Folk & Traditional / All styles

This DVD documentary chronicles the amazing life in music of legendary record collector, Joe Bussard (founder of Fonotone Records). Blues. Gospel. Jazz. Hillbilly. The late 1920s was the big bang of the music industry. King of record collectors Joe Bussard tells the story of "America's real music" with passionate enthusiasm in his own inimitable style. The film has an outstanding soundtrack featuring artists Charley Patton, Son House, The Carter Family, Uncle Dave Macon, Blind Willie McTell and …

By trade Sir Richard Bishop is a dealer of rare occult books and fine paper ephemera. For many in the musical cosmos, he has occasion to travel the smoke filled carnie circuit as 1/3 of the Sun City Girls medicine show. But in the twilight hours of a shadow world sensed only by few, Bishop is a dazzling unaccompanied guitarist. On Improvika, Bishop rides a very tall horse through a surrealist's cowboy set that's 1 part bruit Peckinpah muscularity & 2 parts illuminated Jodorowskian symbolism. A v…

Mellow disc of tripped-out experimental acoustic-instrument pieces from composer/instrument designer William Eaton, reissuing a self-released 1978 lp of said. there’s more than a twinge of Fahey/takoma-lineage steel-string wrangling herein, albeit augmented with a certain Partch/Hans Reichel-ish sensibility and unusual recording techniques... but it stays pretty damn “easy on the ears” throughout.. "When I started building instruments, playing guitar took on a whole new dimension. The process of…

An archival performance from 2000 by North Indian classical master Ustad Hafizullah Khan is the latest release on La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela's Just Dreams label. Those who purchased the recent Pandit Pran Nath set will find much to enjoy here. Hafizullah Khan, who passed away in 2002, was a virtuoso of the sarangi. The sarangi is India's premier fiddle instrument; to most western ears it probably most resembles the violin. It is comprised of a solid wood body, three main playing strings, …

After releases on Kraak and Imvated (or Bread and Animals, Dutch Beer, Cauliflower Dreams or whatever Lieven decides to call it) Ignatz put out this rand new release on Celebrate Psi Phenomenon. Dense clouds of chirping crickets and tangled birdsong are woven into thick sonic brambles, a swirling confusional knot of sound, a bit like Sunroof! occurring in nature, while underneath a strange melodic tapping drifts and a moaned vocal floats ominously. Pulsing bagpipe like guitars intertwine with ha…

The Master Musicians of Joujouka are often credited with being the first "world music" group. The Joujouka music for Boujeloud, or the Father of Skins, is frantic and has several movements which would equate to a symphony or the score of an opera if it were European classical music. The festival and ritual originate in the worship of the God Pan. In 1994, Frank Rynne began a two year long project recording the Master Musicians of Joujouka in their village. Sub Rosa released two CDs from these re…

Song album by Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir of múm, pieces for piano and voice written 2005-2017, produced by Kjartan Sveinsson and released in 2019 by Bel-Air Glamour Records with The Vinyl Factory.

Second volume of African Acid Is The Future's Ambiance series: live recordings from a 2018 AAITF party by Les Filles de Illighadad (Niger) and Edmony Krater (Guadeloupe), with remixes by Dauwd, Maryisonacid and DJ Oil.

First volume of African Acid Is The Future's Ambiance series: live Berlin recordings by Kenyan dodo singer Ogoya Nengo and Zimbabwean mbira player Stella Chiweshe, plus remixes by Dauwd and Wolfonacid.

a five stars masterpiece - continuing his jazz explorations, Buckley created the most 'out' album of his career. The 5/4 time signature title track is strikingly weird with haunted house pipe organ and two faster-paced numbers, the mellow contemplative love song 'I Had A Talk With My Woman' and the slightly funky blues-based 'Nobody Walkin',' are even fun. The band is Lee Underwood, John Balkin (bass, haunted house pipe organ on 'Lorca'), and Carter Collins (congas)

Music of the Hamar of southern Ethiopia, recorded between 1970 and 1976 by the ethnologist Ivo Strecker: musical bow, flute, lyre, dance and war songs, speech and ritual, with a 94-page book.

Soundwalk through a Santal village near Santiniketan, West Bengal, from morning to night, with songs, dances and daily life. Recorded in November 1994 by Peter Pannke and Andres Bosshard.

Carimbó dance music from Pará, Brazil, by Verequete (Augusto Gomes Rodrigues) and Grupo Uirapuru, recorded live in the studio in Belém on 29 and 30 January 2000.

Tài tử music from southern Vietnam played by Vũy Chỗ, Ba Tu, Phạm Văn Môn and Đoạn Văn Dũng on zithers, lutes, guitar, flute and violin, recorded on 26 May 1999 at Sender Freies Berlin.

Tunisian singer and oud player Lotfi Bouchnak in concert in Berlin on 18 April 1998, with classical Arabic songs and a few popular titles.

Hindustani bansuri music by Steve Gorn, with Samir Chatterjee (tabla) and Annalisa Adami (tanpura), in memory of his teacher Gour Goswami. Recorded on 24 March 1996 at Sender Freies Berlin.

Tarabu songs by Malika (Asha Abdo), the Swahili singer from the Kenyan coast, with dharabouka, organ and bass guitar. Ten songs, issued by Wergo with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt.

