The title of classical violinist
Nigel Kennedy's album of original compositions
The Four Elements may recall his recording of
Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, but the sound of the disc is much closer to another of
Kennedy's previous recordings,
The Kennedy Experience, in which he presented his variations on the music of
Jimi Hendrix. The four elements are, of course, earth, air, fire, and water, but before he gets to them,
Kennedy begins with an "Overture" the theme of which owes something to
Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun" and also has something of the fusion jazz sound of
the Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Air" probably wouldn't have been possible without a familiarity with
Hendrix's "Angel." And, of course, "Fire" borrows something from
Hendrix's song of the same name.
Kennedy accentuates the similarity by playing an effects-laden violin that often sounds like an electric guitar, notably on the progressive rock of "Earth." "Water" and the "Finale" subside into near-ambience, and
Kennedy ends the album with the comic "Encore (It's Plucking Elemental)," on which his cockney singing seems intent on bringing
Ian Dury back to life. If none of this sounds like classical music, it isn't.
Kennedy has always been a genre-defying maverick, and on
The Four Elements he is staking his claim to move into some of the more esoteric areas of rock and jazz, even if he is doing so with a distinct sense of humor. ~ William Ruhlmann
