Past Programs
Folk - 2008
Lila Downs
15/11/2008
On Shake Away Lila Downs is all over the place - mostly, in interesting, unpredictable ways. The daughter of a Mexican, Mixtec mother and a Scottish-American father, Lila Downs grew up in Mexico, then Minnesota. Now, she mostly lives in New York. Even if you already love her work, expect to be surprised by an album that is ‘bigger than Ben Hur’, but much more culturally diverse and much more likely to move you to dance!
Lila Downs site:
www.liladowns.com
You can read a recent, revealing, interview-based article here:
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-et-culture13-2008sep13,0,3329769.story
Malinky
02/11/2008
Flower & Iron is the fourth album from Malinky. Based in Scotland, but not exclusively Scots, Malinky began ten years ago. Although instrumentally excellent, what really sets Malinky apart is its three fine singers. Each is distinctively different, two are founder-members. Respectively, a lowland Scot and an Ulster man, Steve Byrne and Mark Dunlop are players too. Steve mostly plays bouzoukis and guitars, Mark bodhran and whistles. Cellist Fiona Hunter is an exceptional singer. Her Scottish compatriot Mike Vass plays fiddle and guitar. Englishman David Wood plays guitar and bouzouki. Malinky deliver an astutely chosen mix of trad/anon and contemporary numbers, including some original tunes.
Discover more about Malinky here:
www.malinky.com
Bellowhead
18/10/2008
Of possibly-Arabic origin, Matachin refers to a dance with swords, masks and small shields. It is also the new, second full-length album from Bellowhead. The eleven members of English roots music’s most audacious ensemble come from wildly-various backgrounds. Bellowhead is hard to describe but nigh-impossible to resist. The band itself says it is ‘steeped in the English folk traditions of song and dance, but the feel is exciting, intoxicating, slightly sinister and deeply funky.’ Hearing is believing!
Bellowhead-central is here:
www.bellowhead.co.uk
Steve Tilston
28/09/2008
His 1971 debut made clear that Steve Tilston was one of England’s finer acoustic guitarists/songsters. Ziggurat shows he is even better now, in all departments. Ziggurat is a set of new, shrewdly-observant originals, plus lovely new versions of two traditional songs. Tilston’s keen melodic sense is always-evident, as are his guitar skills and good taste. He borrows well, too: ‘One of the best melodies I never wrote’, he says of Chopin’s unwitting contribution to a very beautiful, otherwise-original love song.
Steve Tilston’s site:
www.steve-tilston.co.uk
Warsaw Village Band
20/09/2008
Infinity is the fourth studio album from Warsaw Village Band. The group began in 1997. Ever since, it has been surprising people at home and abroad. Vocally and instrumentally, these adjectives are equally apropos: novel, ancient, startling, beautiful, powerful, haunting. Before tonight’s featured artists were even born, a certain famous African-American ensemble coined a motto which also fits the young Polish sextet: ‘Ancient to the Future.’
To discover more, start at this very well-linked place:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Village_Band
Benji Kirkpatrick/ Faustus
14/09/2008
Benji Kirkpatrick is a passionate young Englishman. He is a powerful player of bouzoukis and guitars and an eloquent singer. A fine interpreter of traditional songs and tunes, he writes good new ones too and is now one of the busiest people in English ‘roots’ music. We co-feature two new albums. Boomerang is Benji’s new CD as singer-songwriter. Faustus is the eponymous debut from a trio which inclines mostly to traditional English songs. Its members sing as well as they play. Benji’s colleagues are melodeon ace Saul Rose and fiddler Paul Sartin, who also plays oboe.
Benji Kirkpatrick’s site:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=47702840
Faustus site:
www.faustusband.co.uk
Darrell Scott { Modern Hymns }
24/08/2008
Darrell Scott is living proof that a ‘talented non-conformist’ can enjoy success, even in today’s Nashville. He has won more than one national award for ‘Songwriter of the Year’, but other great North American songsters wrote everything on his Modern Hymns. Darell is a superbly soulful singer and multi-instrumentalist. With top-shelf accomplices, he does wonderful, non-imitative, oft-surprising, but always-appropriate things to Joni, Bob, Kris, Leonard, Paul et al... including some writers whose surnames you’d not so easily guess!
Darrell Scott’s site:
www.darrellscott.com
Timo Alakotila and Johanna Juhola
17/08/2008
Our featured duo’s members are, respectively, one of her and his generation’s key figures in Finnish music. Johanna Juhola was born in 1978. Her ‘creative fury’ moved one approving reviewer to remark that she was one reason ‘Finnish tango is not what it used to be’. Tango is just one aspect! Before she was born Timo Alakotila was already one of the keys to Finnish ‘folk’ music becoming so vibrant, creative, so unconfined by ‘folk’ or any label. On Vapaassa Tilassa {their first duo album} Timo plays grand piano and Johanna two kinds of accordion. The duo performs its own original music, with very nice cameo roles for splendid players of other instruments.
