Ethnophonia by Ratko Vojtek

13 Mar

Written by Lee Prosser
font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

God, there's too much music in this hear world! You gotta have lotsa time, $$$ & patience to dig through it all, but discs like this one come along & you are Rewarded. Ratko Vojtek is a pianist from Croatia (that joint in the Balkans, from whence my ancestors came) who, in the best Euro-tradition, soaks up his influences from SO many sources. European classical music, South American classical AND folk music, rock, pop, jazz (straight-ahead & "out")--it's all there, not just "mixed" together, but the ESSENCE of them all is heard & felt in Vojtek's sound. He interprets piano pieces of Henry Cowell & Alberto Ginastera with the verve & drive of Eddie Palmieri and the rhapsodic warmth & invention of Keith Jarrett. Unlike some Euro-world-jazz thangs, this disc has a warm, inviting feel without getting sticky/shticky. Further, in avoids that dry, academic sound that makes you feel like like you're in some sterile, chilly, germ-free concert hall in some former Soviet Republic. Vojtek plays with a precise yet rollicking two-fisted approach -- he plays the hell outta his piano, inside AND out.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Ratko Vojtek
CD Title: Ethnophonia
Genre: World Music
Year Released: 1999
Record Label: Croatia Records
Musicians: Ratko Vojtek: piano, bass clarinet, whistle, perc.; Cubismo Percussion Section.
Label Website: -
Rating: Five Stars