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Nigel Kennedy is the only person who walks between my two worlds [classical music and rock music]
—Jaz Coleman, BBC World Service's The Music Biz. 2003. [6]
It was a very fortuitous meeting I had with Kroke — who are just this trio, with just a squeezebox, bass and viola — It's a really spiritual sound they make. [...] It sounds like an orchestra, and it's just these three guys playing.
—Nigel Kennedy, BBC World Service's The Ticket. 2003. [7]
What drags me into Kroke's music so successfully is this spiritual reality they have. It's honesty and sincerity in their music. [...] Something we were all looking for was not to clutter the music up, and to just go for the honesty of the melody and let things speak for themselves. [...] With Kroke, they're a unit, and they're a very strong band — it's not like you're having to lead all the time. [...] We're swapping ideas, either verbally, but most of the time just musically. [...] It's a very fine, healthy, equal relationship.
—Nigel Kennedy, BBC NEWS. 13 June 2003. [7]
The opening track, "'Ajde Jano" is a Serbian kolo folk dance song. The vocals, sung in South Slavic languages, are provided by Natacha Atlas, a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music. [3] [8] The second track, "Lullaby for Kamila", was composed by Jerzy Bawoł, having first appeared on Kroke's The Sounds of the Vanishing World. This klezmer piece, along with "One Voice", is considered one of the best pieces of the entire album. [8] "T 4.2" is an original composition by Kennedy and Kroke. This klezmer piece showcases Kennedy's electric violin in a very sonically interesting setting, while electric bass is provided by Mo Foster, and additional percussion by Miles Bould. [8] "Eden", original title "The/A Garden of Eden", is a traditional klezmer song composed by American clarinetist, bandleader, and one of the pioneers of modern klezmer music Harry Kandel. [9]
The following two tracks, "Dafino", original title "Dafino vino crveno" (Macedonian : Дафино вино црвено; Red Wine Dafina), and "Jovano Jovanke" (Macedonian : Јовано, Јованке, Bulgarian : Йовано, Йованке, Serbian : Jovano, Jovanke) are two traditional folk songs from the region of Macedonia, both very popular in the Balkans. "Ederlezi" is an "exquisitely refined" [3] instrumental version of a popular folk song of the Romani minority in the Balkans. The effect produced by the four "is bittersweet as opposed to saccharine, which it might have become in the hands of lesser players." [3] "Kazimierz", a traditional Polish song, is dedicated to the historical district of Kraków in Poland, best known for being home to a Jewish community in Kraków from the 14th century until the Second World War. "One Voice" is a klezmer piece composed by Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba and Lato. The track, which features additional percussion played by Miles Bould, and additional strings played by the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, is a showcase for the three widely varying violin styles of Kennedy, Kukurba and guest violinist Aboud Abdoul Aal. [3] It is, along with "Lullaby for Kamila", not only one of the loveliest performances of Kennedy's recorded career, it is also one of the most gently affecting compositions committed to tape in any genre in recent memory. [8]
"Tribute to Maria Tănase" is a traditional song dedicated to the renowned Romanian singer of Romanian folk music Maria Tănase. "Time 4 Time" is a klezmer song composed by Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, and Lato. Additional percussion are provided by Miles Bould, while Kukurba provides a non-verbal falsetto. [3] "Vino", composed by Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba and Lato, features elements of "Dafino vino crveno" and "Ederlezi". The electric bass is provided by Mo Foster, additional percussion by Miles Bould. "Lost in Time", composed by Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba and Lato, is an unaccompanied solo track where Kennedy's fine and expressive playing is in no way overcooked. [3] [10] The album's closing track, "Kukush" is a klezmer song composed by Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba and Lato that showcases Kennedy's electric violin in a very sonically interesting setting. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [10] |
Artistdirect | [8] |
BBC Music | (favourable) [3] |
Muza | [11] |
Nigel Kennedy's version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons , released in 2002, is the best-selling classical record of all time. East Meets East is a further musical experiment and another shift away from the classical music with which Nigel Kennedy is normally associated, and is reflective of his career, which has seen him experiment with so many types of music. [7] Jon Lusk wrote in his review of the album for BBC Music that "The balance of upbeat and reflective material is well judged and sequenced. It's also nice to hear Kroke once again playing to their strengths." [3]
The album was highly recommendedand by critic Rick Anderson, who wrote that it is an "eerily lovely collection of new compositions and folk tunes drawing on Polish and other Eastern European traditions. Teamed up with the Krakow band Kroke [...], Kennedy delivers a set of tunes that are, by turns, dramatic, soothing, emotionally tormented, and romantically yearning." [8] Allmusic reviewer, Blair Sanderson, described the album as "an exploration of Eastern European music, presented in a fusion of popular styles without pandering to the classical audience with crossover concessions. [...] The musicians play well as an ensemble, perhaps most successfully in the vigorous dance style that reaches maximum frenzy in Kukush" giving the album eight stars out of ten. [10]
All tracks are written by Nigel Kennedy, Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba, and Tomasz Lato unless otherwise noted. All traditional songs arranged by Nigel Kennedy and Kroke (Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba, Tomasz Lato)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Guest performers | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ajde Jano" (Traditional) | Traditional | Natacha Atlas (vocals) | 4:24 |
2. | "Lullaby for Kamila" | Jerzy Bawoł, Nigel Kennedy, Tomasz Kukurba, Tomasz Lato | 3:24 | |
3. | "T 4.2" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | Mo Foster (electric bass) Miles Bould (additional percussion) | 6:11 |
4. | "Eden" (Harry Kandel, traditional) | Harry Kandel, traditional | 6:06 | |
5. | "Dafino" (Traditional) | Traditional | 2:51 | |
6. | "Jovano Jovanke" (Traditional) | Traditional | 4:25 | |
7. | "Ederlezi" (Traditional; credited to Goran Bregović on some CDs) | Traditional | 5:47 | |
8. | "Kazimierz" (Traditional) | Traditional | 3:28 | |
9. | "One Voice" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | Miles Bould (additional percussion) Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra (additional strings) Aboud Abdul Aal (additional second violin) | 4:54 |
10. | "Tribute to Maria Tanase" (Traditional) | Traditional | 3:11 | |
11. | "Time 4 Time" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | Miles Bould (additional percussion) | 5:21 |
12. | "Vino" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | Mo Foster (electric bass) Miles Bould (additional percussion) | 6:04 |
13. | "Lost in Time" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | 4:22 | |
14. | "Kukush" | Bawoł, Kennedy, Kukurba, Lato | 4:42 | |
Total length: | 65:10 |
|
|
The album was well received and has also hit the United States charts. The success of the album, along with its promotional tour, led Kroke to be nominated for the Europe category at the BBC Awards for World Music in 2004. [1]
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
Billboard Classical Albums [12] | 46 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Poland (ZPAV) [13] | Gold | 35,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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