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ROSS DALY & FRIENDS: KIN KIN (2003)
Ross Daly: Cretan lyra, rabab, sazes When I went for the first time to Australia in October 2001, I donÕt think I really knew quite what to expect. I suppose I expected it to be somewhat like America with which it shares a similar history. Fortunately for me however, this impression was completely mistaken. I found Australia to be a country quite unlike any other that I had previously visited. For a start, it has a completely unique natural environment which has yet to give in to the audacious encroachment of mankind. It has a variety of climates which is perhaps not found anywhere else on the planet, as well as a literal mosaic of people of different nationalities and races who, on the one hand, seem to maintain their individual characteristics and, on the other, manage to co-exist in a reasonably harmonious whole. IÕm only sorry that I had few encounters with the indigenous Aboriginal people, whose civilization has long inspired in me the greatest admiration. Hopefully, on some future trip, IÕll be able to fulfil my desire to better acquaint myself with the Aboriginal people and their culture. I went to Australia with my colleague and friend Kelly Thomas (who plays lyra on this CD) and we joined up with three Australian musicians with whom we were to tour for one month. We covered, during this time, enormous distances in a small minibus, something equivalent to the distance between Athens and Moscow, and still we saw only a small corner of this enormous land. Kin Kin is the name of the very small, yet extremely beautiful village in Queensland where we stayed for the first week of rehearsals at the home of one of the musicians, Linsey Pollak. Our days spent there were really quite a magical experience and, as a result, we all agreed that the obvious name for this CD should be that of this very special little village. Our three Australian colleagues gave completely new dimensions to the repertoire which we played, and that constitutes the primary reason for which I decided to release these recordings. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for what was one of the most enjoyable collaborations in our career. Our three Australian colleagues in this recording are: PHILIP GRIFFIN: I met Philip some years ago in Berlin when he introduced himself to me after a concert I gave there. We later met again in Greece where he came in search of knowledge concerning the laouto and the oud, and in Jerusalem (where his wife worked for three years as a correspondent for Australian television). Parallel to his interest in the traditional string instruments of the Middle East and the Balkans, he also works as an Opera singer and choral conductor. He is also an expert concerning the birds and other wildlife found on the Australian continent, and was kind enough to introduce us to many rather extraordinary creatures. TUNJI BEIER: With Tunji I had worked some years ago in Germany, the homeland of his father. Tunji, due to his fatherÕs work (ethnologist), had the good fortune to grow up in some rather unusual places such as Papua New Guinea and West Africa. He also went and studied percussion instruments in South India. In Europe he is well-known as one of the foremost exponents of South Indian and West African drumming and he has collaborated with many different musicians from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. On this CD he plays dhol-dolki: a long barrel-shaped two-headed drum from India; tavil: a large barrel-shaped drum played on one side with a small stick and, on the other with thimbles worn on each of the fingers; kanjira: a very small frame-drum with a lizard skin and one metal ring which is usually played in South Indian (Carnatic) classical music; zarb: a large wooden goblet-shaped drum used in Persian classical music; and deyra: a frame-drum from Uzbekistan with a single row of rings on the interior of the frame which give it a very characteristic sound. LINSEY POLLAK: Linsey plays a quite considerable
number of wind instruments from various parts of the world, but he also
plays various other things which were never really intended to be musical
instruments as such, for example: carrots, camping stools, watering
cans and flowerpots, kitchen utensils, microphone stands, gaffer tape
etc. He is well-known in Australia for his very unique playing,
for the new instruments he is always inventing and playing himself, as
well as for his unique approach to music in general and musical education
in particular. He has given seminars, lessons and musical workshops,
frequently for the benefit of people who have never previously played
any instrument in their lives, thus introducing them to the world of
music. He even filled a bridge in Brisbane with marimbas once,
