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Pop music from out there
I don't want to have a debate about this, so save your genre complaints and 'horse/folk" commentary, OK?
This is simply a short list of interesting pop music recordings I carry, things that might fail to meet the 'roots music' test but are nonetheless interesting, diverse and worthy of your ears. Like all 'categories' I feature, your mileage may vary. Relax and enjoy the trip!
Rendez-vous Barbes - Orchestre National de Barbes
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-cdm2741878)
Orchestre National de Barbčs was formed in 1995 by Youcef Boukella, composer and bass player. The group preaches a multicultural philosophy, and its music is a blend of rock, gnawa, raď, salsa, chââbi, reggae, alaoui and jazz. Barbés is not in Morocco, but rather in Paris, a neighborhood near Sacre Coeur that has become a refuge for exiles from north Africa. In English, the band's name means The National Barbés Orchestra - implying that Barbés is a nation unto itself. This music represents an imaginary but quite visceral nation.
Choc 'n Soul - Manu Dibango
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fa523)
Manu Dibango is known for his alchemy of jazz, African and Jamaican music, Gospel and R'nB. His unique style was the forerunner of what is now often called 'world music.' Dibango is perhaps best remembered for his 1972 afrobeat single "Soul Makossa," often considered the first disco record. This best-of collection from Frémeaux features twelve tracks released between 1978 and 1989, including the 1978 Kingston remix of "Reggae Makossa." Guest artists include Michael and Randy Brecker, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
In the Wake of the Phoenicians - Milan Zdravkovic
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-wv479038)
A recording of many moods - sensuous, soft, bewitching - each port of call is the pretext for a different stage in the development of the musical itinerary, a metaphor of eternal landscapes, a pictorial allegory painted by a contemporary artist using ancient colors with a futurist varnish. Sometimes a chant rises like a muezzin's prayer or a siren's song, or a touch of flamenco or a Sardinian motif suddenly emerges mischievously, then a swaying rhythm appears before vanishing into the swirls of the synthesizers. By mixing ancient and modern, eminently contemporary electronic sounds with traditional instruments and vocals, DJ Milan plays with every shade of blue in the Mediterranean; this music is the soundtrack of a luxury cruise that touches on the universal. Listen and Listen
Universal Sprache - Vladimir Bozar 'n' Ze Sheraf Orkestar
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-cdm2741860)
Vladimir Bozar ’n’ ze Sheraf Orkestär evolved out of a Zappa tribute band called The Children of Invention. They mix up bits of cartoon soundtracks, slices of metal, bendy punk, twisted jazz, bits of classical music, electronica, glitch, gypsy swirls, violins, bits of Danny Elfman, Faith No More, Primus and all kinds of inspired vocal madness – operatic doom, cartoon noise, sinister vocal lines, clowns gone wrong, accordions, mandolins, kazoo, classical percussion....an indescribable, unforgettable aural riot.
Magnification - Magnifico
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2440)
Slovenia's Magnifico gyrates with Euro irony and sultry smoothness, backed by a burst of Balkan brass and a chorus of go-go dancers, revelling in the pleasures of pan-European English, pop culture and the sillier side of porn - all presented with a distinctly Slavic wink in songs about everything from xenophobia to homophobia. He offers Balkan- and Roma-scented funk, R&B and soul... and even a flirtation with American country music and Mexican-style horns. The tracks on Magnification hail from Magnifico's latest limited edition Slovenian release, along with several freshly minted songs from the songwriter's fertile, bizarre mind. Two videos and other extras are also included.
Fez Club - Figli Di Madre Ignota
$16.99
(cdRoots# fe-ebm013)
This is the third release from a Milanese band who play an energetic mix of Balkan music, evil polkas, and klezmer with a twist. Mean swings and breathless tarantellas are all made up with surf guitars and a compelling horn section. Beginning in the late '90s, they found a natural inspiration in Balkan brass bands and klezmer melodies, and like every good self-declared rootless artist, they picked up the spirit of the dance-or-die and mixed it with a powerful rock combo. Guets include trumpeter Roy Paci, Seattle band Circus Contraption and Italian theatrical lunatics Banda Osiris.
Behind The Bend - Lisa o Piu
$14.99
(cdRoots# fe-sub072)
The 2nd album from Swedish folk siren Lisa Isaakson and her band Lisa o Piu. To get inspiration for the creation of Behind The Bend, Lisa spent time in a small cottage located deep in the vast woods of Vastmanland, Sweden, where she enjoyed the last breath of the summer. This is the kind of set and setting where you travel into another world... and they did. The initial recordings were made under a vaulted blue ceiling with gold stars in the old 15th century timber church of Hjulsjö, Sweden. The new album is filled with watery woodland folk hymnals, eloquent yet eerie. The harp has been given more space, the violin plays a greater role, the 12-stringed guitar plays graceful melodies and all is led by Lisa's gossamer vocals. They call it "psych-folk." OK? Listen to Was It The Moon, Child of Trees and World falling Down.
de la nature des choses - Gabriel Yacoub
$17.99
(cdRoots# elf-choses)
It took seven years for this French artist to compose and record an all new studio work, but the wait is always worth it when you have an artist of such high caliber. Joined by a wonderful ensemble (including Gilles Chabenat, Yannick Hardouin, Julien Biget and many more), his voice is surrounded by deep folk roots and modern sounds, all to the service of 14 rich and marvelous songs. As you might suspect from this description, it comes highly recommended!
