# Kroke

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**Kroke** is a Polish [instrumental ensemble](/source/Instrumental_ensemble) of [world music](/source/World_music). The band's name refers to the [Yiddish language](/source/Yiddish_language) name for [Kraków](/source/Krak%C3%B3w) (קראקע, *kroke*).

The band was founded in 1992 by three friends and graduates of the [Academy of Music in Kraków](/source/Academy_of_Music_in_Krak%C3%B3w). Initially, they were associated with [klezmer music](/source/Klezmer_music) with strong Balkan influences. Currently, their work draws inspiration from a variety of ethnic music and sounds of the [Orient](/source/Orient) (especially on the album Seventh Trip), combining these with jazz to create their own distinctive style.

In addition to their own projects, Kroke have recorded albums with artists such as [Nigel Kennedy](/source/Nigel_Kennedy), [Edyta Geppert](/source/Edyta_Geppert), and [Urna](/source/Urna_(singer)).

One of their songs, "The Secret of the Life Tree", features on the soundtrack of [David Lynch](/source/David_Lynch)'s 2006 film *[Inland Empire](/source/Inland_Empire_(film))*.

## History

The first official release from KROKE was the 1993 cassette “Klezmer Acoustic Music”. During a promotional concert for the album, the band met [Steven Spielberg](/source/Steven_Spielberg), who invited them to perform at the “Survivors Reunion” concert in [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem), [Israel](/source/Israel) and during the Polish premier of the film *[Schindler’s List](/source/Schindler%E2%80%99s_List)*.

In 1996, the band signed with the German record label [Oriente Musik](/source/Oriente_Musik). The first album of material, released the same year, through this collaboration was *Trio*.

Upon the invitation of [Peter Gabriel](/source/Peter_Gabriel), KROKE made their first appearance at the [WOMAD](/source/WOMAD) festival in July 1997. As a result, joint recording sessions at [Real World Studios](/source/Real_World_Studios) with other musicians led to material from the band being subsequently used by Peter Gabriel on his album *[Long Walk Home](/source/Long_Walk_Home)*- music from the *[Rabbit-Proof Fence](/source/Rabbit-Proof_Fence_(film))*, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the same year, KROKE released their second full-length album – *Eden*.

The following years saw the band constantly touring, during which time they participated in such music festivals as: Umea Folk Music Festival (Sweden); City of London Festival (UK); Førde Folk Music Festival (Norway); North Sea Jazz Festival (the Netherlands) as well as many others. During this time, the albums *Live at the Pit* (1998 – nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award -[Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik](/source/Preis_der_Deutschen_Schallplattenkritik) in 1999) and *The Sounds of the Vanishing Wold* (1999 – winner of the German Record Critics’ Award in 2000) were released.

In 2001, KROKE began collaborating with [Nigel Kennedy](/source/Nigel_Kennedy), the result of which was the album *[East Meets East](/source/East_Meets_East)*, released in 2003. During the same year, the band released *Ten Pieces to Save the World* as a trio. This album went on to rank number two in the [World Music Charts Europe](/source/World_Music_Charts_Europe).

Along with Nigel Kennedy, the band once again performed at the WOMAD festival in 2004. The same year, KROKE received a nomination in the World Music category from [BBC Radio 3](/source/BBC_Radio_3) for the album *Quartet – Live at Home* (with Tomasz Grochot on drums, who went on to tour with the band over the next few years) as well as working with [Edyta Geppert](/source/Edyta_Geppert), which would later bring about the joint release *Śpiewam życie* (2006). At the same time, a project was begun with the [Sinfonia Baltica](/source/Polska_Filharmonia_Sinfonia_Baltica_w_S%C5%82upsku) orchestra, entitled “KROKE – symfonicznie”, conducted and arranged by [Bohdan Jarmołowicz](/source/Bohdan_Jarmo%C5%82owicz).

In 2006, KROKE's song “The Secret of the Life Tree” appeared on the soundtrack to [David Lynch](/source/David_Lynch)'s film *[Inland Empire](/source/Inland_Empire_(film))*.

Another original album entitled *Seventh Trip* was released in 2007.

