Tag Archives: traditional music

Anna & Elizabeth’s Hop High b/w Here In The Vineyard

As they prepare for a short tour of venues in the Northeast and Northwest of the U.S., followed by a May 2017 visit to the U.K., Anna & Elizabeth are releasing an old-school seven-inch vinyl single that’s unlike anything they’ve … Continue reading

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A Nordic Roots Omni: Ragnhild Furholt’s Lån Meg Vengjene; Ragnhild Furebotten’s Edelig Vals; Kristine Heebøll’s 10 Point; Svend-Erik Pedersen’s Selsølåter — Låter fra Selsø; Eskil Romme’s Himmerlandsmelodier

Nordic roots. That’s what this review is about. We tend to refer to “Nordic trad” a lot around here at GMR, but it strikes me, surveying these CDs, that “traditional” is going to get bent badly out of shape, perhaps … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Valse de Noël, An Acadian-Cajun Christmas Revels

What a delightful way to end a year that was sometimes less than delightful. For 2016, The Revels has produced a program and CD of Acadian and Cajun music and dance. If you’re not familiar with The Revels (I’m not … Continue reading

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Grex Vocalis’ Magnum Mysterium

Magnum Mysterium is a collection of choral music around the celebration of the birth of Christ – the “Magnum Mysterium” that has provided such a rich heritage for Christmas celebrations. Although Grex Vocalis is a Norwegian group, the disc also … Continue reading

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Wolfgang Plagge’s Julevariasjoner

Julevariasjoner translates as “Christmas Variations,” and that is just what this disc by Norwegian pianist Wolfgange Plagge is: a set of variations on Christmas carols, some Norwegian, but many that will be recognized anywhere that Christmas is celebrated. Plagge is … Continue reading

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Grannar’s Sofiagatan: Folk Music from Southern Sweden; Väsen’s Väsen Street; Kari Tauring’s Völva Songs

“Traditional” is one of those words that gets bandied about a lot these days, particularly when talking about families and music. I’ll leave families to a more political outlet and talk about music here. Now, “traditional” in music can mean … Continue reading

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Amira Medunjanin’s Damar

I haven’t listened to a lot of sevdah, but I am familiar with Mostar Sevdah Reunion, probably the best-known sevdah group outside of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Amira Medunjanin sang on their 2003 album A Secret Gate before going on to … Continue reading

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The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc’s Deliverance

Deliverance, the second release by The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, brims with life, energy, a lot of joy and a little bit of sorrow, all poured out in the delightful strains of fiddle music from three different but related traditions. The … Continue reading

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3hattrio’s Solitaire

Hard on the heels of 2015’s eyebrow-raising Dark Desert Night comes 3hattrio’s third full-length release Solitaire. It’s named for Desert Solitaire, the classic 1968 book about dryland ecosystems by Edward Abbey. This stringband trio from the red-rock desert of southern … Continue reading

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Billy Bragg & Joe Henry’s Shine a Light

When you speak of the Great American Songbook, you’re usually talking about the so-called standards, penned mostly in the 1930s and ’40s by the likes of the Gershwins, Berlin, Porter, Johnny Mercer, Ellington, et. al., and popularized by Sinatra, Ella … Continue reading

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