Kroke
Encyclopedia
KROKE – A Kraków
instrumental ensemble of the world music
genre. The band's name in Yiddish means Kraków.
The band was founded in 1992 by three friends and graduates of the Academy of Music in Kraków. Initially, they were associated with klezmer music with strong Balkan influences. Currently, their work draws inspiration from a variety of ethnic music and sounds of the Orient (especially on the album Seventh Trip), combining these with jazz to create their own distinctive style.
In recent years, in addition to their own projects, KROKE has also recorded albums with artists such as Nigel Kennedy
, Edyta Geppert
, Maja Sikorowska and Tindra.
One of their songs, "The Secret of the Life Tree", features on the soundtrack of David Lynch
's 2006 film Inland Empire
.
and during the Polish premier of the film “Schindler’s List”.
In 1996, the band signed with the German record label Oriente Musik. The first album of material, released the same year, through this collaboration was “Trio”.
Upon the invitation of Peter Gabriel
, KROKE made their first appearance at the WOMAD festival in July 1997. As a result, joint recording sessions at Real World Studios
with other musicians led to material from the band being subsequently used by Peter Gabriel on his album “Long Walk Home
"- music from the "Rabbit-Proof Fence
”, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the same year, KROKE released their second full-length album – “Eden”.
The following years saw the band constantly touring, during with time they participated in such prestigious music festivals as: Umea Folk Music Festival (Sweden); City of London Festival (UK); Førde Folk Music Festival (Norway); North Sea Jazz Festival (the Netherlands) as well as many others. During this time, the albums “Live at the Pit” (1998 – nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award -Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik
in 1999) and “The Sounds of the Vanishing Wold” (1999 – winner of the German Record Critics’ Award in 2000) were released.
In 2001, KROKE began collaborating with Nigel Kennedy
, the result of which was the album “East Meets East
”, released in 2003. During the same year, the band released “Ten Pieces to Save the World” as a trio. This album went on to rank number two in the "World Music Charts Europe".
Along with Nigel Kennedy
, the band once again performed at the WOMAD festival in 2004. The same year, KROKE received a nomination in the World Music category from BBC Radio 3
for the album “Quartet – Live at Home” (with Tomasz Grochot on drums, who went on to tour with the band over the next few years) as well as working with Edyta Geppert
, which would later bring about the joint release “Śpiewam życie” (2006). At the same time, a project was begun with the "Sinfonia Baltica" orchestra, entitled “KROKE – symfonicznie”, conducted and arranged by Bohdan Jarmołowicz.
In 2006, KROKE's song “The Secret of the Life Tree” appeared on the soundtrack to David Lynch
's film “Inland Empire
”.
Another original album entitled “Seventh Trip” was released in 2007.
2008 was filled with concerts in Poland and throughout Europe as well as work on an "intimate project” arranged by Krzysztof Herdzin, which premiered in Spain with the “Sinfonica de Burgos” orchestra conducted by Javier Castro. Performances of this project played in Kraków and St.Petersburg in Russia with the accompaniment of “Sinfonietta Cracovia” conducted by Robert Kabara.
Released in 2009, the album “Out of Sight” was a kind of return to roots for the band. The musicians returned to working as a trio and their concerts took on a more intimate nature.
In 2010, they began work on a collection of Greek songs with Maja Sikorowska as well as performing concerts together with the Norwegian band “Tindra” and Spanish violinist Diego Galaz. Other special events that year included the recording of music for the film “Streetcar Memories”, directed by Łukasz Czuj (the film played at the opening of the Schindler Factory Museum in Kraków), and participation in the “Kennedy's Polish Weekend” at the Southbank Centre in London alongside Nigel Kennedy
. In the same year, KROKE performed at the “Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
” in Germany and took part in the concert “Your Angel's Name is Liberty”, directed by Robert Wilson
, on occasion of the 30th anniversary of "Solidarity" in Gdańsk.
