Freyja

Come up with by Blowzabella’s Jo Freya (b. Jo-Anne Rachel Newmarch Fraser, 4 Dec 1960, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Britain; saxophone/clarinet), this pan-European and all-female folk group originally comprised Freya, Gabriele Meyer (b. Germany; violin/vocals), Bélen De Benito (b. Spain; acoustic guitar/vocals), Anne-Lise Foy (b. France; hurdy gurdy/vocals), Eva Vavrinecz (b. Hungary; dual bass/vocals), and Nicola Marsh (b. Britain; percussion). The sextet’s mainly instrumental 1996 debut presented traditional and initial dance tunes attracted from European countries and Britain, and was extremely accessible regardless of the fearsome instrumental features from the players. A five-year hiatus preceded another Freyja launch, with Maria Johnson (violin) and Jo May (vibes/percussion) changing Meyer and Marsh in the line-up.