Imagine Africa - various
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-353)
I do not go in for too many compilations, but this one stands out for its unique set of musicians and its collaborative spirit. East African artists from Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar offer music both traditional and modern, recordings made with care and respect for both the tradition and audio quality. Artistsinclude Witnesz, Bizmana Ntavoyo, Maryam Said Hamdun, Mahsein Ally, Anania Ngoriga, Nakite, and Bob Rudala from Tanzania, as well as Olith Ratego, Susana Owiyo, K'Odhialo, Ogoya Nengo, Katana Bin Kalama, Bismilahi Gargar, and Makadem from Kenya. Listen to Witnesz, Olith Batego and Suzanna Owiyo.
After the Big Rain - Avishai Cohen
$14.99
(cdRoots# yy-bigrain)
Alternately moody and joyous, richly atmospheric yet beat-driven, the album features trumpet player Avishai Cohen with some of his most esteemed peers: Lionel Loueke on guitar and vocals, Jason Lindner on keyboards, Omer Avital on bass and Daniel Freedman on drums and percussion. The music is texturally rich, full of heated improvisation, group interplay and the kind of funky, internationalist flavor for which Avishai has become known.
Lila - Sidh
$17.99
(cdRoots# rd-8123)
Sidh presents a hybrid between the traditional sounds of the Gnawa and the rhythms and melodies of the Mediterranean. Young Italian-based Algerian musician Sidh (vocals, guembri, bendir, qraqueb) is joined by Riccardo Manzi (guitar and bouzouki), Renato Vecchio (saxophones, flute, duduk), Zaki Bedaida (acoustic guitar and vocals), Youcef Grim (percussion) and a vocal trio.
Fest - Fotefar and Hĺvard Lund
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-346)
FEST is the first CD from the folk trio Fotefar (Footprints) and clarinet player Hĺvard Lund. The trio is Lena Jinnegren, Bendik Lund Haanshus and Ragnhild Furebotten. Lena, from Sweden, has deep roots in rock, folk music and folk ballads. Ragnhild was nominated for the same award in 2008 for her solo CD "Endelig vals" (Finally a waltz). Bendik trained at the music conservatory in Trondheim, and plays in the group KADO and the tango music band Orangutango. Hĺvard is artist in residence for the cultural centre in Troms county, and now has a permanent position there as a musician, composer and arranger. He has played with the band Farmers Market, with Frode Fjellheim of Transjoik and collaborated with Trygve Seim.
El Dorado - 17 Hippies
$15.99
(cdRoots# buda-3860179)
El Dorado perfectly demonstrates how a band matures over time. Having played together for 14 years, with 1,500 concerts in 20 countries, these musicians have found a unique style. Whether infl uenced by Balkan music, American rock, British pop, or film music, their compositions and sophisticated arrangements enter a new realm. Always filled with energy and razor-sharp interplay, 17 Hippies’ music still “boils down to plain dance music!” Regardless of age or nationality, everybody around the world seems to get it, as proven by the international success of this “Rock-The-World-Orchestra.”
Outra Praia - Swami Jr.
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-wv479029)
Outra Praia (Another Beach) is a case of a supporting actor emphatically and justifiably stealing the limelight. Swami Jr. has long been a highly sought-after producer, arranger, composer and guitarist who has worked with musical talent from Brazil and further afield. He recorded and toured with Chico César for ten years and has accompanied and/or produced Omara Portuondo, Vanessa da Mata, Elba Ramalho, Zélia Duncan, Elza Soares, Zeca Baleiro, Tom Zé, Lokua Kanza, Mayra Andrade, Dori Caymmi and more. This is the debut solo album for Swami Jr. as he establishes himself alongside these cohorts as a major new name in Música Popular Brasileira. Listen and Listen
chant de guerre - John Delvarre
$17.99
(cdRoots# elf-guerre)
The debut recording by a marvelous French champion of la nouvelle chanson française, accompanied by a great cast including Gabriel Yacoub (who also produced), Yannick Hardouin, Sylvie Berger and others.
