Yggdrasil (1993-2014)

Yggdrasil is a former World music band that emerged in Bergen in 1993. Tubaist Elisabeth Vannebo and clarinetist Erlend Eide, both from Trøndelag, had met at the Grieg Academy one year earlier and decided they wanted to play Balkan music together.

They joined BJOD, a group of dancers and musicians with connection to Bergen International Folk Dance Club (BIF), and played with them for about a year. In BJOD they met accordionist Truls Barnung and dancer/drummer Marius Dirdal. After a while Elisabeth and Erlend decided to form a new band and Truls and Marius joined them, together with violinist Elna Føleide Selle and guitarist Åsmund Espeland; both fellow students with Erlend at the Grieg Academy.

Fall 1993 Yggdrasil started off with two projects. A dance and music show with BIF’s performance group Aide Igra, and a tour where guest singer Vienoula Røe joined in Trondheim. During the first two years Yggdrasil played frequently in BIF’s club dance parties, as well as playing concerts. During the spring and summer of 1994, they played at Nattjazz in Bergen, at the Førde International Festival and in Trøndelag with guest Vienoula Røe.

When Marius finished his studies summer 1995, and was offered a job in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he left the band and moved back to Oslo. The band now had to look for a new drummer, and decided to ask the Swede Anders Wærnelius, then a member of Athinas, if he wanted to join the band. Anders accepted and joined Yggdrasil early 1996. Yggdrasil’s original drummer Marius is today The Ambassador of Norway to Estonia (2025).

In 1995, Erlend had also finished his studies in Bergen and moved back to Trondheim. Yggdrasil was now spread over three different parts of Scandinavia; Bergen, Trondheim and Göteborg, but continued working. With Anders’ influence they played more and more Scandinavian music. They recorded their own TV program for NRK in November 1996, and all this new repertoire led to the album Herrelaus. In the time period before and after Herrelaus, Yggdrasil toured a lot in Norway, including the northern parts and Svalbard, and in Denmark where they shared stage with Hedningarna in Odense in 1999.

Due to the distance between the band members and the challenges of getting the band together for rehersals and making new music, Yggdrasil played less and less in the years to come. They played some concerts without Erlend in 2001, and then Elna (2001), Åsmund and Truls (2002) gradually left the band. Ove Bjørken, folk music fiddler and jazz guitarist from Trondheim, joined for about a year (2001-2002). During the last years there were several guests and substitutes playing with the band – Sigrid Moldestad (2002), Daniel Herskedal (2002) and Øivind Farmen (2003). They played as a trio for a while, recorded two songs in Göteborg December 2002, and played their last concerts early 2003.

During the years after 2003, it was talked about from time to time reuniting the band, and in 2014 there was activity making new repertoire with the remaining trio and jazz guitarist Henning Bjerkestrand Rø with a studio session in Trondheim. The project was never completed. Legend has it that the story of Yggdrasil ended in 2014.