“The eminent guitarist Bill Frisell improvises in smoky ringlets of melody, drawing the influence of classic jazz guitar into a palette based on early American folk music. He has been a noted bandleader since the 1980s, but has never released an album for Blue Note Records, jazz’s most illustrious label. That will change with “Harmony,” … Continue reading Bill Frisell’s Harmony
Mandolin Orange is an Americana duo based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group was formed in 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and consists of the group's songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar). Mandolin Orange has produced five albums of Marlin's original works. Their music draws … Continue reading Mandolin Orange : always firmly grounded in the South
Mark Fosson is an American singer-songwriter and American Primitive guitarist who grew up in Kentucky, where he began writing songs while he was still in his early teens. In the late 1970s he sent a demo tape to John Fahey's West Coast-based Takoma Records. Fahey, impressed with what he heard, offered Fosson a recording deal. … Continue reading Mark Fosson : “best demo tape I’ve heard since Kottke” ~ John Fahey
No wonder they all fall for him! He's just a red hot papa in a class by himself and it takes a cop or two to hold the mamas back when he struts down the avenue. Papa Charlie sure knows how to sing this kind of Blues. Papa Charlie Jackson (November 10, 1887 – May … Continue reading William Henry “Papa Charlie” Jackson
Beth Harrington celebrates the Carter and Cash family and its enduring contributions to country, folk and roots music in “The Winding Stream,” an impressively researched and deftly crafted feature that doubtless will find an appreciative audience through exposure in home-screen platforms. Clearly a long-gestating labor of love, “The Winding Stream” boasts among its highlights a … Continue reading The Winding Stream: deftly crafted documentary celebrates the Carter and Cash families
Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician from Minnesota. He was born in Austin, Minnesota and spent part of his childhood in Hollandale. He started his music career in Duluth, Minnesota. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, and Mississippi John Hurt. He plays a custom made Mule … Continue reading Charlie Parr : Extraordinary Performer
Sixty-five years ago this year an event occcured which changed the course of American music. A unassuming man, unknown, with no professional expertise other than his devotion to old 78s of American vernacular music, released to the public the Anthology of American Folk Music. “Had he never done anything with his life but this Anthology, … Continue reading Harry Smith and the Anthology of American Folk Music
Eilen Jewell is an American singer-songwriter from Boise, Idaho. "I always felt like I wanted to leave," Jewell says. "And I remember when I learned the word 'wanderlust,' I felt like I finally had a word to describe myself." Jewell attended college in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she began busking on the streets of Sante … Continue reading Eilen Jewell : Soulful, Understated Narratives
The Steel Wheels are a roots and Americana band, writing and playing music in the closely related but unique styles of blues, bluegrass, old-time music, and fiddle music. Virginia musician Trent Wagler is the lead vocalist and the band's primary songwriter. Jay Lapp (mandolin, guitar, vocals) had been touring in several bands throughout the Midwest … Continue reading The Steel Wheels : Wild As We Came Here
American Roots Music, is what I am calling what the three artists make whom I will highlight today. I took the classification from American Roots Music, a 2001 multi-part documentary film that explores the historical roots of American Roots music which, in the PBS film, includes Folk, Country, Blues, Gospel, and Bluegrass. Common elements are … Continue reading American Roots Music : Three Bands/Artists
Musica Kaleidoskopea 