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Recent Posts
- What’s New for the 16th of August: Deborah Grabien’s music criticism essays; new Americana and jazz, and some music for the Dog Days of Summer
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Midsomer Strangeness
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Contradances
- What’s New for the 26th of July: Witches in fiction, both books and film; an Americana reissue and some music on a smoky theme
- A Kinrowan Estate story: chicken pot pieces
- What’s New for the 19th of July: Charles de Lint’s Ottawa novels with a quote from Drink Down the Moon, Gary’s review of Nordic fiddle music, It’s Michele Walther and Irina Behrendt playing Aaron Copland’s ‘Hoe Down’ from his Rodeo album
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Midsomer Odd Things
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Library and Its Librarian
- What’s New for the Fifth of July: Remembering Jane Yolen; some new Americana and jazz music; Fishing Blues
- A Kinrowan Estate Story: Recursive Loops
- What’s New for June 21: Jennifer Stevenson’s ‘Solstice’
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Turkish Coffee
- What’s New for the 7th of June: Foxes in literature, live Balkan music, comforting jazz, Americana jazz, and wonderfully weird fusion jazz; and John Fogerty live
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Bloodied Kings
- What’s New for the 24th of May: Gary’s Review of Elizabeth Bear’s White Space novels, iain’s review of the Lonely Signal Burns novellas by her, she reading her own story, ‘The Chains That You Refuse’, and I see Gary has some tasty music reviews fir us as well
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Greensward
- What’s New for the 10th of May: books reviewed by Jennifer Stevenson, music by Teddy Thompson, Americana music from all over, and some live music from John Fogerty
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Walk
- What’s New for the 26th of April: the nature of Stories; some new and newish SF, plus new world, jazz, folk and Americana music
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Spring Day
- What’s New for the 12th of April: Some new and recent SF; new Americana, Norwegian folk rock and jazz; and thoughts on War For The Oaks
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Unified Theory of Libraries (A Letter to Anna)
- What’s New for the 29th of March: Beer and spirits, in song and text, some new Scandinavian fiddle music and jazz flute music, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Ghostly Librarian
- What’s New for the 15th of March: some DeLint stories for early spring; lots of polskas, Serbian folk rock, progressive jazz, and Nordic music from the archives
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Hedge Witches
- What’s New for the 1st of March: Emma Bull’s War for The Oaks, Rosanne Cash’s ‘Runaway Train’, Johnny Cash at San Quentin, plus new Americana and jazz music
- A Kinrorwan Estate story: Cranachanh
- What’s New for the 15th of February: Some Seanan McGuire fantasy, Alison Bechdel’s latest, Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin; Nordic sounds, old time, Americana and Tex-Mex music
- What’s New for the 1st of February: Kage Baker retrospective; new Americana, Buddhist chants and Finnish songs, new and reissued jazz, and more
Category Archives: Music
Jennifer and Hazel Wrigley’s Mither o’the Sea
Richard wrote this for Folk Tales. I have been interested in the traditional music of the British Isles for more than 35 years and have grown older listening to the work of musicians who were already well known to the … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Celtic music, orkney islands
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Ceili Rain’s Say ‘KAY-Lee’
Rebecca Swain wrote this review. I like this Christian Celtic album very much (it is also available under the name Ceili Rain.) It is cheerful, enthusiastic, and well-crafted. Those people who are more comfortable with a bleak, cynical view of … Continue reading
Fairport Convention Goes Dutch
Koen Hottentot wrote this review. Theatre De Kom, Nieuwegein, Holland, December 12, 1999 Yesterday must have been one of the most bizarre Fairport gigs in recent years. Half the audience demanded their money back. The other half went home very, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged English folk rock, Fairport Convention
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Veronika Varga’s True Picture
Veronika Varga is a seasoned performer of more than a decade, both solo and as a member of various ensembles (Babra, BudaPesme, VreMea Válkània, Epseria, and her a cappella project Lemonokipos). True Picture is the recording debut of the Hungarian … Continue reading
Wör x Kongero’s Songbooks Live
The Belgian ensemble WÖR (pronounced “were”) plays new arrangements of 18th century Flemish melodies on a blend of old and modern instruments. The Swedish women’s folk quartet Kongero performs traditional Nordic songs in modern a capella arrangements, and composes new … Continue reading
Trèvol’s La Gran Trevolada
The Catalán contemporary folk quartet Trèvol took the unusual path of releasing a live album as their second recording; the 17 tracks on La Gran Trevolada were recorded before an enthusiastic audience at the Festival Folk Internacional Tradicionàrius in Barcelona … Continue reading
Various artists’ Folk and World Music Galore Vol. 4
I’ve come to look forward to the annual Folk and World Music Galore compilation from the German labels Nordic Notes and CPL-Music. The 2025 version of this comp, Vol. 4, is no exception, and even perhaps the best one yet, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Balkan music, Nordic music, world music
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Ovella Negra’s Va de Mescles!, and Rosàlia De Souza Quarteto 55˚’s Rosàlia De Souza Quarteto 55˚
Ovella Negra is at root a piano trio, but one with a difference. Pianist Joan Frontera Luna’s vision was to create a vibrant jazz program from the popular folk music of his native Balearic Islands (off Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Brazilian music, Jazz music, samba, world music
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Julian Shore Trio’s Sub Rosa, GinmanBlachmanDahl’s Play Ballads, Convergence’s Reckless Meter, and Kalia Vandever’s Another View
For me, 2025 was the year of the piano trio. I spent countless hours chilling my soul to the likes of Bill Evans in particular, but kept my eye and ear out for contemporary examples of the form, too. My … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Jazz music
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Melissa Carper’s A Very Carper Christmas
Melissa Carper’s on a roll. This Americana/queer country standout has made three critically acclaimed solo albums (Ramblin’ Soul, Daddy’s Country Gold and Borned In Ya), plus a couple with the band Sad Daddy, one as the anchor of the Wonder … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Americana music, holiday music
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