Lars Gustav Gabriel Hollmer (21 July 1948 - 25.December 2008) was a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 accordionist, keyboardist

Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 whose work draws on influences ranging from Nordic

Traditional Nordic dance music

Traditional Nordic dance music is a type of traditional music or folk music that once was common in the mainland part of the Nordic countries — Scandinavia plus Finland. The person who plays this kind of music might be called speleman , spelman , spelemann , pelimanni or spillemand...

 folk tunes

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 to progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

. He has been a member and/or founder of over half a dozen groups, most of whose work has been recorded at The Chickenhouse, his well outfitted home studio in Uppsala

Uppsala

- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...

. His work with the band Samla Mammas Manna

Samla Mammas Manna

Samla Mammas Manna was a Swedish progressive rock band, often characterized by its virtuoso musicianship, circus references and silly humour, similar in many ways to the song-writing styles of Frank Zappa. They were one of the founding members of the Rock in Opposition movement in the late 1970s....

, in the late 1960s-early 1970s and up to 2002 when the re-formed group played at the two-day ProgDay festival in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, was and is considered progressive rock. However, he is most centrally an empathetic and generous collaborator: whether as a member of Accordion Tribe

Accordion Tribe

Accordion Tribe were an international accordion group featuring Bratko Bibič , Lars Hollmer , Maria Kalaniemi , Guy Klucevsek and Otto Lechner...

, while working with the experimental guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Fred Frith

Fred Frith

Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...

, or while spending several months with Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 players, he seems to find a style that brings his partners to the fore while remaining identifiably himself. Though his work is little known in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, he won a Swedish Grammis

Grammis

The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....

 award in 1999 for his record Andetag. He has also composed extensively for Swedish film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s, as well as for theater and dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

 productions.

Consistent elements of his music throughout his career include use of irregular time signatures (often changing several times within a piece), a daring sense of improvisation

Improvisation

Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...

 (particularly vocal improvisation that utilizes nonsense syllables), and use complex polyrhythms.

With Samla Mammas Manna

• Samla Mammas Manna 1971
• Måltid 1973
• Klossa Knapitatet 1974
• Snorungarnas Symfoni 1976
• Kaka 1999
• Dear mamma 2002

With Zamla Mammaz Manna

• Schlagerns Mystik / För Äldre Nybegynnare (The Mystery of Popular Music / For Older Beginners) 1977
• Familjesprickor (Family Cracks) 1980

With Looping Home Orchestra

• Vendeltid 1987
• Lars Hollmer. Looping Home Orchestra Live 92-93 (DOOR FLOOR SOMETHING WINDOW) 1994

With Accordion Tribe

• Accordion Tribe (live, 1998)
• Sea of Reeds (2002)
• Lunghorn Twist (2006)

Solo albums

• XII Sibiriska Cyklar 1981
• Vill Du Höra Mer 1982
• Från Natt Idag 1983
• Joggingcharleston (Single, 1984)
• Tonöga 1985
• The Siberian Circus 1993
• Vandelmässa 1995
• Andetag 1998
• Utsikter 2000
• Viandra 2007

External links

• Krax
• Boeves Psalm recorded by Guy Klucevsek
  Guy Klucevsek
  Guy Klucevsek is an American-born accordionist and composer.Klucevsek is one of relatively few accordion players active in jazz and free improvisation....
  
  
• Lars Hollmer Tribute on the Accordion Noir Radio show.