Flairck

Erik Visser, a skilled guitarist, formed Flairck as a folk ensemble shaped by classical influences, taking the name from the English word “flair” joined with the Dutch “vlerk.” The group issued its first recording, Variaties Op Een Dame (Variations on a Lady), in 1978. Within ten years the project had grown into an ethnic fusion orchestra that wove together jazz, blues, Celtic, Balkan, and gypsy strands, its textures and stage presence acquiring further breadth in the mid-1990s after accordionist Ben van den Berg, cellist Cora den Haring, singer Natalia Rogalski, and flutist Jeroen Goossens came aboard.