Category Archives: Music

A Jackie Washington omnibus review

Posted on 27th September 2022 by David Kidney

Jackie Washington’s Blues & Sentimental (Knight II Records, 1970) out of print Ken Whiteley, Jackie Washington, Mose Scarlett’s Where Old Friends Meet (Borealis Records, 1991) Jackie Washington’s Keeping Out of Mischief (Borealis Records, 1995) Jackie Washington’s Midnight Choo Choo (Borealis … Continue reading →

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Alex Sturbaum’s Slash

Posted on 20th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

In an email conversation I had with Alex Sturbaum (they/them) after they contacted me about reviewing this album, one of my comments was something on the order of “this is an incredibly generous album.” And I didn’t just mean the … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, Volume One: Along the Eastern Crescent

Posted on 19th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

Fiddle music was once endemic to nearly every region of North America, including Mexico and certainly Canada. Most regions developed their own peculiar styles – the best known include southern Louisiana (Cajun), Texas, Appalachia, New England, and Cape Breton Island … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Work & Pray: Historic Negro Spirituals and Work Songs From West Virginia

Posted on 17th September 2022 by Diverse Voices

John D. Benninghouse wrote this review. This album is the fruit of the labors of Cortez Reece, who recorded these performances from 1949-53 as part of his doctoral thesis, “A Study of Selected Folk Songs Collected Mainly in Southern West … Continue reading →

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Peter Knight’s The Gemini Cadenza

Posted on 17th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

Debbie Skolnik wrote this review. Peter Knight is perhaps best known to most people as the long-time fiddle player for Steeleye Span. Indeed as part of Steeleye Span is the only way I’ve ever seen him play live – and … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ The Fiddle Collection (Volume One)

Posted on 17th September 2022 by Diverse Voices

Richard Barnes wrote this review. If you only buy one more CD this year (unlikely, I know!) and you love the sound of the fiddle, then this should be the one you choose. It’s been a labour of love for … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ People On The Highway: A Bert Jansch Encomium

Posted on 17th September 2022 by Richard Condon

In 1965 I was sharing a house with four other students, two of whom played the guitar. One day one of the guitarists appeared with an LP by a young man who had recently migrated from Glasgow to London, where … Continue reading →

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Erlend Apneseth’s Nova

Posted on 9th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

I’m usually not a huge fan of strictly solo instrumental albums, but I can easily overlook that rule of thumb for Erlend Apneseth’s Nova. It’s hard to overstate just how much I enjoy this record. Some of that is simply … Continue reading →

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Päivi Hirvonen’s Kallio

Posted on 9th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

Kallio is the second solo album from Päivi Hirvonen, a Finnish folk singer and fiddler, but it scans like the work of a mature artist who knows where she’s going and what she’s doing. To be fair, Hirvonen has been … Continue reading →

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Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra’s Popular Culture (Community Music, Vol. 4)

Posted on 9th September 2022 by Gary Whitehouse

I wasn’t around, but I suspect that some of the original “territory orchestras” back in the heyday of swing owed much of their success to an ability to arrange the popular songs of the day (and the recent past) into … Continue reading →

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