From the Mississippi Records Bandcamp site: ““Aman Aman” cry the singers on these recordings, their voices preserved on 78rpm discs cut between 1911-1935. The phrase roughly translates to “mercy,” a call of despair, but also one of joy and admiration. On many of these sides, that full range of emotion Continue Reading
Traditional Music
Mari Kalkun – Ilmamõtsan
Attached are three mini-reviews for one of Estonia’s finest mixes of traditional and alternative music: “”Kalkun’s singing is at the heart of things; joyous and lamenting by turns, but always poised and melodious, her poeticism apparent even without translation. A magical creation.” – The Guardian “Gorgeously intimate record. There’s nothing Continue Reading
Various Artists – Canary Records: I’m Not Going: A Macedonian Band from Lorain, Ohio ca. 1954
Canary Records provides yet another stunning archive album, this time from the Macedonian community in Ohio. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Bob Nicoloff’s Macedonian band remained active for at least 20 years, playing for dances organized by the Macedonian Patriotic Organization, weddings, and restaurants. Like the two other mid-Western Macedonian Continue Reading
Conal Ó Gráda – Anú Abú
A happy St. Patrick’s Day to my friends and readers. I won’t post any cheesy folk-rock to spare your ears. Instead, I offer some proper traditional music from the Emerald Isle courtesy of a fine flautist, Conal Ó Gráda.
Áššu – Luoteniegut
Sadly, our dear friends at Nordic Notes are not offering downloads through Bandcamp, which is understandable as there is something nice about holding a CD or a piece of vinyl in your hands, but you can hear this magnificent recording of Sami music over at Apple Music. From the press Continue Reading
Chiyomi Yamada – Gilyak Songs
From Chiyomi Yamada’s Bandcamp site: “Piano songs by the Japanese composer Akira Ifukube (1914–2006), interpreted by , voice, and Reiko Yamada, piano. Ifukube, who also composed the theme song of “Godzilla”, wrote these magical pieces based on traditional songs from native tribes of northern Japan. The sound and style of Continue Reading
Heritage Bagpipes – The Angel Gabriel
As we celebrate (at least on the Western Calendar) the birth of Jesus, the Christ, I leave you this evening with a traditional tune once performed by Sting under another name (Gabriel’s Message), this time played on bagpipes by staff at Heritage Bapipes.
Petar Vujačić – Made in Ovtočić: Songs from Montenegro
Amazing. The ever excellent Antonovka Records are now producing music outside of the former USSR. We have a description of the recordings below, courtesy of the label’s Bandcamp site: “Gusle (not to be confused with Russian gusli) is a Balkan (mainly Montenegrin and Serbian) bowed instrument. There is only one Continue Reading
Tomáš Kočko Orchestr – Ona
The Tomáš Kočko Orchestr are one of the great musical treasures of my new home city of Brno. They band mixes true Moravian folk music, including some melodies with pre-Christian roots (so, at least a millennium of music here), world music and even touches of metal to great effect. The Continue Reading
Saucejas – Dabā
Our dear friends at CPL-Music have done it again! This 60-track album by Saucejas is an ethnographer’s dream if you’re into Latvian music, and there is an organic feeling to this album. Nothing too terribly processed, nothing added that didn’t need to be there. The album is appropriately titled, as Continue Reading