ROSS DALY - KIN KIN

ROSS DALY - KIN KIN

When I went for the first time to Australia in October 2001, I don't think I really knew quite what to expect.  I suppose I expected it to be somewhat like America with which it shares a similar history.  Fortunately for me however, this impression was completely mistaken.  I found Australia to be a country quite unlike any other that I had previously visited.  For a start, it has a completely unique natural environment which has yet to give in to the audacious encroachment of mankind.  It has a variety of climates which is perhaps not found anywhere else on the planet, as well as a literal mosaic of people of different nationalities and races who, on the one hand, seem to maintain their individual characteristics and, on the other, manage to co-exist in a reasonably harmonious whole.  IÕm only sorry that I had few encounters with the indigenous Aboriginal people, whose civilization has long inspired in me the greatest admiration.  Hopefully, on some future trip, IÕll be able to fulfil my desire to better acquaint myself with the Aboriginal people and their culture.

I went to Australia with my colleague and friend Kelly Thomas (who plays lyra on this CD) and we joined up with three Australian musicians with whom we were to tour for one month.  We covered, during this time, enormous distances in a small minibus, something equivalent to the distance between Athens and Moscow, and still we saw only a small corner of this enormous land.

Kin Kin is the name of the very small, yet extremely beautiful village in Queensland where we stayed for the first week of rehearsals at the home of one of the musicians, Linsey Pollak.  Our days spent there were really quite a magical experience and, as a result, we all agreed that the obvious name for this CD should be that of this very special little village.  Our three Australian colleagues gave completely new dimensions to the repertoire which we played, and that constitutes the primary reason for which I decided to release these recordings.  We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for what was one of the most enjoyable collaborations in our career.

Ross Daly:  Cretan lyra, rabab, sazes
Kelly Thomas:  Cretan lyra
Philip Griffin:  oud, laouto, tambura
Linsey Pollak:  clarinet, gaida, glass bass clarini, folk flute, watering-can clarinet
Tunji Beier:  dhol-dolki, tavil, kanjira, deyra, zarb
Angelina Tkatcheva:  santouri