Mario Poletti Baith (Mario Poletti Music, 2008) Italian multi-instrumentalist Mario Poletti specializes in stringed instruments such as the mandolino (Italian mandolin), the Irish bouzouki (a…
Alpine Mandolin
Category: Album reviews
Farmer’s Stew Pot
El Puchero del Hortelano Harumaki (2007) Andalusian band El Puchero del Hortelano (the farmer’s stew pot) belongs to the new generation of mestizo groups that…
Afro Peruvian Alcatraz
Alcatraz Alcatraz (Lima Limón Records, 2008) The African rooted music of Peru has taken root in New York through a band named Alcatraz (which is…
Smoky Coplas
Buika Niña de Fuego (DRO/Atlantic/Warner Music Latina, 2008) Afro-Spanish singer Concha Buika has attracted the attention of music fans and critics alike. Even though her…
Waltzing Fiddles
Stayed on Freedom–Blue Age Music for the 21st Century
Ruthie Foster – The Phenomenal (Blue Corn Music) Eric Bibb – Get Onboard (Telarc Blues) Both of these albums, Eric Bibb’s “Get Onboard” and Ruthie…
Ethiopian Colossus
Dub Colossus In A Town Called Addis (Real World, 2008) I’ve followed the career of Nick Page for a few years. He was a member…
Latin Grooves Sidestepped and Spammed
Sidestepper – The Buena Vibra Sound System (Palm Pictures PALMCD2138, 2008) Spam Allstars – Introducing Spam Allstars (World Music Network INTRO110CD, 2008) I count myself…
The Proof is in the Picking
Jayme Stone & Mansa Sissoko Africa to Appalachia (Jayme Stone, 2008) When Canadian banjo player Jayme Stone wanted to dig deep into his instrument’s origins,…
Canonized Atrocity and Untold Musical History
Christopher Hedge featuring David Grisman & R. Carlos Nakai Andrew Jackson – The Atrocious Saint (That’s That Productions TTCD 12272, 2008) The fairly strange title…