The World of Christmas Carols (2021) presents an exquisite set of cherished tunes masterfully and exquisitely performed by Poland’s Kroke, one of the finest ensembles in the European music scene. Kroke elegantly infuse the Christmas carols with a world music essence in combination with contemporary jazz and classical music elements.
‘The World of Christmas Carols’ features a selection of instrumental carols from all over the world collected as a result of many travels, acquaintances, and the band’s multicultural enchantments. It’s also a way of presenting a new, distinctive take on Christmas music.
The album introduces new arrangements of carols from Poland as well as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain, Ireland, England and Romania. Aside from traditional songs, Kroke also perform some classical music compositions by J.S. Bach, Charles Gounod and Ruben Liljefors.
The lineup includes Tomasz Kukurba on viola, violin, vocals, flutes, viola picking, percussion, mouth percussion; Jerzy Bawoł on accordion; and Tomasz Lato on double bass. Special guests: Sławek Berny on additional percussion; Lena Bawoł, Nikola Kukurba, Maksymilian Lato on backing vocals; and Dariusz Grela on washboard.
Track listing:
- Lille Guds barn, hvad skader dig [Little child of God, what hurts you] (trad. / Danish – 1870)
- Jezus malusieńki [Baby Jesus] (trad. / Polish – 18th century)
- Suantraí na Maighdine [The Virgin’s Lullaby] (Seán Óg Ó Tuama / Irish)
- Asta-i seara de Craciun [This is Christmas Eve] (trad. / Romanian)
- Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht [Silent Night] (Franz Xaver Gruber / Austrian – 1818)
- Dans cette étable [In this Stable] (trad. / Charles Gounod / French – 17th century)
- W żłobie leży [In the Manger He Lies] (Trad. / Polish – 17th century)
- A la Nanita Nana [A Little Lullaby] (José Ramón Gomis / Spanish – 1904)
- När det lider mot jul [When Christmas is Coming] (Ruben Liljefors / Swedish – 1909)
- Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier [I Stand Here by Your Manger] (Johann Sebastian Bach / German – 1653)
- The First Nowell [The First Noel] (trad. / English with Cornish origins – 1823)
The album is available from the Apple Store and other retailers.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.