New Songs from the Old Country (Evergreene Music, 2013)
The New York world music collective TriBeCaStan returns with another serving of cross-cultural sounds, blending jazz improvisation and retro lounge with world music influences sing a mix of western pan-global instruments.
The adaptable TriBeCaStan lineup varies in every recording, although there is a core group of musicians: co-founding multi-instrumentalists John Kruth (who composes most of the songs) and Jeff Greene, dazzling baritone sax player Claire Daly, and reed maestro and Klezmatics member Matt Darriau. Greene plays a wide range of ethnic instruments from his large collection. Kruth specializes in stringed and wind instruments.
“Everyone’s got a different orientation, and that’s what I think makes this stew of TriBeCaStan its own uniquely flavorful experience. I could never learn to play Greek music or Indian music properly; I’m just a New York American bastard. This is the music of the melting pot,” says John Kruth. “You can go hear music in New York that you’d otherwise have to travel the world to experience. The shashmaqam of the Uzbek Jews is in Queens. The gaita music of Colombia is in Woodside. The music is here, and you can hear it. I look for that music, and find it in little clubs in New York or little churches in Queens or Brooklyn.”
TriBeCaStan’s New Songs from the Old Country is a well-crafted example of crosscultural explorations from the New York Melting Pot
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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.