In January 2011, the collaboration album “Śpiewam Życie” with Edyta Geppert was certified “gold”. That same month, KROKE along with Maja Sikorowska completed work on the album “Avra”, which contains 12 Greek songs. This project also involved guest percussionist Sławomir Berny.
In the same year KROKE & TINDRA released album "Live in Førde" - the recordings were made in the auditorium at "Førdehuset" on July 10, 2010 for NRK's radio P2.
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
instrumental ensemble of the world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
genre. The band's name in Yiddish means Kraków.
The band was founded in 1992 by three friends and graduates of the Academy of Music in Kraków. Initially, they were associated with klezmer music with strong Balkan influences. Currently, their work draws inspiration from a variety of ethnic music and sounds of the Orient (especially on the album Seventh Trip), combining these with jazz to create their own distinctive style.
In recent years, in addition to their own projects, KROKE has also recorded albums with artists such as Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
, Edyta Geppert
Edyta Geppert
Edyta Geppert is a popular Polish singer.She is married to Piotr Loretz. They have one son Mieczysław, born in 1988.-Awards:...
, Maja Sikorowska and Tindra.
One of their songs, "The Secret of the Life Tree", features on the soundtrack of David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's 2006 film Inland Empire
Inland Empire (film)
Inland Empire, sometimes styled as INLAND EMPIRE, is a 2006 mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. It was his first feature-length film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, and shares many similarities with that film. It premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006...
.
History
The first official release from KROKE was the 1993 cassette “Klezmer Acoustic Music”. During a promotional concert for the album, the band met Stephen Spielberg, who invited them to perform at the “Survivors Reunion” concert in Jerusalem, IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and during the Polish premier of the film “Schindler’s List”.
In 1996, the band signed with the German record label Oriente Musik. The first album of material, released the same year, through this collaboration was “Trio”.
Upon the invitation of Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, KROKE made their first appearance at the WOMAD festival in July 1997. As a result, joint recording sessions at Real World Studios
Real World Studios
Real World Studios is a residential recording studio in Box, Wiltshire, England associated with the Real World Records Ltd. record label founded by rock musician Peter Gabriel...
with other musicians led to material from the band being subsequently used by Peter Gabriel on his album “Long Walk Home
Long Walk Home
"Long Walk Home" is a 2006 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It first appeared on his Sessions Band Tour of that year, in folk guise in the European leg of the tour in London for one performance only. Reworked with different and shorter lyrics, it was recorded by Springsteen and the...
"- music from the "Rabbit-Proof Fence
Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)
Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara...
”, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the same year, KROKE released their second full-length album – “Eden”.
The following years saw the band constantly touring, during with time they participated in such prestigious music festivals as: Umea Folk Music Festival (Sweden); City of London Festival (UK); Førde Folk Music Festival (Norway); North Sea Jazz Festival (the Netherlands) as well as many others. During this time, the albums “Live at the Pit” (1998 – nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award -Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik
Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik
The Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik is an annual prize presented for achievement in recorded music.It was inaugurated in Germany in 1963 by publisher Richard Kaselowsky with the aim of recognizing the "most rigorous standards for supreme achievement" in the field of recording.The awards...
in 1999) and “The Sounds of the Vanishing Wold” (1999 – winner of the German Record Critics’ Award in 2000) were released.
In 2001, KROKE began collaborating with Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
, the result of which was the album “East Meets East
East Meets East
East Meets East is a collaborative studio album released through EMI Classics in 2003 by violinist Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke band , surrounded by several guest artists of international reputation such as Natacha Atlas, Mo Foster, and the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra.The album revisits some...
”, released in 2003. During the same year, the band released “Ten Pieces to Save the World” as a trio. This album went on to rank number two in the "World Music Charts Europe".
