Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Two unique 'world music' concerts reviewed

Saadet Turkoz and Hans Koch

There has long been a healthy spirit of non-conformism in Krakow, so it is no surprise to receive a visit here from musicians who refuse to compromise. Vocalist Saadet Turkoz and reedman Hans Koch certainly fall into this category, and their appearance at Club Re in Krakow, Poland on September 10th, 2006 was surely uncompromising. Turkoz' music is freely improvised, but is based on a personal interpretation of and reflection on the folk melodies her parents and their friends exposed her to when she was a child. The lullaby, the confession, the curse and the dirge all have their place. Building on this core of universal human experience, she is able to convey dramatically contrasting emotions. Philip Palmer reports from Krakow.

carmen Consoli
Carmen Consoli demurred when she was introduced as "the most successful singer and songwriter Italy has ever produced."
"I am just a little artist trying to express herself," she said. But for the past decade she has reigned as Italy's leading female rock star. A gifted lyricist and tunesmith, she has attracted a passionate and devoted following in her homeland with her woman-centric point of view and emotionally charged concerts. She is particularly popular with women, left-leaning youth and gays, but even older, straighter and more mainstream audiences love the self-described "bambina impertinente." At a recent concert at Joe's Pub in NYC and on her new recording, Eva Contro Eva, she is changing course towards a more roots-oriented music, still powerful and still uniquely her own. George De Stefano checked in on the "piccola cantatessa" while she was in New York.

Read the full reports in RootsWorld

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