Joel Andersson

When he heard an Irish jig on the harmonica for the first time, he immediately knew that this was the music he wanted to play.
Joel Andersson (c) FEN/M.Jovanović
Joel Andersson (c) FEN/M.Jovanović

Music as beautiful as the landscape

Joel likes to sit in an Irish pub with other musicians. Maybe they have a glass or two of beer and chat. Then they pick up their instruments and make music.

Joel practically grew up with Irish folk music. In the 1980s, long before he was born, his parents traveled through Ireland by car. The music-loving father had his recording device with him, recorded the traditional music from there and packed it in his suitcase. At home, he puts them into the recorder again and again. Joel was given his first harmonica as a very young boy.

He learns mainly by listening
At school, when Joel was nine years old, the children were allowed to choose an instrument. But there was no harmonica teacher at the time. So Joel first learns the saxophone. A few years later, he takes his last saxophone lesson. On his way out of the classroom, he happens to see a flyer with an offer for three free harmonica trial lessons. This is the 14-year-old’s chance, which he seizes immediately. Mikael Bäckman became his teacher, teaching him the techniques for playing the instrument. Joel puts the saxophone in the corner and his harmonica becomes his most important accompanist from now on.

In addition to lessons, Joel mainly learns by listening. He practises songs that interest him and tries out how they sound best on the harmonica. In the process, he rediscovers the world of Irish folk music. He says that he has always unconsciously carried this music within him. But now he is learning to play it in his own way.

Searching for his own perfect sound
He travels through Ireland himself and is fascinated by the gentle landscape and the local people. In his mind, he drives past fields where farmers stop to rest and take out their harmonicas. Just as it was customary around 1900. For Joel, everything fits together: the land, the stories, the Irish and their music.

At home, he continues to research new Irish songs and, above all, searches for the perfect sound for him. He begins to dismantle instruments, work on details in them, experiment and reassemble them. He learns the craft of harmonica building and becomes a sought-after customizer. Today, musicians from all over the world come to Joel’s workshop to have their instruments customized.

Joel Andersson has taught himself everything – apart from the lessons with Mikael Bäckman. He is driven by his passion. In 2014, he won third place in the Fleadh Cheoil na hEiréann, the largest competition for Irish music, and is now one of the best in the world in his field. Joel lives not far from Malmö, where there is now a whole community for Irish folk music. He enjoys sitting in the pub with others and making music.