Along with Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
, the band once again performed at the WOMAD festival in 2004. The same year, KROKE received a nomination in the World Music category from BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
for the album “Quartet – Live at Home” (with Tomasz Grochot on drums, who went on to tour with the band over the next few years) as well as working with Edyta Geppert
Edyta Geppert
Edyta Geppert is a popular Polish singer.She is married to Piotr Loretz. They have one son Mieczysław, born in 1988.-Awards:...
, which would later bring about the joint release “Śpiewam życie” (2006). At the same time, a project was begun with the "Sinfonia Baltica" orchestra, entitled “KROKE – symfonicznie”, conducted and arranged by Bohdan Jarmołowicz.
In 2006, KROKE's song “The Secret of the Life Tree” appeared on the soundtrack to David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's film “Inland Empire
Inland Empire (film)
Inland Empire, sometimes styled as INLAND EMPIRE, is a 2006 mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. It was his first feature-length film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, and shares many similarities with that film. It premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006...
”.
Another original album entitled “Seventh Trip” was released in 2007.
2008 was filled with concerts in Poland and throughout Europe as well as work on an "intimate project” arranged by Krzysztof Herdzin, which premiered in Spain with the “Sinfonica de Burgos” orchestra conducted by Javier Castro. Performances of this project played in Kraków and St.Petersburg in Russia with the accompaniment of “Sinfonietta Cracovia” conducted by Robert Kabara.
Released in 2009, the album “Out of Sight” was a kind of return to roots for the band. The musicians returned to working as a trio and their concerts took on a more intimate nature.
In 2010, they began work on a collection of Greek songs with Maja Sikorowska as well as performing concerts together with the Norwegian band “Tindra” and Spanish violinist Diego Galaz. Other special events that year included the recording of music for the film “Streetcar Memories”, directed by Łukasz Czuj (the film played at the opening of the Schindler Factory Museum in Kraków), and participation in the “Kennedy's Polish Weekend” at the Southbank Centre in London alongside Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
. In the same year, KROKE performed at the “Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held every year in summer time all over the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany....
” in Germany and took part in the concert “Your Angel's Name is Liberty”, directed by Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
, on occasion of the 30th anniversary of "Solidarity" in Gdańsk.
In January 2011, the collaboration album “Śpiewam Życie” with Edyta Geppert was certified “gold”. That same month, KROKE along with Maja Sikorowska completed work on the album “Avra”, which contains 12 Greek songs. This project also involved guest percussionist Sławomir Berny.
In the same year KROKE & TINDRA released album "Live in Førde" - the recordings were made in the auditorium at "Førdehuset" on July 10, 2010 for NRK's radio P2.
Discography
- Trio (Oriente Musik 1996)
- Eden (Oriente Musik 1997)
- Live at The Pit (Oriente Musik 1998)
- Sounds of the Vanishing World (Oriente Musik 1999)
- Time - singel (Oriente Musik 2000)
- Ten Pieces to Save the World (Oriente Musik 2003)
- East Meets EastEast Meets EastEast Meets East is a collaborative studio album released through EMI Classics in 2003 by violinist Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke band , surrounded by several guest artists of international reputation such as Natacha Atlas, Mo Foster, and the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra.The album revisits some...
- Nigel KennedyNigel KennedyNigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
& Kroke (EMI 2003) - Quartet - Live at Home (Oriente Musik 2004)
- Śpiewam życie – Edyta GeppertEdyta GeppertEdyta Geppert is a popular Polish singer.She is married to Piotr Loretz. They have one son Mieczysław, born in 1988.-Awards:...
& Kroke (Agencja Artystyczna Edyta 2006) - I sing life – Edyta GeppertEdyta GeppertEdyta Geppert is a popular Polish singer.She is married to Piotr Loretz. They have one son Mieczysław, born in 1988.-Awards:...
& Kroke (Oriente Musik 2007) - Seventh Trip (Oriente Musik 2007)
- Out of Sight (Oriente Musik 2009)
- Avra - Maja Sikorowska & Kroke (EMI Poland 2011)
- Live in Førde - Tindra & Kroke (Talik 2011)