Kroke for Expo 2015

The Kroke are a music group since 1992, founded by some former students of the conservatory of Krakow. Their music prefers the slow rhythms, melancholy and nostalgia and it's largely based on traditional Klezmer - Jewish musical genre - experiencing it in order to create new sounds in an exercise of jazz taste.

At the Expo, the group of Krakow will hold two concerts on 18 and 19 May in the Polish Pavilion.

Here, the Kroke tell us what tie them to their homeland and to the Jewish tradition: a perfect opportunity to learn something more about a culture and a musical approach far from those to which we are usually accustomed to.

You will be performing in Italy during the events that will present Poland, but how is your music linked to Poland today? Many of these items come from a world that no longer exists.

Jerzy Bawol: What we do, is not simply recreate the traditional music. We rely on the legacy of music that was once present in Poland, in the broad sense, not necessarily for the national, but regional. At one time we were dealing with a multi-ethnic Poland, the music of these people was in our hearts and developed in Poland. Based on this tradition, of certain phrases, a certain taste, we build our music that is totally contemporary.

Our group is called "Krakow ["Kroke" in Yiddish, the language of Ashkenazi Jews - ed], we are of Krakow, deliberately we never moved from here. Everywhere we go, everyone recognizes the music of our concerts as Polish music. But above all we are the Krakow: named for the world-view, for the tradition that we grow.

And what is happening now in the Polish music is for you a reference point?

Currently we refer especially to the music of the Mediterranean basin, but of course also to the music of Poland and the Balkans. Our "musical journeys" include all the Europe. This is the klezmer tradition that once existed in Poland. The klezmer traveling across the country, were inspired by different countries and shared this music. We do the same thing, only faster, thanks to the plane or the car. We meet musicians and we take a number of ideas. But if you listen to some of our music, certainly you will associate the Kazimierz district of Krakow.

Is there a difference for you between playing in Krakow than in other places where you travel?

Each audience is different but at the same time equal. In Krakow we play mostly for ourselves and people are exquisite, but also demanding in music. The people of Krakow are very critical in assessing their own artists: we had to learn to play at home.

And when we travel all depends on the sensitivity of our listeners. We love playing both in southern Europe than in Scandinavia. There is probably no place in Europe where we haven't played at least once and see that music is perceived in a similar way everywhere. We want to communicate with people, we want to create a certain relationship that tends to dialogue between us and the audience, in their head open a new space that will then occupy yourself.

Has it been like that since the beginning of the creation of the group or did you get there gradually?

We know each others from the first class of high school, 30 years. We grew up in the same structures and we have always been friends. Our philosophy is very consistent. We haven't imposed anything, everything has grown along with us. We are fully aware of what we want, but we never talked about this. This is based mainly on the sensations.

During your travels you have partnered with many artists from different parts of the world, often internationally renowned. What meeting has given you the most?

There hasn't been a partnership that has allowed us to grow more than others, and I don't say for kindness. We met, we recorded a disc, we left and nothing more. We always spent time together, we talked, we met each other and we took inspiration each other. Each artist has moved towards him, wheter he was Peter Gabriel, Nigel Kennedy, Edyta Geppert, Ania Maria Jopek or Norwegian friends, not to mention many others, but there were always many around us and, importantly, they still are.

Do you have any favorite artist with whom you would like to work one day? Maybe something that is a challenge for you?

We work a lot with film music, we have recently made the soundtrack for the documentary "Kabaret śmierci " (Cabaret of death) that has received the gold medal at the New York festival. Currently our dream is to work with a new script for film and with a good director. It should be something that attracts a lot, that makes us grow and achieve. We often say that what we do is very visual.

You collaborate not only with cinema but also with theater. What can emerge of positive from the fusion of these two worlds?

The basic conditions are freedom and cooperation. If you have freedom, then it can be something special. Peter Gabriel told us about the collaboration with Martin Scorsese for "The Last Temptation of Christ". They discussed each scene, each sentence, the symbolism of music and scenes, while Peter had absolute freedom in the choice of the musicians, in the creation and aesthetics. Interestingly, the joint implementation of a work, a play or a movie. With these assumptions, the result can be only good things.