhythm

Division Records
2012

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Farmers Market

Not On Label
2000

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Musikk Fra Hybridene

Not On Label
1997

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Speed / Balkan /...

Not On Label
1995

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