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MP3 Silk Road Music ??????? - Endless ??
20 MP3 Songs in this album (56:55) !
Related styles: World: Asian- East, Folk: Traditional Folk, Mood: Virtuoso
People who are interested in Kitaro Wu Man Yo Yo Ma Silk Road Project should consider this download.
Details:
BIOGRAPHY
The release of Endless by Qiu Xia He’s ensemble Silk Road Music is an achievement in the career of a woman who once taught at the prestigious Xian Academy of Music in China, toured with the popular Shaanxi Music and Dance Troupe, then left it all behind and decided to become a Canadian. Since arriving in the country - speaking no English and knowing no one - Qiu Xia has risen to the top of her profession once again. In fact, Qiu Xia is one of only a very few Chinese musicians in North America who works full time in music.
Qiu Xia formed Silk Road Music in 1991 as a forum to play Chinese music with other Chinese musicians, but, as the name suggests, the music has a definite cross-cultural bent. In the same way that the Silk Road trade route was once a vehicle to exchange cultural ideas between East and West, Silk Road Music combines the traditional styles of the East, with new influences picked up in the west. They play Chinese music with western performance techniques, they play jazz, folk, and Irish music on Chinese instruments, and they play with musicians from other cultural backgrounds creating a new sound entirely.
Endless perfectly captures this multicultural fusion by including songs from both Chinese and western tradition, and featuring the musical talents of several acclaimed artists; in particular, Brazilian jazz guitarist Celso Machado, Irish multi-instrumentalist Loretto Reid, jazz bassist Rene Worst, and special guest dizi (Chinese flute) player Chai-man Cheng.
Silk Road Music consists of Qiu Xia He on pipa, Shirley Yuan on erhu, and Zhi Min Yu on ruan. Like Qiu Xia, the other two members of the ensemble were also highly accomplished musicians in China before coming to Canada.
Yuan was a solo performer in China from the age of twelve and was an erhu soloist with a top Chinese ensemble in Beijing. She is from a musical family, trained at some of the finest conservatories and with several of the finest musicians in China. Today, when not performing, she still finds the time to teach the erhu to youngsters.
Yu was a member of the National Broadcasting Arts Troupe and toured through China, Hong Kong, and Japan before coming to Canada in 1989. She joined Silk Road Music in 1995 after zheng player Li Zhou left. She continues to perform with other Chinese ensembles in Vancouver when not playing with Silk Road Music.
Together, Silk Road Music is one of only a few Chinese touring ensembles in North America, and they have brought their music all over the continent, including performances at Toronto’s Harbourfront, the Edmonton Folk Festival, and the 1995 Folk Alliance conference in Portland, where they earned a standing ovation. Their music has been featured on CBC’s Asian music compilation and as part of the ‘Reflections of Canada’ sound and light show performed at the Canadian Parliament buildings.
Throughout their travels, the trio have earned a greater appreciation for the potential of music in intercultural communication, and they hope their audiences have come away with a greater appreciation for Chinese music too.
REVIEWS
“File this one under world music. In fact, file it under fantastic world music. What we have here is a masterful blending of traditional Chinese instruments, as played by true virtuosos, with other contemporary styles. The effect is entrancing.” –The Evening Telegram, St. John’s NF.
“One of our finest examples of multi-culturalism as it can and should work … the results are stunningly beautiful.” –Toronto World Arts Scene.
“Endless is the group’s first recording, and it was worth the wait. Vancouverites should be proud to have such innovative global artists working here.” –The Vancouver Courier.
“This is a group of highly trained, classical/folk composers exploring the compatibility of these Eastern and Western instruments to prove that music can bring peace, love and understanding to different cultures. This is radical in a gentle, subtle and innovative way.” –Hour, Montreal.
“A must for fans of Chinese music and especially for world music enthusiasts who delight in cross-cultural fertilization” –The Rogue Folk Review, Vancouver.
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