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

 

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Silk Road Journeys Beyond The Horizon (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Continuing their explorations on Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble go even deeper into cross-cultural studies on this 2005 soundtrack album. Produced for a 10-part series on Japan's NHK television network, the CD's 15 tracks are arranged in three suites, entitled Enchantment, Origins, and New Beginnings, more reflective of inherent musical affinities than of the way the music was used in the program. The musicians tap into the variously overlapping musical styles of lands stretching from China and India to Iran and Turkey, and the arrangements by Zhao Jiping and Zhao Lin include a mix of instruments from around the world, to add greater color and sonic dimensions. The album's exotic and meditative qualities may attract fans of both international and new age music, though there is perhaps little crossover appeal for Ma's classical devotees. Due to the group's cohesion and spirit of cooperation, solos are fairly evenly distributed, and Ma stands out no more or less than the other players. Indeed, kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor and vocalist Alim Qasimov have greater prominence, and it may even be said that tabla master Sandeep Das steals the show. Sony's sound quality is satisfactory, though a little soft in places. by Blair Sanderson 

Tracklist:
    Enchantment
1    Mohini (Enchantment) 1:47
Arranged By – Ljova
Written-By – Indrajit Dey, Sandeep Das
2    Oasis    3:00
3    Distant Green Valley 7:06
Written-By – Zhao Jiping, Zhao Lin
4    Akhalqalaqi Dance 1:22
Arranged By – Gevorg Dabaghyan
Written-By – Georgian/Armenian Traditional
5    Echoes Of A Lost City 1:18
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Origins
6    Mountains Are Far Away 6:09
Arranged By – Ljova
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
7    Yanzi (Swallow Song) 3:25
Arranged By – Zhao Lin
Written-By – Kazakh/Chinese Traditional
8    Battle Remembered 4:00
Arranged By – Zhao Lin
9    Summer In The High Grassland 4:37
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
New Beginnings
10    Kor Arab 4:08
Written-By – Fikret Amirov
11    Shikasta (Minstrel's Song) 1:48
Lyrics By – Mammad Ordubadi
Written-By – Uzeyir Hajibeyov
12    Night At The Caravanserai 7:56
Arranged By – Shane Shanahan
Written-By – Turkish Traditional
13    Gallop Of A Thousand Horses 5:07
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
14    Tarang (Currents) 6:27
Written-By – Sandeep Das
15    Sacred Cloud Music 5:30
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Credits:
Bass – DaXun Zhang (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10 to 14)
Bells [Indian Footbells] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 2)
Bongos – Mark Suter (tracks: 14)
Caxixi – Joel Fan (tracks: 14), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 9)
Cello – Jason Duckles (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 13), Yo-Yo Ma (tracks: 1, 3, 5 to 15)
Chimes – Mark Suter (tracks: 1)
Conductor – Alan Pierson (tracks: 1, 3, 8)
Djembe – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 4, 8, 9)
Drum [Ocean Drum] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 3, 14)
Duduk – Gevorg Dabaghyan (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 8)
Finger Cymbals – Joel Fan (tracks: 12), Mark Suter (tracks: 8), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 3)
Goblet Drum [Dumbek] – Joseph Gramley (tracks: 14), Mark Suter (tracks: 8, 12), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 12)
Goblet Drum [Tombak] – Mark Suter (tracks: 9 to 11), Siamak Aghaei (tracks: 13)
Harp – Gulia Mashurova (tracks: 1, 3, 8)
Kanjira – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 2, 10, 11)
Ney – Siamak Jahangiry (tracks: 1, 6, 12)
Pandeiro – Mark Suter (tracks: 2)
Performer [Bawu] – Wu Tong (tracks: 2)
Performer [Daf] – Alim Qasimov (tracks: 10, 11)
Performer [Hadjira] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 14)
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor (tracks: 3, 6, 13), Rauf Islamov (tracks: 10, 11)
Performer [Riq] – Mark Suter (tracks: 12), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 6)
Performer [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei (tracks: 3, 6)
Performer [Xun] – Wu Tong (tracks: 5)
Piano – Joel Fan (tracks: 3, 6), Wu Man (tracks: 8)
Pipa – Wu Man (tracks: 1 to 3, 12, 15)
Rattle – Joel Fan (tracks: 2), Mark Suter (tracks: 1), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 9)
Sarangi – Fakhruddin Dholpuri (tracks: 1)
Shaker – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 12)
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki (tracks: 1, 12)
Sheng – Wu Tong (tracks: 2, 3, 12)
Tabla – Sandeep Das (tracks: 1, 3, 8, 9, 14)
Tar (lute) – Malik Mansurov (tracks: 10, 11)
Udu – Mark Suter (tracks: 3, 6)
Vibraphone, Singing Bowls [Tibetan Prayer Bowls], Tam-tam, Bells [Knocking Bells], Cymbal [Suspended], Triangle, Crotales, Performer [Flower Pot] – Joseph Gramley (tracks: 1)
Viola – Ljova (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14), Max Mandel (tracks: 3, 6, 13, 15), Nicholas Cords (tracks: 6, 12, 13)
Violin – Colin Jacobsen (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10 to 15), Jonathan Gandelsman (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 to 15)
Vocals – Alim Qasimov (tracks: 1, 10 to 12), Nilanjana Dey (tracks: 1), Wu Tong (tracks: 7)

