Vickie Vaughn Reinvents Vince Gill’s “Liza Jane”
After debuting with an inventive reinterpretation of Bruce Robison’s “Leavin’,” IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn returns with a striking remake of Vince…
Brassed Off the Map: Balkan Voodoo Orchestra Rewrites the Rules
Haris Pilton & The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra – Soon in Your Village (Asphalt Tango Records, 2025) The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra is a genre-defying ensemble led…
Heavenly Chorus: McCourys and Lewandowski Revive “She’s No Angel”
C.J. Lewandowski and Del McCoury, joined by Ronnie McCoury, have released a new version of the Osborne Brothers and Red Allen’s 1957 classic “She’s No…
Remon Nakanishi’s Hinano Iezuto Rewrites the Japanese Folk Canon
Remon Nakanishi 中西レモン – Hinano Iezuto ひなのいえづと (DOYASA! Records, 2022) Remon Nakanishi ‘s Hinano Iezuto album’s title, drawn from an archaic Japanese phrase meaning “a…
Tom Ricci Reimagines a Tango Classic
Tom Ricci presents a contemporary live reinterpretation of “Naranjo en Flor,” one of Argentina’s most iconic tangos, recorded at Buenos Aires’ historic Estudios ION. This…
Soundplaces Weaves a Bowed Dialogue Across the Aegean
Derya Türkan & Sokratis Sinopoulos – Soundplaces (Seyir Muzik, 2020) Soundplaces, the 2020 release by Derya Türkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos, offers a contemplative, transcultural conversation…
Crown Jewels Anthology Celebrates Koko Taylor’s Legacy
Alligator Records is set to release Crown Jewels, a new compilation that features some of the finest performances by the legendary Koko Taylor, known worldwide…
A Parting Song: Mike Vass Sets Sail With “Leaving St. Kilda”
Scottish composer Mike Vass draws inspiration from history in “Leaving St. Kilda,” a solo tenor guitar piece rooted in his time as artist-in-residence at the…
Kolintang: The Wooden Wonder of Minahasa
(headline image: Kolintang class in middle school. As a regular curriculum in some schools in Indonesia, it is a way to pass the technique of…
Gaelynn Lea’s Haunting Macbeth-Inspired Album Takes the Stage
Gaelynn Lea – Music From Macbeth (self-released, 2025) Gaelynn Lea, the American violinist, composer, and disability rights advocate, rose to prominence after winning NPR Music’s…