Category Archives: Music

Various artists’ Gods and Generals Original Soundtrack

The epic film Gods and Generals was based on the novel of the same name by Jeff Shaara. It told the story of the War Between the States from 1861 til 1863, just before the battle of Gettysburg. Shaara had … Continue reading

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Patrick McGinley & Family Style’s Patrick, Family & Friends; Bob Neuwirth’s Havana Midnight; and Graham Parker’s Deepcut to Nowhere

Rebecca Swain wrote this review. McGinley’s in Italy with the blues guys, Neuwirth’s in Cuba with the classical musicians, and Parker is, apparently, just in a tizzy. Here’s the scoop. On Patrick McGinley’s enjoyable live (or at least partly live) … Continue reading

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Mimi & Richard Fariña’s Pack Up Your Sorrows: Best of the Vanguard Years

Brendan Foreman wrote this review. Richard Fariña is one of America’s least known superstars. Although he was only in his early twenties, by the early ’60s Fariña was already a veteran of both the Irish uprisings of the ’50s (he … Continue reading

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Stephen Stills’s Turnin’ Back the Pages

Stephen Stills peaked early. There were the Au Go Go Singers and The Continentals, but his first successful band was Buffalo Springfield. What talent was joined together for that little group of rock’n’rollers! Wacko guitarist-songwriter-humanitarian-toy-train-magnate Neil Young! Richie Furay of … Continue reading

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Assembly Players’ A Kynaston Ball, Various artists’ Strange Coincidences in Speciality Tea Trading, Mary Humphreys & Anahata’s Sharp Practice, and Tickled Pink’s Terpsichore Polyhymnia

These four CDs represent things you might hear around the folk clubs, sessions and festivals this summer. There are plenty of people around telling you what you should read this summer, so think of this as your summer listening. The … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 29th of September: Louisiana’s Lost Bayou Ramblers, live music by Kathryn Tickell, Ottawa based urban fantasies by Charles de Lint, Norwegian saxophonist Karl Seglem, Gus on the Estate Kitchen garden and other Autumnal matters

Every good fiddler has a distinctive sound. No matter how many play the same tune, each can’t help but play it differently. Some might use an up stroke where another would a down. One might bow a series of quick … Continue reading

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Arun Ramamurthy Trio’s New Moon

Arun Ramamurthy Trio’s debut Jazz Carnatica was one of my favorite releases of 2014 (indeed, of the entire decade of the Teens), and I’m delighted to report that their follow-up, although a decade in the making, is even better. Their … Continue reading

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Miguel Zenón’s Golden City

Miguel Zenón, the Puerto Rico-born, New York based alto saxophonist and composer, takes yet another major creative step with Golden City, his 17th release as a leader. I have to say this one grabbed me from the first time I … Continue reading

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Melissa Carper’s Borned In Ya

Melissa Carper gives a graduate level seminar in classic country music style on her third solo release Borned In Ya. Carper is the real thing when it comes to Americana music, as I’ve been preaching since covering her previous albums … Continue reading

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Arun Ramamurthy Trio’s Jazz Carnatica

I love jazz violin and I love Carnatic music — classical music from the south of India. So I figured I would love this album by Indian jazz violinist Arun Ramamurthy, and I was right. It’s been on heavy rotation … Continue reading

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