Krakauer, a category-defying instrumentalist, uses his cultural heritage as a powerful inspiration for his music, informing and enabling his stylistically compelling projects. His is a singular vision, encompassing the diverse worlds of classical, klezmer, avant jazz, funk and electronica.
For the past 25 years Krakauer has been on a musical journey tracing his Eastern European roots. This voyage has found him revisiting his ancestral homeland, from where his Russian/Polish grandparents and great-grandparents immigrated at the end of the 19th century. Traveling east through Berlin before the Wall came down, the checkpoint experiences became momentous creative touchstones for Krakauer.
Like a travel guide on a literal and metaphorical search, on Checkpoint" he bears witness to the deep, joyous, human encounters he experienced. With his long-time band members of Ancestral Groove, he reveals the next step in his musical evolution sharing with us all stories about the human condition.
Ancestral Groove, with Sheryl Bailey on electric guitar, Jerome Harris on electric bass, Michael Sarin on drums/percussion, and Keepalive on electronics, creates a bridge between Krakauer s singular take on jazz and world music, and guides us to another musical adventure. His three special guests on the CD Rob Curto, John Medeski and Marc Ribot add their own signatures to the mix.
