Laimas Muzykanti - "Kokle"

Laimas Muzykanti is a Latvian folk music group founded in 1995. It features a variety of folk instruments, including bagpipe, kokle and accordion, and has a classic rock-band sound. The group often performs in Latvia and at international festivals, representing Latvian culture and traditions abroad, and its creative approach and musical style have been recognised in various musical circles. The group’s leader, Arturs Uškāns, who is the main male vocalist and also plays the diatonic accordion, is a versatile personality who has even helped local women from the village of Vabole unite to form an ethnographic ensemble.

Laimas Muzykanti’s latest album, Turu buru!, was released in 2023 and continues the band’s tradition of bringing folk songs to life in a unique musical environment and creating a lively, energetic atmosphere. Turu buru! is special in that it includes folk songs from various regions of Latvia, arranged in the group’s characteristic sound. The instrumentation remains that of a rock band, yet it is complemented by folk instruments. The piece titled “Kokle” tells a long, mythical story of how the spirit of a drowned girl transforms into a kokle, a traditional stringed instrument that is carved out of wood.