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - A Playlist Without Borders (2013) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Ensemble has continued to develop its intercultural ways, exploring those along the trade routes (maritime as well as land-based) that stretched for centuries from the Mediterranean world to China and even beyond. (The Silk Road brought Indian culture and later the Islamic faith to Indonesia, and one hopes that the group might someday take up that musically fascinating one, so well suited to its syncretic way of thinking.) Ma has had the pleasure of seeing his creation gradually become more independent; he appears on several pieces but takes a starring role only once or twice. Generally, he leaves the spotlight to the young players of the Silkroad Ensemble, whose trademark combination of enthusiasm and precision is on full display throughout. Sample the incredible intensity in the final "Briel," taken from John Zorn's Caym: Book of Angels XVII, originally performed by Cyro Baptista & Banquest of the Spirits, and further arranged by the ensemble itself. The program includes a general mix that typifies the group's genre- and border-crossing ways, with highlights including a suite by MacArthur "Genius Grant" winner Vijay Iyer and the Central Asian gypsy jazz of David Bruce's "Cut the Rug." by James Manheim
Tracklist:
    Playlist For An Extreme Occasion
Cello – Mike Block
Composed By – Vijay Iyer
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Shane Shanahan
Piano, Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Johnny Gandelsman
1    Part Zero    1:33
2    Part One    1:53
3    Part Two    3:38
4    Part Three    2:06
5    Part Four    2:30
6    Part Five    3:02
7    Cristina's Interlude    0:37
8    Part Six    2:42
9    Night Thoughts 6:14
Arranged By – Dong-Won Kim, Kojiro Umezaki, Wu Man
Composed By – Wu Man
Janggu [Jang-Go] – Dong-Won Kim
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
10    Saidi Swing 7:30
Composed By – Shane Shanahan
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Tabla – Sandeep Das
11    Allegretto From Partita, Op. 31, For Cello Solo 3:34
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – Ahmed Adnan Saygun
12    Atashgah 14:01
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – Colin Jacobsen
Percussion – Shane Shanahan
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Cut The Rug
Accordion – Patrick Farrell
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Composed By – David Bruce
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
13    Drag The Goat    5:13
14    Bury The Hatchet    5:35
15    Move The Earth    9:31
16    Wake The Dead    3:04
17    Briel 3:57
Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – John Zorn
Ney – Siamak Jahangiry
Oud, Guimbri [Gimbri], Castanets [Qarqaba] – Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz
Percussion – Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Vocals, Sheng – Wu Tong

