Scene It All: Seldom Scene Returns With Remains to Be Scene
Seldom Scene – Remains to Be Scene (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2025) Seldom Scene, a pioneering force in progressive bluegrass since 1971, returns with Remains to…
The Ney: A Charming Middle Eastern Reed Flute
(headline image: professional Arabic ney, 7 flutes, Ahmad Abd El Ghani) The ney (also spelled nay) is an ancient end-blown flute made from reed, widely…
Elana Sasson’s “Laye Laye”: a Reimagining of a Traditional Kurdish Lullaby
Elana Sasson’s latest single, “Laye Laye,” featuring French cellist Matthieu Saglio, is a reimagining of a traditional Kurdish lullaby. Released on March 21, 2025, it…
The Carolyn Wonderland Story: A Blues Guitarist’s Rise to Icon Status
(headline image: Carolyn Wonderland – photo by Mary Bruton) Carolyn Wonderland, born in Houston, Texas, in 1972, developed her musical identity at an early age.…
Music of a Different Griot Home
Born in Senegal but based in Poland, kora player Ablaye Badji harnesses longstanding griot tradition to a funk/jazz backdrop on “Aduna,” a sparking piece of…
Keita Unplugged: A Room of His Own
Salif Keita – So Kono (Nø Førmat, 2025) According to the producers of this album, Salif Keita’s life in Mali is anything but private. As…
Picking Up the Past: Benson Revives a Harley Allen Classic
Bluegrass duo Benson, featuring award-winning banjoist Kristin Scott Benson and renowned mandolinist Wayne Benson, launch their 2025 releases with a fresh take on Things Have…
Mali in Their Roots: Songhoy Blues Embrace Tradition on “Héritage”
Songhoy Blues – Heritage (Transgressive Records, 2025) Malian band Songhoy Blues returns with Héritage, their fourth album and a significant departure from their previous work.…
Kitchen Fresh
Germany’s Epic Soul Kitchen is on a musical excursion entitled “Dip Trip,” and their Latinized jazz is cooked up right and tight. The solos are,…
Wild Mint, Wild Sound: Mila Trani’s Genre-Blending Hybridization
Mila Trani – Menta Selvatica (Segell Microscopi, 2025) Inspired by the mythological and medicinal properties of wild mint, Menta Selvatica (wild mint) is an exploration…