Kroke - Seventh Trip (2007)

They're nominally a klezmer band, but seven albums into their career, the emphasis these days is definitely on the nominal side. If you really have to categorize them, call them prog-klezmer. Think of them, too, as the Tomasz Kukurba show; there might be three members (although, curiously, four are pictured on the cover), but it's Kukurba who's the focus, playing eight main instruments and "all other instruments," as well as composing a lot of the music. He certainly loves his electric viola, using it a lot throughout the disc. All too often his instrument sounds more like a guitar than something bowed. But it's not a frantic style; instead it's more introspective and evocative, more Terje Rypdal than Jimi Hendrix. There's certainly plenty of beautiful music here, but even a traditional piece like "Canon" takes on prog overtones, while lengthier tunes like "River of Shadows" and the title cut are like small journeys, going through several changes over the course of eight minutes each. In many ways, the fact that it's hard to classify helps this record, as it's likely to find more sympathetic ears among rock fans than klezmer devotees. -- Chris Nickson