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Sing Me Home (2016) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The potential buyer encountering this release by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble is apt to form several mistaken impressions of its contents. From the track list and accompanying description you will learn that it is "the companion album to the Morgan Neville documentary The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble." And the long list of "featured" artists suggests the type of lazy, all-star album famous artists tend to phone in during the later stages of their careers. Neither of these impressions corresponds with the considerable riches here. The music is entirely effective independently of the little-publicized film. And, more importantly, the real "featured artists" here are not the named stars (who skew toward younger members of the new acoustic scene like bluegrasser Sarah Jarosz), but the members of the Silkroad Ensemble themselves. The structure of the album, as with so many of the creations of these remarkable artists, is unique. The Silkroad members, and a few visitors, select music of personal significance to them, many of them related in a general way to the theme of home. Then, a guest musician with skills appropriate to the music was added. With a range of source material running from Heart and Soul to Mali to the Balkans to East Asia, the resulting fusions are never less than interesting and are often marvelous. Sample the much-recorded St. James Infirmary Blues (track 11) in its unique realization here with accordionist Michael Ward Bergeman (one of the guest Silkroaders), Chinese yangqin player Reylon Yount, and the wonderful blues-country vocalist Rhiannon Giddens, a border crosser herself. The album gives insights into the histories of the Silkroad players, and indeed into the musical and personal depth that has made this ensemble one for the ages, and its leader a true musical exemplar of our time. by James Manheim  
Tracklist:
1    Green (Vincent's Tune)
Arranged By – Johnny Gandelsman, Ljova
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Flower Pot] – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Vocals – Roomful Of Teeth
Gong [Beijing Opera, Wind] – Haruka Fujii
Kamancha [Kamancheh, Shah-Kaman] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng, Suona, Flute [Bawu], Vocals – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Wu Man
2    O'Neill's Cavalry March
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Fiddle [Irish] – Martin Hayes
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Irish
3    Little Birdie
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Sarah Jarosz
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional American
4    Ichichila
Arranged By – Shane Shanahan
Bass – Shawn Conley
Caixa, Rattle, Scraper – Mark Suter
Calabash, Caxixi, Rattle, Scraper – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Balafon – Balla Kouyate
Featuring, Kora – Toumani Diabaté
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shaker – Haruka Fujii
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional Malian
5    Sadila Jana
Arranged By [Instrumental] – Kyle Sanna
Arranged By [Vocal] – Sarah Small
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Black Sea Hotel
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Macedonian
6    Shingashi Song
Arranged By – Haruka Fujii
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Bells, Cymbal [Chinese], Shaker, Congas, Drum [Shime-Daiko], Cymbal [Chappa] – Haruka Fujii
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Crotales, Bongos, Tom Tom – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Taiko – Kaoru Watanabe
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Japanese
7    Madhoushi
Cello – Mike Block
Featuring, Sitar, Vocals, Arranged By – Shujaat Khan
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Ustad Vilayat Khan
8    Wedding
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Eric Jacobsen
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Drum [Arabic Rig, Turkish Tef], Percussion [Darbuka], Davul, Drum [Frame] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Dima Orsho
Percussion [Darbuka] – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Jessie Montgomery
Vocals – Wu Tong
Written-By – Kinan Azmeh
9    Going Home
Arranged By – Jeremy Kittel
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Cello, Banjo, Vocals – Abigail Washburn
Lyrics By – William Arms Fisher
Music By – Antonín Dvořák
Sheng, Vocals – Wu Tong
Translated By – Keith Lipson
Translated By [With] – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
10    Cabaliño
Arranged By – Evan Ziporyn
Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Doira] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Accordion – Roberto Camesaña
Featuring, Hurdy Gurdy [Zanfona], Arranged By – Anxo Pintos
Featuring, Tambourine – Davíde Salvado
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Written-By – Traditional Galician
11    St. James Infirmary Blues
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Accordion, Arranged By – Michael Ward-Bergeman
Featuring, Vocals – Rhiannon Giddens
Featuring, Yangqin – Reylon Yount
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi [Shakulute] – Kojiro Umezaki
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional American
12    If You Shall Return...
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum – Shane Shanahan
Cymbal – Haruka Fujii
Featuring, Guitar – Bill Frisell
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Vibraphone – Joseph Gramley
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Hu Jianbing, Kojiro Umezaki, Sandeep Das
13    Heart And Soul
Arranged By – Rob Mathes
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Cymbal, Tambourine – Joseph Gramley
Drum [Rig], Snare – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Gregory Porter, Lisa Fischer
Piano – Cristina Pato
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael