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Explore the city that is the center of Basque culture in this musical tribute from native-son Kepa Junkera. Bilbao 00:00h paints the city of Junkera's youth first with bold, vivid strokes, then with the delicate shadings of nostalgia for times past. Yet this is not an album steeped in sentimentality. An all-star cast of international musicians join Junkera to present a contemporary vision of Basque music that is as fresh and vibrant as the city of Bilbao itself.
Kepa Junkera was born in Bilbao, a beautiful city in northern Spain on the Bay of Biscay, in 1965. A self-taught musician, Junkera has developed his own, unique style of playing the Basque diatonic accordion (trikitixa). He is a talented composer as well as musician, writing music for radio and television as well as theme pieces for his city's celebrations. He has performed with many important figures in the current Spanish and international folk scene, both on the road and in the recording studio. Bilbao 00:00h, an album of unusual scope and vision, is the result of Junkera's many travels, festivals and collaborations. Featuring mostly his own compositions, it demonstrates Junkera's conviction that music is all about meeting people and mixing different elements. From the jaunty rhythms and eclectic instrumentation of "Fali-Faly," (featuring the talents of Béla Fleck, Carlos Núñez, and Phil Cunningham) to the gentle expressiveness of "Del Hierro a Madagascar," this is an album that stretches beyond boundaries. Junkera's extraordinary performance on the trikitixa ties this diverse musical offering together, creating an exciting synthesis of sound. Bilbao 00:00 h is a reflection of the past and vision of the future: traditional Basque melodies, rhythms, and instruments combine with Celtic tunes and world music sounds from many other continents in this ground-breaking recording.
This beautiful double-CD set highlights Junkera's wonderfully expressive use of his accordion, yet Bilbao 00:00 h is truly a collaborative effort which includes the contributions of Alasdair Fraser, Béla Fleck, Carlos Núñez, Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains), Dulce Pontes, Hedningarna, Phil Cunningham, Ibon Koteron, Sebastián Rubio and Faín Dueñas (Radio Tarifa), Jaime Muñoz and Carlos Beceiro (La Musgaña), Benito Lertxundi, Javier Paxariño, Justin Vali, La Bottine Souriante, Liam O'Flynn, Luis Delgado, Máirtín O'Connor, Oskorri, Pedro Estevan, Pedro Guerra, Tomás San Miguel, and Xosé Manuel Budiño. |
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