| East Meets East | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke band |
| Cover: | East Meets East Cover.jpg |
| Recorded: | May 2002 – January 2003 at NLD and S-5 studios in Kraków, and at The Town House, Abbey Road studios in London. May 2003 at Eden, 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 |
| Chronology: | Nigel Kennedy |
| Prev Title: | Vivaldi |
| Prev Year: | 2003 |
| Next Title: | Vivaldi II |
| Next Year: | 2004 |
East Meets East is a collaborative studio album released through EMI Classics in 2003 by violinist Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke band (Jerzy Bawoł on accordion, Tomasz Kukurba on viola and Tomasz Lato on double bass), surrounded by several guest artists of international reputation such as Natacha Atlas, Mo Foster, and the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra.
The album revisits some traditional songs and new compositions, ranging into central and eastern European music tradition as well as Arabic influences.
Nigel Kennedy's second wife, Agnieszka, is Polish and they spend a lot of time in Kraków, where Kennedy is the Artistic 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,[1] and Kroke meet during a concert tour in Cornwall. Kennedy immediately presented the group a cooperation offer. The result was East Meets East.[2]
East Meets East was recorded between May 2002 and January 2003 at NLD and S-5 recording studios in Kraków, and at The Town House and Abbey Road studios in London. The album was consequently mixed on the following May by Andy Green, Dariusz Grela and Hugo Nicholson at Eden, Metropolis, Town House and Mayfair studios in London, and mastered by Ian Cooper at Metropolis studio.[3] The album, published by Oriente Musik and internationally distributed through the classical music label of EMI from June 2003, was produced by John Stanley and Jaz Coleman. East Meets East has been top of the classical charts since its release,[4] Kroke was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 award in the World Music category, and both Kroke and Kennedy played together at numerous European festivals for promoting it and received enthusiastic applause. After East Meets East, Kroke released Ten Pieces to Save the World", and Kennedy next record saw a return to "Vivaldi" with his 2004 album Vivaldi II.[5]
The 14-track album features seven original tracks composed by Nigel Kennedy and the three Kroke, Jerzy Bawoł, Tomasz Kukurba and Tomasz Lato, and seven traditional songs all arranged by them. The album is a stylistic and topical potpourri of music fusion that features elements of Folk and World music with influences from the East European and Arabic music, inspired by the music of the Balkans, Romani and Gypsy people, and Jewish music, with klezmer and sephardic modes and scales. There are also elements of the Western music such as free jazz and rock, as well as the traditional music of Poland, polonaise, polka and mazurka. Because of this mixture of different elements and traditions, and the experimental nature of this work, its tone frequently turns from the desperate sadness to the extreme joy.