| East Meets East | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Nigel Kennedy and theKroke band | ||||
| Released | 10 June 2003 (2003-06-10) | |||
| Recorded | May 2002 – January 2003 at NLD and S-5 studios inKraków, and atThe Town House,Abbey Road studios in London. May 2003 atEden,Metropolis, The Town House,Mayfair studios in London | |||
| Genre | World music,fusion,klezmer,free jazz | |||
| Length | 65:10 | |||
| Label | Oriente,EMI Classics | |||
| Producer | Jaz Coleman, John Stanley | |||
| Nigel Kennedy chronology | ||||
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| Kroke chronology | ||||
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East Meets East is acollaborative studio album released throughEMI Classics in 2003 by violinistNigel Kennedy and theKroke band (Jerzy Bawoł onaccordion, Tomasz Kukurba on viola and Tomasz Lato on double bass), surrounded by several guest artists of international reputation such asNatacha Atlas,Mo Foster, and theKraków Philharmonic Orchestra.
The album revisits some traditional songs and new compositions, ranging into central and eastern European music tradition as well as Arabic influences.[1]
Nigel Kennedy's second wife, Agnieszka, isPolish and they spend a lot of time inKraków, where Kennedy is theArtistic Director of the Polish Chamber Orchestra. In summer 2001, Kennedy, who had previously known Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba and Tomasz Lato separately at jam sessions in the jazz clubs of Kraków,[2][3] andKroke meet during a concert tour inCornwall. Kennedy immediately presented the group a cooperation offer. The result wasEast Meets East.[4]
East Meets East was recorded between May 2002 and January 2003 at NLD and S-5 recording studios inKraków, and atThe Town House andAbbey Road studios in London. The album was consequently mixed on the following May by Andy Green, Dariusz Grela and Hugo Nicholson atEden,Metropolis, Town House andMayfair studios in London, and mastered by Ian Cooper at Metropolis studio.[5] The album, published by Oriente Musik and internationally distributed through theclassical music label ofEMI from June 2003, was produced by John Stanley andJaz Coleman.East Meets East has been top of the classical charts since its release,[6] Kroke was nominated for theBBC Radio 3 award in theWorld Music category,[1] and both Kroke and Kennedy played together at numerous European festivals for promoting it and received enthusiastic applause. AfterEast Meets East, Kroke releasedTen Pieces to Save the World",[4] and Kennedy next record saw a return to "Vivaldi" with his 2004 albumVivaldi II.[7]
The 14-track album features seven original tracks composed byNigel Kennedy and the threeKroke, Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba and Tomasz Lato, and seventraditional songs all arranged by them. The album is a stylistic and topical potpourri ofmusic fusion that featureselements ofFolk andWorld music with influences from the East European andArabic music, inspired by the music of theBalkans,Romani andGypsy people, andJewish music, withklezmer andsephardic modes and scales. There are also elements of theWestern music such asfree jazz and rock, as well as thetraditional music of Poland,polonaise,polka andmazurka. Because of this mixture of different elements and traditions, and theexperimental nature of this work, its tone frequently turns from the desperate sadness to the extreme joy.[7]
Nigel Kennedy is the only person who walks between my two worlds [classical music and rock music]
It was a very fortuitous meeting I had withKroke — 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.
What drags me intoKroke'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.
The opening track, "'Ajde Jano" is aSerbiankolofolk dance song. The vocals, sung inSouth Slavic languages, are provided byNatacha Atlas, a Belgian singer known for her fusion ofArabic andWesternelectronic music.[3][8] The second track, "Lullaby for Kamila", was composed by Jerzy Bawoł, having first appeared on Kroke'sThe Sounds of the Vanishing World. Thisklezmer 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 byMo 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 musicHarry 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 theregion of Macedonia, both very popular in theBalkans. "Ederlezi" is an "exquisitely refined"[3] instrumental version of a popularfolk song of theRomani minority in theBalkans. 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 thehistorical district ofKraków in Poland, best known for being home to a Jewish community in Kraków from the 14th century until theSecond 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 theKraków 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 ofRomanian folk musicMaria 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 byMo 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 ofVivaldi'sFour 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 whichNigel 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 forBBC 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 byNigel Kennedy, Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba, and Tomasz Lato unless otherwise noted. Alltraditional songs arranged by Nigel Kennedy andKroke (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 toGoran 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 | |||
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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 |
|---|---|
| BillboardClassical Albums[12] | 46 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV)[13] | Gold | 35,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||