''Pieces of Africa'' is a 1992 studio album by the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

, containing works commissioned by the quartet, written by seven African composers.

Track listing

Critical reception

According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

the Quartet avoids

cultural imperialism Cultural imperialism (sometimes referred to as cultural colonialism) comprises the cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" often describes practices in which a social entity engages culture (including language, traditions, ...

or appropriation and, "''Pieces of Africa'' teems with beguiling melodies, making it one of this quartet's more accessible projects and also one of its best." A review in ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' argues that only ''Escalay'' and ''White Man Sleeps'' are successful compositions for string quartet.Kronos Quartet: ''Piece of Africa''
, ''Gramophone.Co.UK''.

Personnel

Musicians

*David Harrington -

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

akete Nyabinghi, also Nyahbinghi, Niyabinghi, Niyahbinghi, is the gathering of Rastafari people to celebrate and commemorate key dates significant to Rastafari throughout the year. It is essentially an opportunity for the Rastafari to congregate and eng ...

*John Sherba - violin, akete *Hank Dutt -

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, akete *

Joan Jeanrenaud Joan Jeanrenaud ( Dutcher; born January 25, 1956) is an American cellist. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she played with the LLP Kronos Quartet from 1978 until 1999, when, after a sabbatical, she left to pursue a solo career and collaborations ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

, akete *

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) is located in Oakland, California, US. It was founded in 1986 as an outgrowth of a gospel music workshop, and became an independent organization in 1991. The choir has since toured globally, produced multi ...

, Terrence Kelly - conductor *Hassan Hakmoun, Said Hakmoun, Radouane Laktib, Dumisani Maraire - voice *Obo Addy - drums *

Hamza El Din Hamza El Din (Arabic حمزة علاء الدين) (July 10, 1929 – May 22, 2006) was an Egyptian Nubian composer, oud player, tar player, and vocalist. He was born in southern Egypt and was an internationally known musician of his native regio ...

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

*Radouane Laktib -

oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

*Foday Musa Suso - kora *Said Hakmoun -

bendir The ''bendir'' ( ar, بندير, plural ''banadir'', ) is a wooden-framed frame drum of North Africa and Southwest Asia. The bendir is a traditional instrument that is played throughout North Africa, as well as in Sufi ceremonies; it was played ...

Ephat Mujuru Ephat Mujuru (1950–2001), was a Zimbabwean musician, one of the 20th century's finest players of the mbira, a traditional instrument of the Shona ethnic group of Zimbabwe.Allmusic biography/ref> Biography Although Mujuru played all of Zimbab ...

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

*Dan Pauli - hosho

Production

* Bob Edwards,

Judith Sherman Judith Dorothy Sherman (born November 12, 1942) is an American audio engineer, and record producer. She has been nominated for 17 Grammy Awards and won 12 including for Producer Of The Year, Classical six times (in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 20 ...

, Paul Zinman - Engineers * Judith Sherman - Producer

Sales

References

{{Authority control 1992 classical albums Kronos Quartet albums Nonesuch Records albums