The Resian Folk Group – Resia Valley: String​-​Band Music from Eastern Alpine Italian Villages ca. 1978

The Resian Folk Group were from the Resia Valley in the Italian Alps.  What sets them apart from their countrymen are their folk traditions and language, which seem to have a strong Slovene influence.  Canary Records does their usual outstanding job remastering this collection.   It sounds absolutely gorgeous considering the Continue Reading

Various Artists – Canary Records: Hellenic Hinterlands: Independent Greek-American 78rpm Discs from Baltimore, Boston, and Cleveland ca. 1953-57

From the Canary Records Bandcamp site: “When middle-class Americans in the 1950s found that they could get access to a tape recorder and a microphone, it then became possible for them to make recordings that they could pay to have pressed into discs. One didn’t need to go to dedicated Continue Reading

Various Artists – Magnificent Sounds Records: A Chant About the Beauty of the Moon at Night: Hawaiian Steel Guitar Masters 1913-1921

Magnificent Sounds Records is a record label out of Buffalo, New York, and they specialize in rare archival recordings and remastering music from a century ago in a lot of cases.  From this magnificent compilation of Hawaiian music, you can read the promo quote on the label’s Bandcamp site. “A Continue Reading

Various Artists – Thum Nyatiti: Recordings from Western Kenya, 1930​-​1970

This is another stunning collection from Dagoretti Records out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The collection features music from the 1930s until the 1970s with clearly remastered sound.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Nyatiti music’s infectious and hypnotic sounds are unforgettable. The driving beat of the nyatiti rings of far off Continue Reading

Jack Mayesh – You Carry My Hope: Judeo​-​Spanish Songs in Los Angeles, Sept. 1942 – Feb. 1943

Canary Records is at it again.  As a Los Angelino, I have to say I didn’t know there was much of a Judeo-Spanish community here, though it does make sense, as many Spanish and Mexican families may very well have Sephardic roots hidden from the Catholic majority.  The recordings are Continue Reading

George Macreyannes (Nesereos) – Blue Series | Mar 21

George Macreyannes (Γιώργος Μακρυγιάννης) was a violinist active during the early part of the 20th century.  Some of these archival recordings are nearing 100 years old, so it is quite nice to get a glimpse of music that has such a remarkable history.  Respect to 1tracktape for a job well Continue Reading

Various Artists – Let’s Stamp: 1950s Folk Dance Recordings from Bulgarian and Yugoslavian 78rpm Discs

The ever-reliable Canary Records out of Baltimore, Maryland, have released a compilation of Balkan 78 rpm shellacs with a lot of the artists being unidentified, but whose music is most assuredly from my home away from home.

Various Artists – Canary Records: Let’s Add Raki to Wine: Women in Istanbul ca. 1931​-​46

Canary Records are the kings of shellac-era reissues, and this is one of their most fabulous.  It’s a collection of female singers who were active in Turkey’s cultural capital, and Ian Nagoski, musicologist and venerable head of the company, has made these recordings sound as clear as possible, despite being Continue Reading