Kadialy Kouyate’s “Toña” Balances Heritage, Healing, and Innovation
Kadialy Kouyate – Toña (ARC Music, 2025) Senegalese kora player, singer, and composer Kadialy Kouyate returns with Toña, his ninth album and perhaps his most…
Arriving Soon
“Love is Coming,” a duet between American rocker Chris Pellnat and Moroccan singer Catalus, is one of those cross-cultural combinations that fits snugly through a…
Luca Vaillancourt Connects Atlantic Shores with Cantes transatlánticos
Luca Vaillancourt y Los Pescadores – Cantes transatlánticos (Luca Vaillancourt de Dios, 2025) Luca Vaillancourt y Los Pescadores (Luca Vaillancourt and the Fishermen) make their…
Mulatu Astatke, the Father of Ethio-jazz
Mulatu Astatke (b. 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer, and arranger widely regarded as the originator of Ethio-jazz, a genre that fuses Ethiopian…
Vowel Play: Florence Adooni’s ‘A.O.E.I.U.’ Hits All the Right Notes
Florence Adooni – A.O.E.I.U. (Philophon, 2025) Gifted Ghanaian singer Florence Adooni has released her first international album, A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity), via Philophon.…
Small Regrets, Big Sound: Chris Jones Teams Up With Jim Lauderdale
To mark the 30th anniversary of his band, the Night Drivers, Chris Jones revisits the country-leaning sound that has long shaped his bluegrass songwriting. His…
Vicente Vallés Receives Castillete de Oro award at Cante de las Minas
On August 5, 2025, journalist Vicente Vallés received the Castillete de Oro at the International Festival El Cante de las Minas in La Unión. Vallés…
Eddie Palmieri, Grammy-Winning Pianist and Bandleader, Dies at 88
Eddie Palmieri, the influential American pianist, composer, and bandleader, died on August 6, 2025. He was 88. Born Eduardo Palmieri on December 15, 1936, in…
Flaco Jiménez, Grammy-Winning Conjunto Accordionist, Dies at 86
Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, the influential accordionist who brought conjunto music from the dance halls of San Antonio to stages around the world, died on July…
National Flamenco Contest Expands Prizes and Categories
(headline image: Isabel Albás, president of Instituto Municipal de Artes Escénicas (IMAE) during the presentation.) The 24th National Flamenco Art Contest (CNAF) will take place…