Westbrook, Kate - The Nijinska Chamber (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
23-VP 383
Music by Mike Westbrook
Lyrics and singing by Kate Westbrook
Accordion by Kate Street
This is a very stripped down recording by a great, theatrical singer with well-placed, simple accompaniment.
“Kate is a fine writer and performer, with a brilliant approach to text.
The life of choreographer Bronislava Nijinska provides the inspiration for Kate's most recent piece, a collaboration with composer Mike Westbrook and accordionist Karen Street.
It's a moving piece, and Kate's voice has attained an intriguing balance between high drama genuine pathos and a kind of emotional equilibrium.”-Penguin Guide To Jazz [4 stars]
“Bronislava Nijinska joined Sergei Diaghilev's pioneering Ballets Russes troupe in the early years of the 20th century and later became an innovative choreographer in her own right. During her lifetime she was overshadowed by her brother Vaslav Nijinsky. British lyricist and vocalist Kate Westbrook has built a picturesque theatre piece around Nijinska's later years as she looks back over her career and life.
Mike Westbrook's music restricts itself to solo accordion, overcoming the constraint with a palette of textures and harmonies which deftly evokes a long gone post-Rite Of Spring soundworld. The range of Kate Westbrook's vocalisations encompasses intimate soliloquies and scenes on a cinematic scale, while accordionist Karen Street sustains 60 minutes of energetic invention. A unique project.”-The Wire 269, July 2006
- LabelVoiceprint
- UPC604388322428