YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Silk Road Journeys : When Strangers Meet (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless)

 Recorded as part of the ongoing Silkroad Project, Silk Road Journeys brings together composers from the elusive, ancient Silk Road that crosses from China to the Middle East with musicians from both West and East. It's both ambitious and daring, two qualities that have been trademarks of Yo-Yo Ma's career. For its modernity and mix of Asian and Western instruments, though, it hews close to tradition (and not merely on Mongolian Traditional Long Song), although the departure into the Italian Renaissance for Chi Passa Per'sta Strada makes for an interesting, more formal and graceful aid in the whole. But the multicultural Silk Road itself makes for a good metaphor for this album, with the sheng, an ancient form of mouth organ, alongside the cello on the traditional Blue Little Flower, for example. While it might seem strange to find Michio Mamiya's Five Finnish Folksongs here, it makes sense; the Saami people of Finland were nomadic, and traveled as far as the Silk Road. But the instruments, from Wu Man's pipa to Joel Fan's piano, work together, whether on traditional or commissioned material, to create something that's challenging to both listeners and performers and offers a strong impression of the journeys of the past. by Chris Nickson  
Tracklist:
1    Mongolian Traditional Long Song 1:28
Vocals – Ganbaatar Khongorzul
Written-By – Mongolian Traditional
2    Legend Of Herlen 11:17
Morinhoor [Morin Khuur] – Yo-Yo Ma
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Piano – Joel Fan
Trombone – James Pugh, John Rutherford, Stephen Dunkel
Vocals – Ganbaatar Khongorzul
Written-By – Byambasuren Sharav
3    Blue Little Flower 4:22
Arranged By – Li Cang Sang, Wu Tong
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Written-By – Chinese Traditional
4    Mido Mountain 3:51
Arranged By – Li Cang Sang, Wu Tong
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Written-By – Chinese Traditional
5    Moon Over Guan Mountains 11:48
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Pipa – Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Shane Shanahan
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Five Finnish Folksongs
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Piano – Joel Fan
Written-By – Michio Mamiya
6    No. 3. Miero Vuotti Uutta Kuuta    1:58
7    No. 5. Joiku    2:26
8    Avaz-e Dashti 6:01
Lute [Setar] – Kayhan Kalhor
Ney – Siamak Jahangiri
Santoor [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei
Written-By – Persian Traditional
9    Habil-Sayagy = In Habil's Style 13:23
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Piano [Prepared] – Joel Fan
Written-By – Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
10    Blue As The Turquoise Night Of Neyshabur 15:33
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Edward Arron
Cello, Soloist – Yo-Yo Ma
Kemenche [Kemancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Ney – Siamak Jahangiri
Santoor [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola [1] – Nicholas Cords
Viola [2] – Leo Suzuki
Violin [1] – Colin Jacobsen
Violin [2] – Todd Reynolds
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
11    Chi Passa Per'sta Strada 4:43
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man, Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Todd Reynolds
Written-By – Filippo Azzaiolo
Bonus Track
12    Desert Capriccio 1:35
Bells [Cymbal Bells] – Joel Fan
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Written-By – Tan Dun
Notas
The bonus track is music from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Recorded August 1–8, 2001, at the Hit Factory, Studio 1, New York City.
Total time 78:54