Johanna Juhola site: www.johannajuhola.net
Timo Alakotila site: www.myspace.com/timoalakotila
Andrew Robson Trio
28/06/2008
The Andrew Robson Trio’s Radiola may prove 2008’s landmark Australian release. Don’t be fooled by the cover: Radiola is no nostalgia trip. It offers brilliant new music. Andrew is the saxophonist and composer. His are real compositions, but what makes this such a special CD is the sensitive/empathic/alive, ‘in the moment’ interplay between all three players. Andrew, double-bassist Steve Elphick and drummer Hamish Stuart have been this particular trio since 1995. Each listens as well as he plays. All pay great attention to their actual SOUND. Sound engineer Ross Ahearn has captured them, perfectly.
Discover more, here: www.andrewrobsontrio.com
Bill Frisell/ Eilen Jewell
14/06/2008
Tonight revolves around two intriguing new American releases. Their makers see ‘connections’ where lesser artists see ‘divisions’. Guitarist Bill Frisell leads an octet on his unassuming-yet-ambitious double-CD. History, Mystery is all-instrumental, but a highlight is Frisell’s version of one of the 20th century’s seminal songs. Letters from Sinners and Strangers is the first international release from Eilen Jewell. She is a remarkable singer: you’ll understand why ‘Eilen’ rhymes with ‘feelin’. She and he are gifted composers and also fine interpreters of existing songs. Both know how to use space. Each has a keen sense of history. Both are grown-up. Each is still growing.
Bill Frisell’s site: www.billfrisell.com
A revealing interview with him is here:
www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=22930
Eilen Jewell’s site: www.eilenjewell.com
Timo Alakotila/ Karen Tweed
08/06/2008
Seven years ago Karen Tweed and Timo Alakotila convened an unusual ensemble which made a singular CD called May Monday. She is an ancestrally-Irish, English accordionist. He is a Finnish pianist. Both are composers and influential, ear-opening music educators. Midnight is a perhaps even lovelier sequel. Its core quartet (now billed as ‘May Monday’) also includes a superb Swedish guitarist and an English fiddler, of Swedish ancestry. A bassoonist is among their various guests. Just a few of many tags which fit: ‘traditional’, ‘brand new’, ‘refined’, ‘robust’, ‘profoundly lyrical’ and ‘nicely quirky’.
Discover more, here:
www.myspace.com/maymonday
www.myspace.com/timoalakotila
www.myspace.com/karentweed
Horn Please! ( Jonas Knutsson)
27/04/2008
File under ‘Swedish folk’. But prepare to be surprised, very nicely! Horn Please! is an octet, led by Jonas Knutsson. He is a saxophonist, as are five of his seven colleagues. The others play acoustic and electric basses and various percussion. Their eponymous debut CD offers a mostly-Scandinavian repertoire of ingeniously-arranged traditional tunes and Swedish-accented originals, plus the odd Carnatic {South Indian} number. The band’s name comes from the back of the Subcontinent’s trucks!
Discover a little more, here:
www.hornplease.se/e/hornplease.html
and here:
www.touchemusic.se/jknutsson.html
Ruth Notman and Ray Bonneville
26/04/2008
Only on this show would our co-featured artists ever be co-stars! Each is of a different gender, nation, musical background and generation. Ray Bonneville is North American. He’s been around; it shows - in the best sense - on Goin’ by feel. Ruth Notman is nineteen and unmistakably English. Threads is her debut CD. Song-smith/guitarist/harmonica player Ray offers soulful, blues-based grooves, splendidly-grizzled vocals and a marvellous evocation of New Orleans. Ruth has an astonishing voice, and is a capable multi-instrumentalist. She can make an ancient song sound utterly fresh. Ruth also writes good new ones.
Ray Bonneville site:
www.raybonneville.com
Ruth Notman site:
www.ruth-notman.com
Jonas Simonson {repeat: first aired on 11.11.07}
16/03/2008
Jonas Simonson is an uncommonly fine, distinctive, imaginative and powerful player of various flutes. As one admirer observed, ‘he began with classical training, but converted to Swedish Folk Music and hasn’t been the same since (neither has Swedish Folk Music).’ He has recorded often, but Crane Dance is the first Jonas Simonson album as such. It is beautiful, not merely ‘pretty’. Some of its solo and ensemble pieces are ‘traditional’, or overtly refer to Nordic musical traditions. Others are novel.
