Category Archives: Music

Michael Murphey’s Michael Murphey

Posted on 17th July 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Before Michael Murphey traded in his outlaw country cred and became Michael Martin Murphey, the Americana Adult Contemporary singing cowboy, he created a couple of my favorite LPs from the 1970s. Now that two of his first three albums are … Continue reading →

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Ben Goldberg‘s Everything Happens to Be

Posted on 13th July 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Starting from a base in classical music and klezmer, clarinetist Ben Goldberg has spent about 30 years now finding his own ways of making experimental music within a loose jazz framework. For his latest outing he put together an ensemble … Continue reading →

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Joseph Spence’s Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing

Posted on 9th July 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Okay, before we get going here — and pretend you haven’t read the heading above or noticed the album cover art right there <—. Here’s a short quote from the publicity for this release: “He directly influenced key guitarists in … Continue reading →

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Gordon Lightfoot’s Don Quixote

Posted on 1st July 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Gordon Lightfoot and I go back quite a ways. Though he cut his first album in 1966 and quickly became the top folk singer in Canada, his first hit in the U.S. was the single “If You Could Read My … Continue reading →

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Ronu Majumdar’s Classical Traditions: The Indian Bansuri

Posted on 30th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Pandit Ronu Majumdar is a globally renowned, Grammy nominated, multiple award winning player of the bansuri flute of Hindustani classical music. He’s a pioneer in the instrument, following a tradition that included his father, and influential to a younger generation … Continue reading →

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The Flatlanders’ Treasure of Love

Posted on 28th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

The Flatlanders have always been “more a legend than a band,” which is why that was the title of their first proper album in 1990, put together by Rounder from tracks they’d previously recorded in a career that stretched back … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Folk Music Of China, Vol. 14: Songs Of The Tibetan Plateau – Monba and Lhoba Peoples

Posted on 15th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

This is the 14th of a planned 20 volumes of folk songs from across the immensely varied regions of China, and the second covering the music of the Tibetan Plateau. The previous release, Vol. 14, covered songs from the Haixi … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Folk Music of China, Vol. 13: Songs of the Tibetan Plateau

Posted on 15th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

This is the 13th of Naxos World’s fine series exploring the vast diversity of traditional and folk songs of the many regions of China. It’s a bit different from those I’ve reviewed so far, in that its selections include some … Continue reading →

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Caamaño & Ameixeira’s Aire!

Posted on 14th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

This is an utterly charming album by a young Galician duo. Aire! is the first album by these two musicians – Sabela Caamaño, who plays chromatic accordion, and Antía Ameixeiras, who plays violin and sings. They formed this duo in … Continue reading →

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Bill and the Belles’ Happy Again

Posted on 12th June 2021 by Gary Whitehouse

Bill and the Belles, based in Johnson City, Tennessee, are steeped in American roots music, and it shows in their delightful 2021 album Happy Again. It’s one of those albums full of sad songs that only sound happy, as betrayed … Continue reading →

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