Lars Hollmer -

Lars Hollmer (July 21, 1948 — Dec. 25, 2008) was a Swedish accordionist, keyboardist, and composer whose career spanned four decades. Between 1971 and 1983, he led the avant-garde/trad band Samla Mammas Manna and its offshoot Von Zamla for a combined total of eight albums. In 1981, he debuted as a solo artists with an album on Silence, followed by three 1982–85 discs on his own Krax imprint. From 1987, he led the avant-supergroup Looping Home Orchestra.

Background

Lars Hollmer was born Lars Gustav Gabriel Hollmer on July 21, 1948, in Linköping, Sweden. His maternal grandmother gave him a zither, which he modified for experiments with rhythm and percussion. As a teenager, he taught himself piano and taped originals on a reel-to-reel recorder.

Hollmer co-founded Samla Mammas Manna in 1969 with bassist Lars Krantz, drummer Hans Bruniusson, and percussionist Henrik “Bebben” Öberg. They rehearsed in a converted chicken house outside Uppsala and assembled pieces from group improvisations. Silence co-founder Anders Lind signed Samla after a 1970 festival appearance and engineered their 1971 self-titled debut.

Guitarist Coste Apetrea joined in autumn 1972 and shared Hollmer’s interest in jazz. Samla made the 1973/74 Silence albums Måltid and Klossa Knapitatet, then performed Gregory Allan Fitzpatrick’s music on the 1976 MNW release Snorungarnas Symfoni. Apetrea booked Henry Cow for Swedish appearances in exchange for British dates for Samla through the English band’s management.

In 1976, Hollmer and Apetrea co-founded Ramlösa Kvällar, an acoustic quintet that combined Swedish and Eastern European folk music with Greek material and American blues. Ramlösa Kvällar taped their autumn 1977 club appearances for a 1978 self-titled album on Silence.

Hollmer continued with Zamla Mammaz Manna in 1977 after guitarist Eino Haapala replaced Apetrea. They paired songs with live improvisations on the double album Schlagerns Mystik / För äldre nybegynnare and followed with the 1980 release Familjesprickor. Between albums, Henry Cow brought Zamla into the Rock in Opposition collective, which staged 1978/79 multi-act bills involving Aksak Maboul, Art Zoyd, Etron Fou LeLoublan, Stormy Six, and Univers Zero. Hollmer also accompanied guitarist Fred Frith at the Chickenhouse in August 1979 for the 1980 Ralph album Gravity.

Meanwhile, Hollmer used Zamla’s multitrack tape recorder for overdubbed originals at the Chickenhouse. After the band’s 1980 split, he self-recorded his solo debut for Silence.

Discography:

XII Sibiriska Cyklar (1981)
Vill Du Höra Mer (1982)
Från Natt Idag (1983)
Tonöga (1985)
Alice im Wunderland (1989 • Wolfgang Salomon & Lars Hollmer)
Vandelmässa (1994)
Andetag (1997)
Utsikter (2000)
Autokomp A(nd) More (2001)
SOLA: Lars Hollmer’s Global Home Project (2002)
Live and More (2004 • Lars Hollmer / Yuriko Mukoujima Duo)
Karusell Musik (2007 • Fanfare Pourpour & Lars Hollmer)
Viandra (2007)

References and notes

CKCU — Infinite Ceiling, February 27, 2020 — Full name, birth date, and Linköping birthplace. (CKCU)
Mattias Franzén — “Porträttet: Lars Hollmer” — STIM interview reproduced by Brobytornet: grandmother’s zither, early instrumental experiments, teenage reel-to-reel recordings, Chickenhouse activity, and Zamla’s purchase of a multitrack recorder. Hollmer describes his subsequent solo overdubs. (Brobytornet / STIM archive)
David Thyrén — Musikhus i centrum — Hollmer’s self-taught piano background, 1969 formation, original members, and initial Silence contact. Thyrén places the label approach after a Slottsbacken performance; Apetrea recalls Gärdet. The draft leaves the festival location unspecified. (Stockholm University / DiVA)
Coste Apetrea interview, June 6, 2024 — Samla’s formation, Lind’s signing, autumn 1972 tour, shared interest in jazz, work with Fitzpatrick, and reciprocal concert arrangements with Henry Cow’s management. (It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine)
Ramlösa Kvällar — Formation after Samla’s 1976 break, Hollmer’s accordion role, acoustic instrumentation, repertoire influences, autumn 1977 club performances, and 1978 live album. (Silence Records)
Silence catalog — Original dates and catalog numbers for Samla’s debut, Måltid, Klossa Knapitatet, Ramlösa Kvällar, Familjesprickor, and XII Sibiriska Cyklar. (Silence Records)
Dave Lynch — Lars Hollmer biography — Pre-solo album credits, Haapala’s arrival, Rock in Opposition connections, August 1979 Gravity sessions, and the 1980–81 Chickenhouse sessions for the solo debut. (AllMusic)
Lars Hollmer — Zamla’s 1980 dissolution, subsequent solo project, all-instrument performance, and 1981 debut on Silence. (Silence Records)