Jonas Simonson site: www.simonson.nu
Abbey Lincoln
08/03/2008
Abbey Lincoln is a great jazz singer. Her current CD is splendid, but not a ‘jazz’ album. The 77-year-old was 76 when she recorded Abbey sings Abbey. Abbey’s survey of her own songbook has grace, wit and emotional depth, with tasty slide guitar, accordion and cello, but no horns or piano. As Larry Blumenfeld observed, here is a singer-songwriter who ‘manages to exude both an elder’s wisdom and a child’s wonder.’ Abbey has never looked back since that 1960’s day when she {literally} burned her little red dress - the one formerly filled {literally} by Marilyn Monroe.
Abbey Lincoln site:
www.verve musicgroup.com/abbeylincoln
For the story behind her current CD, click its link to Larry Blumenfeld’s article from the Wall Street Journal of July 18, 2007.
Pat Metheny Trio
01/03/2008
At his best, Pat Metheny is a marvel in an extraordinary range of different contexts. His first album as leader (1976’s Bright Size Life) was an inter-active, trio set. So is Day Trip - his current trio’s debut disc, recorded in a single day. Christian McBride plays acoustic bass and Antonio Sanchez the drums. Pat is at his very best, playing electric and acoustic guitars. The music is conversational, melodious, not especially loud and nobody shows off. It is, however, incredibly virtuosic. The interplay is nigh-telepathic.
Pat Metheny’s official cyberspace is here: www.patmetheny.com
Trouble In The Kitchen
23/02/2008
The Next Turn is very probably the best Irish-ish album ever made by an Australian band. It’s the new CD from Trouble in the Kitchen. Originally from Canberra, ‘Trouble..’ was already one of Australia’s finer Irish-centric outfits when its four young members moved to Melbourne ten years ago. It’s a considerably finer outfit, now. Even if you lived in Ireland, you’d likely like this band’s vibrant, sensitive approach. Their repertoire includes fine, not-Irish songs and tunes, some of which are their own. Adrian Barker mostly plays fiddle and Kate Burke the guitar; both sing. Joe Ferguson mostly plays bouzouki and Ben Stephenson the flute.
Discover more here: www.troubleinthekitchen.com
Frifot
27/01/2008
Frifot is not electrified, but certainly electrifying. Flyt (‘flow’} is the sixth CD from Swedish roots music’s ‘supergroup’ or ‘power trio’. Frifot began in 1987. Its members are leaders or participants in many other contexts and each is a singular musician. Lena Willemark is one of the more arresting vocalists, anywhere. She’s a fine fiddler too. Per Gundmundson is one of the greats of Scandinavian fiddle/viola. Multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller is primarily a man with a unique approach to the mandola. Although strongly rooted in traditional music, Frifot deliver many new, truly original songs and tunes.
Discover more, here: www.frifot.se
Collard Greens & Gravy
26/01/2008
We begin the new broadcast year on Australia Day, in a metalwork factory in Melbourne. The best-yet CD from one of the great blues trios, Devil in the Woodpile, was recorded where Collard Greens & Gravy regularly rehearse. As friend and admirer Jeff Lang says, it ‘reeks of pure unadulterated dirt...hypnotic, sexy and primitive. Beautiful and dangerous.’ Songster and harmonica ace Ian Collard leads the trio. James Bridges plays guitar and fiddle. Anthony ‘Shorty’ Shortte plays drums and chicken feet.
The band’s site: www.collardgreensandgravy.com
Martin Simpson {first aired on 21.7.07}
12/01/2008
Prodigal Son is the new album from quite probably the greatest finger-style guitarist, period. Martin Simpson is prodigiously deft, but more crucial is the way he so perfectly articulates, phrases and chooses each note - including the ones he chooses not to play. The kid-prodigy from Scunthorpe long since grew out of his ‘show-off’ side, and the 54-year-old is now also an eloquent singer. His slide playing is uncanny, too. Martin’s new set of very old and brand-new songs and tunes is likely his best yet.
Martin Simpson’s site: www.martinsimpson.com
Devon Sproule and Martha Scanlan {first aired on 17.6.07}
06/01/2008
We feature two fine, quite different North American female singer-songwriters. Keep Your Silver Shined is the second CD from Devon Sproule. Young but wise, she is witty and loving, with a light touch, but a deal of depth. Don’t let its ’down home’ atmosphere fool you - Ms Sproule is sophisticated, eclectic. She is also a very capable vocalist/guitarist. Martha Scanlan is older and more ’old-timey Americana’, musically. The West was Burning offers superb, spare-poetic songs. Her debut as leader was mostly made in Levon Helm’s studio, with himself on drums.
Devon Sproule’s site: www.devonsproule.com
Martha Scanlan’s site: www.marthascanlan.com