2008 was filled with concerts in Poland and throughout Europe as well as work on an "intimate project” arranged by [Krzysztof Herdzin](/source/Krzysztof_Herdzin), which premiered in Spain with the [Sinfonica de Burgos](/source/Sinfonica_de_Burgos) orchestra conducted by Javier Castro. Performances of this project played in Kraków and St. Petersburg in Russia with the accompaniment of [Sinfonietta Cracovia](/source/Sinfonietta_Cracovia) conducted by [Robert Kabara](/source/Robert_Kabara).

Released in 2009, the album *Out of Sight* was a kind of return to roots for the band. The musicians returned to working as a trio and their concerts took on a more intimate nature.

In 2010, they began work on a collection of Greek songs with [Maja Sikorowska](/source/Maja_Sikorowska) as well as performing concerts together with the Norwegian band [Tindra](/source/Tindra) and Spanish violinist [Diego Galaz](/source/Diego_Galaz). Other special events that year included the recording of music for the film *Streetcar Memories*, directed by [Łukasz Czuj](/source/%C5%81ukasz_Czuj) (the film played at the opening of the [Schindler Factory Museum](/source/Schindler_Factory_Museum) in Kraków), and participation in the [Kennedy's Polish Weekend](/source/Kennedy's_Polish_Weekend) at the Southbank Centre in London alongside Nigel Kennedy. In the same year, KROKE performed at the [Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival](/source/Schleswig-Holstein_Musik_Festival) in Germany and took part in the concert “Your Angel's Name is Liberty”, directed by [Robert Wilson](/source/Robert_Wilson_(director)), on occasion of the 30th anniversary of [Solidarity](/source/Solidarno%C5%9B%C4%87) in Gdańsk.

In January 2011, the collaboration album *Śpiewam Życie* with Edyta Geppert was certified “gold”. That same month, KROKE along with Maja Sikorowska completed work on the album *Avra*, which contains 12 Greek songs. This project also involved guest percussionist [Sławomir Berny](/source/S%C5%82awomir_Berny).

In the same year Kroke & Tindra released album *Live in Førde* - the recordings were made in the auditorium at Førdehuset on July 10, 2010 for [NRK](/source/NRK)'s radio P2.

### Group members

## Discography

### Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications POL [1] Klezmer Acoustic Music Released: 1993 Label: Self-released Formats: CS — Trio Klezmer Acoustic Music Released: 1995 Label: AMC Formats: CS — Trio Released: October 2, 1996[2] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[3] — Eden Released: September 19, 1997[4] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[5] — The Sounds of the Vanishing World Released: December 1, 1999[6] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[7] — Ten Pieces to Save the World Released: February 10, 2003[8] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[9] — Seventh Trip Released: May 7, 2007 Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[10] — Out of Sight Released: October 1, 2009[11] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[12] 22 POL: Gold[13] Feelharmony Released: October 9, 2012[14] Label: EMI Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download[15] — Ten Released: 2014 Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download — Cabaret of Death: Music for a Film Released: October 2015 Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download — Traveller Released: March 17, 2017[16] Label: Universal Music Group Formats: CD, digital download — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

### Live albums

Title Album details Live at the Pit Released: October 20, 1998[17] Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD Quartet: Live at Home Released: September 20, 2004 Label: Oriente Musik Formats: CD, digital download[18]

### Collaborative albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications POL [1] East Meets East (with Nigel Kennedy) Released: June 6, 2003 Label: EMI Music Poland Formats: CD, digital download[19] 6 POL: Gold[20] Śpiewam życie (with Edyta Geppert) Released: October 2, 2006[21] Label: Agencja Artystyczna Edyta/EMI Formats: CD, digital download[22] 11 POL: Gold[23] Avra (with Maja Sikorowska) Released: February 28, 2011[24] Label: EMI Music Poland Formats: CD 15 Live in Førde (with Tindra) Released: September 12, 2011[25] Label: Talik Formats: CD, digital download[26] — Ser (with Urna) Released: 2018[27] Label: Formats: CD, digital download[28] — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

## See also

- [Culture of Kraków](/source/Culture_of_Krak%C3%B3w)

