Tombak In The Spotlight On Between Hands
Kaveh Mahmudiyan — Between Hands (Global Sonics, 2025) Kaveh Mahmudiyan’s first solo album, Between Hands presents his own compositions with the tombak (Persian goblet-shaped drum).…
Malian World Music Innovator Issa Bagayogo Dies at 55
Mali’s musical landscape is a fair bit dimmer with the death of Issa Bagayogo. The singer and musician passed away after a long illness on…
Cinematic Wackiness
Beninghove’s Hangmen – Pineapples and Ashtrays (Beninghove’s Hangmen, 2015) You can tell that these guys are having a lot of fun. Beninghove’s Hangmen is an…
Mbongwana Star Announces November 2016 Tour
Congolese band Mbongwana Star will be touring Europe in November 2016. The group combines Congolese rumba and soukous with urban and electronic influences. The group’s…
Artist Profiles: Bulgarika
Traditional Bulgarian music ensemble Bulgarika is led by gadulka (traditional Bulgarian bowed string instrument) master Nikolay Kolev; internationally prominent singer Donka Koleva; kaval (end-blown flute)…
Trio Da Kali Announces US Tour
Contemporary Mandé griot act Trio Da Kali has announced its upcoming American tour. Trio Da Kali features Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté on vocals, Lassana Diabaté…
Caribbean Star Calypso Rose Receives WOMEX 2016 Artist Award
Acclaimed calypso vocalist Calypso Rose (Trinidad & Tobago) was presented with the WOMEX 2016 Artist Award in a ceremony held earlier today in Santiago de…
Music School 4Elementos Skuela Receives WOMEX 2016 Professional Excellence Award
Colombian hip-hop school 4Elementos Skuela received the Professional Excellence Award. “Our neighborhood and our school are more alive and happier than ever and it…
Chris Austin Songwriting Competition Accepting Entries Until February 2017
MerleFest has begun accepting entries for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and will continue until February 2017. The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is one of…
Artist Profiles: Derek Gripper
South African guitar maestro and violinist Derek Gripper was born November 14, 1977 in Cape Town, South Africa. Gripper began his musical training at the…
Artist Profiles: Chris Austin
Chris Austin was born February 24, 1964 in Boone, North Carolina. Austin worked as a sideman for Ricky Skaggs for three years, singing and playing…