Jake Blount Transforms Old Tradition for ‘The New Faith’
Jake Blount reworks traditional spirituals for a future setting on The New Faith and wonders what black music will sound like after climate change.
smithsonian folkways
Sunny Jain’s Impressive ‘Wild Wild East’ Is a Compelling Call for Human Rights
Brooklyn bhangra heavyweight Sunny Jain draws on jazz, rock, and folk in a new, anti-xenophobia album Wild Wild East.
Alhaji Bai Konte, Dembo Konte, and Ma Lamini Jobate Perform ‘Gambian Griot Kora Duets’
Over 40 years after its original release, Gambian Griot Kora Duets remains blissfully exciting. It's available on vinyl this Friday.
Lord Invader and His Calypso Group Go On ‘Calypso Travels’
Classic calypso from Lord Invader brings us incisive historical commentary with a new reissue of 1960's Calypso Travels.
Exploring Tuareg Music of the Southern Sahara
A vinyl reissue of Tuareg Music of the Southern Sahara sheds light on the folk origins of today's thriving Saharan rock scene.
Sound Portraits from Bulgaria: A Journey to a Vanished World, 1966-1979
Smithsonian Folkways chronicles 50 years of folk recordings on Sound Portraits from Bulgaria. It is a truly essential addition to any global folk collection.
Various Artists: Jazz Fest: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Not just for those who've been to Jazz Fest, this collection offers a distillation of the diverse, whimsical, resolute, occasionally profane, and always heartfelt spirit of New Orleans.
Smithsonian Folkways Presents ‘The Social Power of Music’
Curated by Smithsonian Folkways, The Social Power of Music is a dynamic and rich exploration of music's ability to connect and disrupt political, social, and cultural impasses.
Newport Folk Fest: Kaia Kater and Museum Stage Open Mic
Smithsonian Folkways' new artist Kaia Kater made a big splash while I witnessed many artists come together during open mic.
‘Longing for the Past’: When the Voices of the Dead Finally Reach Us
While listening to "The Dance and Song of Laos" (1906) a haunting voice, both enticing and archaic, mingles with the crepitating noise of the antique shellac.