Europick
Fresh Concepts in European Folk Music
Radim Zenkl & Leo Chern
Ventana, VEN-3401, 1999
Produced by Radim Zenkl
1. Slovak Dance-
2. Coronet
-
3. Kyvalka
-
4. We Are Not
Married Yet
-
5. Morning Dew
Is Falling
-
6. Meeting of the
Brigands
-
7. Russian Dance
-
8. I Had a Dream
-
9. Armenian Dance
-
10. Rodriguez
-
11. Mountain Man
-
12. Indian Summer
Radim Zenkl - mandolin, nylon string mandolin, pennywhistle,
low whistle, flute, fujara,lead and harmony vocal
Leo Chern - keyboards, bass, harmony vocal
Special guests:
Andrew Higgins - bass
Vince Littleton - drums, percussion
Adam Weissman - drums
Liner notes:
Radim Zenkl
Originally from the communist Czechoslovakia,
Zenkl defected to the USA in 1989 for political freedom and to be closer
to his musical influences. Two years later he was invited to perform for
the newly elected president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel. The following
year Zenkl won the US Mandolin Championship. He has performed with the
David Grisman Quintet, Jerry Garcia, Sam Bush, David Lindley, Dan Hicks,
Peter Rowan, Tim O’Brien, John McCutcheon, Mike Marshall, Chris Thile,
Michael Manring and the Zen Tricksters, has shared the stage with Bela
Fleck and the Flecktones, Tuck & Patti and the Preservation Hall Jazz
Band, and has recorded with Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas and Rob Wasserman,
among others.
Presently, Zenkl is at the cutting edge of mandolin's future, designing new instruments of the mandolin family and creating new playing techniques, such as his own 'Zenkl' style, which allows him to sound like two instruments simultaneously. He has recorded five successful solo recordings (released on David Grisman’s ‘Acoustic Disc’, ‘Shanachie’ and ‘Ventana’) and appeared on more than fifty others as a studio musician. Zenkl's worldwide performing and teaching credentials include guest appearances at prestigious music institutions such as the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Besides the mandolin, Zenkl also plays a variety of ethnic flutes from many countries around the globe. His home page is at: www.zenkl.com
Leo Chern
Chern, also a native of the Czech Republic,
founded the folk/rock band Odpich, which won the Czech National Band Contest
for three consecutive years (1993-1995). Chern composed sound tracks for
the Polish/British movie “Workers” (1994), the Austrian film “Lake” (1995),
and was invited to join the exclusive World Association of Music Composers
based in Washington, D.C. In the Spring of 1998, Chern moved to the United
States.
Currently, besides performing with Zenkl, he plays in a duo with the Grammy nominated gospel singer Julienne Johnson, and collaborates with the Portland Community College in Oregon as a guest lecturer and a music director of the theatre program. Chern is also the accompanist of the PCC choir with whom he annually performs a number of benefit concerts.
Radim Zenkl & Leo Chern
Zenkl and Chern share common roots, both with
origins in the city of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Though they never
met in their home country, their musical and cultural connection is natural.
Their shared musical interests includes a variety of genres, spanning from
traditional folk to contemporary styles. “Europick”, their first
collaborative CD released in 2009, features fresh concepts in traditional
music from around Europe.
