Kin-Kin Review from Holland

Monday, 08 December 2008 13:08

Ross Daly - Kin Kin SASKIA TORNQVIST It is rather striking that an Irishman has drawn international attention to the folk music of Crete. The man in question ,Ross Daly , at one time traveled in the direction of the Middle East to educate himself in the playing of various different plucked instruments . However ,his voyage went differently :on his way he made a short stop in Crete ,where he fell under the spell of the sound of the music of the lyra ,a small viol that is played vertically on the knee with a plaintive sound. Daly decided to stay in Crete where he soon developed into an undisputed lyra virtuoso and guardian of the tradition of Cretan music. By now Daly's dream to also play music from Iraq ,Iran ,Turkey and southeast Balkan countries, has also come true .The music from these areas is ,after all , closely related .This CD, the result of a tour that he along with five other co-musicians recently undertook through Australia, is the outcome of successful improvised sessions using Greek and Middle Eastern styles. Daly's lyra cries out above all but the hypnotizing drumming using irregular rhythms, the melancholic improvisations on the bass clarinet. The ascetic playing of the ud and santouri are also very present