|
KROKE is the Yiddish word for Krakow. In the musicians life and work it marks a fundamental point of reference in their cultural and artistic identity.
The ensemble was founded in 1992 at the initiative of three friends, graduates of the Krakow Music Academy. To date they have released four albums, out of which the third in line - "Live at the Pit" - got nominated to the German Musical Critics Award (Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik), while the last one - "The Sounds of the Vanishing World" actually won this prestigious accolade in the year 2000.
Taking the traditional music repertoire as the basis for constructing original arrangements and improvisation, and using their previous experience in classical music and jazz, Kroke creates new and unique compositions, and a sound heretofore unknown to Jewish music. The music played by Kroke should be understood and felt as the quintessence of ancient Jewish culture, and at the same time as living proof for its unbroken existence. It is also a form of speaking to humanity, an invitation to commonly contemplating the question of what it means “to be a human being”.
|