The nadhaswaram master Sheik Chinna Moulana with S. Kasim and S. Babu (nadhaswaram) and S. Subramanian (thavil), in four Carnatic pieces including a long alap in raga Subha Pantuvarali.

Michael Vetter's improvised overtone songs with tambura, Gesänge der Nacht I and II, recorded on 12 and 13 September 1987 in the Cistercian abbey of Le Thoronet.

Peter Pannke's piece for four tamburas in unusual tunings, played in a circle by Mechthild Kampik, Tina Rusvay, Werner Durand and Pannke. Recorded at Radio Bremen in 1982, in two parts.

Michael Vetter's solo koto improvisations, recorded live without edits at Tonstudio van Geest, Heidelberg/Sandhausen, on 24 March 1985.

Four-CD box of Pentangle reunion recordings: previously unreleased BBC sessions 1982-2011, two Italian concerts from December 1982, and the 2008 live double album Finale. With a 28-page booklet.

The 1972 final album by the original Pentangle, newly mastered, with a BBC Radio 1 session, film music for On Any Day and Christian the Lion, and recordings from the band's last tour in 1972. 2CD on Cherry Tree, 2025.

Dine Doneff's Balkan-jazz folk opera on the abandoned village of Rousilvo (Xanthogeia) in northern Greece, mixing an ensemble, the Camea Quartet and archive voices. Recorded April 2004 at Agrotikon, Thessaloniki; neRED/1.

The Danish String Quartet (Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Asbjørn Nørgaard, Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin) in their own arrangements of folk tunes from around the North Sea, with pieces by O'Carolan and new tunes by members. Recorded November 2022 at The Village Recording, Copenhagen.

Danish String Quartet (Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Asbjørn Nørgaard, Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin) in their own arrangements of Nordic and Shetland folk tunes, dances and hymns, plus new pieces. Recorded January 2017 at the Kirsten Kjær Museum, Frøstrup.

The debut of ignatz is still fresh in your memory, and he's already there with the follow up. On ignatz II, he continues his road through the Appalachians in the year 2050. Stunning rootsfolk, but played by a lost and unworldly creature. 'II' still has that familiar ignatz sound we love so much, with the difference that on one of the six tracks he doesn't use any effects. He even mumbles more clearly and explores his own musical world more thoroughly. If Lou Reed would have fertilized Cthulhu in…

Trio Mediaeval (Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Torunn Østrem Ossum) sing traditional Norwegian ballads, hymns and lullabies, with Birger Mistereggen on percussion and jew's harp. Recorded at Propstei St. Gerold in 2007.

Current 93's 2022 album, made over three years with Andrew Liles, Alasdair Roberts, Reinier van Houdt and Michael J. York: seven slow songs for piano, violin, guitars and electronics.

Guitar duo album by Ernesto Snajer (10-, 6- and 12-string guitars, charango) and Palle Windfeldt (6-string and western guitars), with Danish guests, recorded at Sound Lab Studio, Copenhagen, in 1998. Carmo, 1999.

Fifth ECM album by Greek singer Savina Yannatou with Primavera en Salonico and Tunisian singer Lamia Bedioui: traditional and early songs about water from the Mediterranean, the Arab world, Scotland and the US. Recorded at Sierra Studios, Athens, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Solo album by Norwegian singer and kantele player Sinikka Langeland: rune songs, folk hymns, dances and settings of Eckhart, Hauge and Fosse, for voice and three kanteles. Recorded December 2019 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo. ECM 2674, 2021.

Maria Farantouri (voice) and Cihan Türkoğlu (saz, kopuz, voice) with Anja Lechner, Meri Vardanyan, Christos Barbas and İzzet Kızıl: traditional songs from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Armenia and new songs, recorded June 2017 at Sierra Studios, Athens.

Second ECM album by Jon Balke's Siwan, with Algerian singer Mona Boutchebak, Derya Türkan (kemençe), Helge Norbakken and Pedram Khavar Zamini (percussion) and strings of Barokksolistene, setting poetry of Al Andalus. Recorded January 2017 in Copenhagen.

Chants, hymns and folk songs from Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish sources, sung by Trio Mediaeval (Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Berit Opheim) with Arve Henriksen on trumpet. Recorded February 2016 in Munich; produced by Manfred Eicher.

Arrangements of songs, dances and piano pieces by Komitas Vardapet for Armenian folk instruments, played by the ten-member Gurdjieff Ensemble directed by Levon Eskenian. Recorded February 2015 at the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano; produced by Manfred Eicher.

Fourth ECM album by Greek singer Savina Yannatou with Primavera en Salonico: songs and hymns of the communities of Thessaloniki, arranged by Kostas Vomvolos. Recorded February 2014 at Sierra Studios, Athens; produced by Manfred Eicher.

Fourth ECM album by Robin Williamson (vocals, Celtic harp, guitar, Hardanger fiddle, whistles), his first of all-original songs, with Mat Maneri (viola) and Ches Smith (vibraphone, drums, percussion). Recorded January 2014 at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth; produced by Steve Lake.

Duo album by Benedicte Maurseth (Hardanger fiddle, voice) and Åsne Valland Nordli (voice) from Hardanger, Norway: traditional tunes and songs, their own compositions and free improvisations. Recorded May 2011 at Strype Audio, Oslo.

Solo album by Barcelona guitarist José Luis Montón: twelve of his own flamenco-based pieces and an Air after Bach, for unaccompanied guitar. Recorded April 2011 at the Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.