Sarakina: Grekow Mlejnek Chololowicz

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Grekow.Chololowicz
Kyrillikata
Vienna ZBOR 7401
Grekow.Mlejnek.Mlejnek
Sarakina
I.D.A. Prestige (www.kyrillikata.art.pl)
These two very different CDs are equally captivating. Kyrillikata is the meeting of two accordions and two tarambukas and the resulting music is fast, exciting, organic and rootsy with a certain melancholy added. This results in a sound which brings to mind many of the neo-traditional bands of neighboring Italy while remaining anchored in the Balkan musical tradition. Sarakina, on the other hand, is jazzier, more pensive in parts and features what amounts to a 'band' with accordion, bagpipe, clarinet, tambura and double-bass and has a fuller, more worked sound, though not labored.
Although the songs are different on the two records, together they form a compendium of Central Balkan music with added references to Greek and Turkish sources as well as references to Poland, from where the musicians come from.
The result is of a very high caliber: tunes as "Kyrillikata I & II" and "Spomen" from the former CD and "Monastyr" from the latter are prime examples of this. Both are full of a sense of rediscovering material lost to the outside world, performed with real verve and musicianship (a result of the players all being members of various Polish conservatoires).
For anyone interested in material coming out of the Balkans and interested in music that is neither folksy nor academic, these two CDs will be a welcome addition to their collections; the first one if you are interested in the more straight-forward approach, or the second if you prefer a freer attitude. - Nondas Kitsos

Audio samples and CD available at cdRoots

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