RITUAL was founded in Bydgoszcz in 2013 under the name Ritual Duo. From 2015, he plays under the name RITUAL ART ORCHESTRA (R-A-O). The current composition of the band is a trio: Steve Kindler, Bogusław Raatz, Daniel Mackiewicz. They cooperated with: Michael Ogorodov, Eurasia Srzednicka and Sławomir Ciesielski. RITUAL released the album KOLORY recorded together with Eurasia Srzednicka (vocal) and drummer Sławomir Ciesielski from the REPUBLIKA band. R-A-O musicians use a variety of musical instruments, from classical to ethnic ones without giving up modern electronic sounds.
Current composition of RITUAL ART ORCHESTRA (R-A-O) tour 2018:
Steve Kindler (USA) - electric violin (9-string), programming
Daniel Mackiewicz (PL) - percussion instruments, shruti box
Steven Kindler is a widely recognized violinist in the world who was the precursor of playing the multi-string electric violin. He began his career at the age of 10 by playing with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. He
collaborated with, among others, John McLaughlin at the Mahavishnu
Orchestra, Jean Luc Ponty, Jan Hammer, Jeff Beck, Maxim and Dmitry
Shostokovitch, YoYoMa, Schlomo Mintz, Zakir Husain, Kitaro and many
others. In Poland, in addition to R-A-O, he collaborates with Józef Skrzek and Mirosław Muzykant.
Bogusław Raatz co-founder of the band QUESTION MARK, WARM TRIO and RITUAL. Together, he gave concerts with J. Skrzek S. Kindler, J. Skolias, A. Przybielski and others. Together with Grant Calvin Weston, he creates the WARM TRIO band. He collaborates with artists Mirosław Rogala and Łukasz Wodyński. He plays acoustic and electric guitars as well as stringed ethnic instruments such as: oud, saz, balalaika, sitar and tampura.
Daniel Mackiewicz established the jazz-rock group Jaskinia, in which Andrzej Przybielski and Janusz Zdunek also played. He collaborated with Tomasz Gwinciński with the Maestro Trytony band. Together
with Węcławek he co-created ephemeral compositions like
Prostata-Prostota, Osofskie Kwarki, Krasnoludki Zgieria and Smoki. Variete, who was invited to collaborate, recorded with him the album
"New" material. Currently, he also co-creates the Cyclists team, he
composed music for the Polish Theater in Bydgoszcz and co-created the
bands: Jaskinia and Sing Sing Penelope).
ATMOSPHERE - CD (2018)
In
2018, R-A-O released the long-awaited ATMOSPHERE disc, the formation of
which was disrupted by the tragic death of Michael Ogorodov. After
the break in recording, the works were resumed and their effect is this
ATMOSPHERE album, the premiere of which was specified on April 13,
2018. The publishing house contains nine songs composed by Steve Kindler (5) and Bogusław Raatz (4). Mentioned
earlier, tragically deceased, Michael Ogorodov managed to record
soundtracks for two compositions, where one can hear, among others, his
characteristic vocals. The music on the ATMOSPHERE disc is carefully arranged original songs in a free way combining many genres of music. The
key role played by the sound of the album is played by Steve Kindler on
the 9-string electric violin, which for some time has become his basic
instrument and even a showcase. His
freedom to play the full-scale instrument (A, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb)
that is, from the double bass to the piccolo violin, gives a lot of
arranging and executive possibilities. He
does not avoid using distorted sounds, and his amazing instrument
sometimes sounds like a "pure" electric guitar or double bass. Steve Kindler is not only a violin, but programming as well, which has been used in some of the songs on the ATMOSPHERE disc. Additional tone is added by oud, saz, balalaika and fussion sitar sounds played by Bogusław Raatz. You can still hear a 12-string acoustic and electric guitar. Thanks to the use of a guitar synthesizer, some parts, usually assigned to keyboard instruments, are just made using a guitar. The rhythm section is mainly tabla, jam and darbuka. Daniel Mackiewicz also used many additional percussion instruments, which in this kind of music can not be overestimated. In one of the songs one can hear the throaty, overtone singing of Esza
Szerłąga, and in the final song, the guitar of Randy Raatz.
R-A-O ATMOSPHERE
1. Camel Walk 7:18
2. Breath of India 6:40
3. Teresa's Dance
for the Big Sur Natives 8:32
4. Rising Above 7:37
5. Mare's Milk 5:29
6. Shaman Séamas 9:08
7. Parting Ways (For Misha) 6:52
8. Atmosphere 11:48
9. Epilogue 3:18
compositions:
Steve Kindler 1,3,5,6,7
Bogusław Raatz, 2,4,8,9
musicians:
Steve Kindler - 9 string electric violin, programming