## References

1. [[http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=774&lang=](http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=774&lang=) [http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=163&lang=](http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=163&lang=) [http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=343&lang=](http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=343&lang=) [http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=662&lang=](http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=662&lang=) "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart"]. *onyx.pl*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Amazon.com: Trio: Kroke: MP3 Downloads"](https://www.amazon.com/Trio-Kroke/dp/B004IH911A). *amazon.com*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Trio"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140116060706/https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/trio/id413862067). *iTunes*. Archived from [the original](https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/trio/id413862067) on January 16, 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Amazon.com: Eden: Kroke: MP3 Downloads"](https://www.amazon.com/Eden/dp/B004IH4296). *amazon.com*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Eden"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/eden/413858388). *iTunes*. 19 September 1997. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Kroke - The Sounds of the Vanishing World - Amazon.com Music"](https://www.amazon.com/The-Sounds-Vanishing-World-Kroke/dp/B0000541S0). *amazon.com*. 1999. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["The Sounds of the Vanishing World"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/the-sounds-of-the-vanishing-world/413861152). *iTunes*. 2 September 1998. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Amazon.com: ten pieces to save the world: Kroke: MP3 Downloads"](https://www.amazon.com/ten-pieces-save-world-Kroke/dp/B004IG2ATG). *amazon.com*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Ten Pieces To Save the World"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/ten-pieces-to-save-the-world/413860853). *iTunes*. 10 February 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Seventh Trip"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/seventh-trip/413860435). *iTunes*. 10 March 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. Grupa Wirtualna Polska. ["Out of Sight"](http://muzyka.wp.pl/rid,28680,title,Out-of-Sight,plyta.html). *muzyka.wp.pl*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Out of Sight"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/out-of-sight/413858986). *iTunes*. October 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum"](https://archive.today/20141111221401/http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2013). *zpav.pl*. Archived from [the original](http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2013) on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Kroke - Feelharmony - Muzyka w Interia.pl"](http://muzyka.interia.pl/plyty/plyta/kroke-feelharmony,355879). *interia.pl*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Feelharmony"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/feelharmony/689331115). *iTunes*. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Kroke - Traveller"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170325023821/http://universalmusic.pl/katalog.id_8690). *universalmusic.pl*. Archived from [the original](http://universalmusic.pl/katalog.id_8690) on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.

1. ["Live at the Pit"](https://www.amazon.de/Live-at-Pit-Kroke/dp/B000027W73). *amazon.de*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Quartet - Live at Home"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/quartet-live-at-home/413859684). *iTunes*. 4 August 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["East meets East"](https://music.apple.com/us/album/east-meets-east/696690048). *iTunes*. 2 June 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213551/http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2004#title). *zpav.pl*. Archived from [the original](http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2004#title) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Płyta Edyta Geppert i Kroke - "Śpiewam życie" - Onet Muzyka"](http://muzyka.onet.pl/plyty/katalog/edyta-geppert-i-kroke-spiewam-zycie,104941,plyta.html). *onet.pl*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Spiewam Życie (I Sing Life)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140115094124/https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/spiewam-zycie-i-sing-life/id268256744). *iTunes*. 30 August 2007. Archived from [the original](https://itunes.apple.com/pl/album/spiewam-zycie-i-sing-life/id268256744) on January 15, 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum"](https://archive.today/20140921153722/http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2010%23title#title). *zpav.pl*. Archived from [the original](http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/wyroznienia/zloteplyty/cd/archiwum.php?year=2010#title) on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Maja Sikorowska & Kroke - Avra - Muzyka w Interia.pl"](http://muzyka.interia.pl/plyty/plyta/maja-sikorowska--kroke-avra,296146). *interia.pl*. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Album Search for "live in forde""](http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/live-in-forde-mr0003424670). *[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)*

1. ["Live in Førde"](https://music.apple.com/pl/album/live-in-f-rde/434488406). *iTunes*. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

1. ["Urna and Kroke, a Well-Designed Collaboration | World Music Central"](https://worldmusiccentral.org/2019/01/18/urna-and-kroke-an-well-designed-collaboration/). 18 January 2019.

1. ["Ser"](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KWHXVY7/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp). *Amazon*. Retrieved 27 August 2020.

## External links

- [Official website](https://kroke.pl)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kroke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroke) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroke?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.