so that the passers-by could play as they went for a walk over the bridge. KELLY THOMAS who plays Cretan lyra. Kelly has been a student of mine for many years and her exceptional talent for music was clear to see from the very beginning. We have been working continuously for the last five years, working primarily on lyra duets. In the majority of traditions where the lyra is used, it is almost invariably a solo instrument and it is most unusual for two or more lyras to play together. Resultingly, this is a rather special challenge for us. Kelly has developed a very individual sound of her own which is the result of her very personal approach to music in general. An approach characterised by an untiring search for new knowledge, a firm dedication to whatever she does, and a deep spirituality which gives balance and maturity to her playing. On this CD ANGELINA TKATCHEVA also plays santouri (hammered-dulcimer)
with us on certain tracks. Angelina is an exceptional musician
from the town of Minsk in Belarus who has been working with me for several
years now. The santouri was added to the recording in the studio
Aeolia in Athens. Ross Daly, October 2002 1) Samai Al-Thaqil An anonymous composition, most likely of Iraqi origin, which is well-known throughout the Arab world. It follows the classical Ottoman and Arabic Samai form. In this case, however, all four sections (hane) are in the characteristic 10/8 (3-2-2-3) rhythmic cycle known as Aksak Semai, contrary to the usual practice of changing the rhythm in the fourth section. This composition is in the makam (mode) Bayati. Ross Daly: Cretan lyra, rabab 2) Tekez - Miroloi (Lament) - Mantilatos The first piece, Tekez, is a traditional Turkish piece in the familiar 9/8 (2-2-2-3) rhythm. It is followed by two compositions by Ross Daly, a lament (miroloi) in free rhythm, and another in the Thracian dance rhythm known as Mantilatos 7/8 (2-2-3). Ross Daly: Cretan lyra 3) Nihavent Zeybek A composition by Ross Daly in the makam Nihavent and in the Zeybikiko dance rhythm 9/8 (2-2-2-3). Ross Daly: Cretan lyra 4) Band-e-Amir & Moments of Optimism This piece was composed in Australia in the minibus in which we travelled countless miles from one place to another. It begins with an introduction in free time on the Afghan rabab in a variation of the Indian Raga Bhairavi. This is followed by a composed melody in 4/4 time, including the dhol-dolki and the santouri, around which the rabab improvises. In the next section, the original melody is adapted to the rhythms 6/8 and 9/8 respectively, and the whole piece ends with a composition in 18/8 time (2-2-3-2-2,2-3-2) by Linsey Pollak called Moments of Optimism. Ross Daly: rabab 5) Three Bektashi Nefes Amongst the most beautiful pieces found in the Turkish musical tradition are the Nefes (hymns) of the Bektashi order of dervishes. This order was founded in the 13th century, inspired by the Anatolian mystic Haci Bektash Veli, and continues up until the present time. Contrary to the more well-known order of Mevlevi Dervishes, who were usually concentrated in the urban centers, where they made an enormous contribution to Ottoman classical music, the Bektashis were usually rural people whose music tended to conform to the forms of the folk music of the provinces. Almost all of the Ashiks of Turkey (wandering bards who sang and played the folk-lute saz) belonged to this order, and, even today, they play a very important role in the lives of the inhabitants of rural Turkey. Bektashi Nefes are usually very simple and clear melodies of striking beauty and, perhaps for that reason, in Turkey, even ordinary people, who are not members of the Bekta?i order, are especially fond of them and know how to sing them. The first two pieces here are quite old (the second one is reckoned to date from the 16th century), while the third piece is a composition belonging to the contemporary Ashik known as Ashik Veysel, who died in 1972. Ashik Veysel was one of the most beloved figures of contemporary Turkish folk culture. He wrote innumerable songs with especially beautiful and profound lyrics and, despite his being blind from birth, he followed the traditional AshikÕs mendicant way of life, travelling constantly all over the provinces of Turkey, sharing his songs with the people of the villages. Ross Daly: saz 6) Stankina & Osogovka The first piece is a composition by Ross Daly in the common Balkan rhythm of 11/8 (2-2-3-2-2). The second piece is from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and is called Osogovka. Ross Daly: saz 7) Sandansko Oro & Majsko Oro Two traditional Balkan pieces, the first is Bulgarian and it is in a 22/8 rhythm (2-2-2-3,2-2-2-3,2-2). The second piece is from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and it is in an 18/8 rhythm (2-2-3-2-2,3-2-2). Ross Daly: Cretan lyra 8) Hatif In Arabic, the word hatif refers to the spirits of dead poets who inhabit the desert and entice travellers with their song, causing them to lose their way. This piece was composed by Ross Daly and the haunting wind instrument heard in the beginning of the piece is none other than a small plastic watering-can converted into a musical instrument and played by Linsey Pollak. Ross Daly: Cretan lyra, sazes, rabab Orchestration: Ross Daly. Ross Daly and friends are: with special guest Recorded at Metropolis Studio, Melbourne in October 2001 by Siiri
Metsar. CD design: David Zhu, Adelaide. |
Listen to mp3 Ross Daly & Friends dva ZYKADO Okuta Percussion |
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