Accordion Tribe

Guy Klucevsek (United States), Maria Kalaniemi (Finland), Bratko Bibic (Slovenia), Lars Hollmer (Sweden), and Otto Lechner (Austria) all come from different nations, different backgrounds, and indeed, very different genres of music. Klucevsek is the "downtowner" of the bunch, with ties to the Knitting Factory new music scene. Kalaniemi has grown from folk revivalist into a sharp composer of romantic music. Bibic brings a raw, folk-rooted energy. Hollmer is a self-trained musician with no boundaries, no genre, and a dazzling array of ideas. Lechner offers a dark European neo-classicism. What's the common thread? They all play and compose for the accordion, and this set of live recordings during a three week European tour exemplifies the brilliant intensity that can develop between kindred spirits with diverse inspiration. In pieces that range from gentle solos to chaotic quintets, they all use each other's strengths to give their compositions new angles, strange twists, and a little humor. --Louis Gibson