About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

The intrepid Kronos Quartet has undertaken many musical voyages over the years, but none of their prior releases has covered as much uncharted territory or defined their exploratory spirit so well as KRONOS CARAVAN. Starting with the Balkans as a home base, the quartet dons gypsy garb and roams the globe to Portugal, India, Mexico, Argentina, and the Middle East, picking up local musicians as collaborators along the way. Few of the featured composers will be familiar -- except for Terry Riley and perhaps, for tango aficionados, Anibal Troílo -- but just as Kronos brought Astor Piazzolla's music to the attention of many listeners a decade ago, there are names here that merit a brighter spot on our multicultural radar. Among them is Carlos Paredes, a Portuguese guitarist and composer whose two works on this album -- sensitively arranged, as is much of the program, by frequent Kronos collaborator Osvaldo Golijov -- show a gift for devastatingly gorgeous lyricism. Equally striking is the mesmerizing brilliance of Rahul Dev Burman's "Aaj Ki Raat," an artifact of Bollywood, India's vibrant film industry. This is the first recorded outing for new Kronos cellist Jennifer Culp, who replaced Joan Jeanrenaud in 1999. Culp seems to take naturally to the quartet's unique repertoire and style; listen to her long solo at the beginning of Lebanese composer Ali Jihad Racy's "Ecstasy" for a taste of her expressive, versatile playing. There's something here for everyone. Even if the synthesized brass and percussion of Riley's "Cortejo Fúnebre" sound slightly out of place, and Kayhan Kalhor's contribution from Iran seems a bit too literal-minded in its depiction of galloping horses, there's no arguing with Kronos's ability to masquerade in a multitude of styles and blend effectively with their guests, whether it be the Romanian gypsy ensemble Taraf de Haïdouks or rock drummer Martyn Jones, who sits in for a rousing reading of surf guitarist Dick Dale's "Misirlou Twist" that spotlights the familiar tune's Armenian ancestry. Scott Paulin, Barnes & Noble

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