Rising Road - John Jones
$17.99
(cdRoots# wp-jones09)
With seven traditional songs, four written by John, and one from the Oysterband vaults, Jones' first solo outing features Seth Lakeman (tenor guitar, fiddle, vocal), Benji Kirkpatrick (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocal), former Oysterman Ian Kearey (banjo-dulcimer), Rowan Godel (vocal), Sophie Walsh (harp) and Francois Deville (pedal steel) as well as homeboys Dil Davies (drums), Alan Prosser (guitars) and producer Al Scott. Listen
Raindrops and Elephants - dunkelbunt
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2335)
Vienna-based [dunkelbunt] is part of a DJ movement that transcends standard Central European techno and house music by drawing inspiration from other genres and cultures. His remixes for artists as various as Balkan Beat Box, 17 Hippies and the Amsterdam Klezmer Band have gained him international renown. A passionate blender of spices in his spare time, [dunkelbunt] sees composing and cooking as related arts. On Raindrops and Elephants, [dunkelbunt] has applied his passion for blending to selected Piranha tracks from Simentera, Frank London, Watcha Clan and more.
rivermudtwilight - Les Triaboliques
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-wv468088)
This collaboration from multi-instrumentalists Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds and Justin Adams is the culmination of a decades-long quest by these musicians to absorb and utilize the planet's sounds. The Desert, the Delta, the Steppes and the Underground - all are united in what Mandelson likes to call "Triabolique Twi-Fi." Listen!
LY - Kari Bremnes
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-345)
LY (Shelter) features 11new songs spanning a wide range of ideas, visions and musical temperament. Bremnes looks into the nooks and crannies of life, writing about how she sees the world through her eyes, the ugly and beautiful, light and dark,anger and love, about dancing, death, the fate of a strong woman on the polar island of Svalbard, and about finding warmth. In short, about seeking shelter. (In Norwegian)
Kropp och Själ - Fagel Roc
$15.99
(cdRoots# pbp-fagel1)
Sweden-based Fĺgel Roc gets its inspiration from their own home and around the world, and the band of synth-guitar, keyboards, bass and percussion uses an excellent pallat of Latin rhythms, Oriental melodies, western pop, Bagdad rock, and what they call Etnoschlager. They are vocally led by the wonderful Nadia Louis, an Iraq singer now based in Sweden who works in many languages including Assyrian and Swedish.
Quiver - KTU
$16.99
(cdRoots# wp-quiver)
This powerful, agressively fronds group returns with this 2009 powerhouse of sounds. Trey Gunn / Warr guitar; Kimmo Pohjonen / accordion, voice; Pat Mastelotto / rhythmic devices, beats and noises with Samuli Kosminen additional beats and noises, Kosminization
Songs Unrecantable - ErsatzMusika
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-atr2209)
In their second release, still fronted by the voice of artist and singer Irina Doubrovskaja, and people by a half dozen Soviet émigrés who escaped the turmoil of Russia following the end of Cold War for the artistic communes of East Berlin, ErsatzMusika are the ghost in the machine of 21st century music, a rootsy, Russian urban folk, edgy and ripe for this dark new age.
Live in London - Leonard Cohen
$21.95
(cdRoots# sst-cohenlive)
2 CDs, 25 songs - recorded live at London's O2 Arena in July 2008. "Dance Me to the End of Love," "Bird on the Wire," "Suzanne," "First We Take Manhattan," "Sisters of Mercy" and more. Highly recommended
Det Som E Na (What is now) - Elin Furubotn
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-330)
Stayer - Lars Bremnes
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-339)
8 Armed Monkey - KTU
$16.99
(cdRoots# te-ktu)
Finnish accordionists Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen (Kluster) join Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn (percussion and guitar from King Crimson and duo TU) for a round of agressive, loud and utterly unclassfiable new music.
Meet You There - Oysterband
$17.99
(cdRoots# wp-oyster07)
The 2007 studio album by the Brit folk-rock legends.
cinema novo - Massot-Florizoone-Horbaczewski
$18.99
(cdRoots# hrbe-6042)
So what can you can do with an accordion a tuba and a cello? The three instruments have a lot in common: they are well equipped with a big sound, an imaginary character, a large register and a photogenic outfit. This band pusheds their limits in a creative new way. Michel Massot - tuba, euphonium, trombone; Tuur Florizoone - chromatic accordeon; Marine Horbaczewski - cello.
Marcel - Olla Vogala
$18.99
(cdRoots# hrbe-6043)
Olla Vogala offers a fascinating and unusual interpretation of music, word and sound, making multi-culti and multi-ethnicity much more than hollow phrases. This large ensemble is led by Belgian composer and violinist Wouter Vandenabeele.
Alliance - Afrissippi
$13.99
(cdRoots# tg-afri2)
The second round for this allianceof Senegalese roots and Mississippi blues, and every bit as solid as the first. Guelel Kumba - guitar, vocals, Eric Deaton - electric guitar, Kinney Kimbrough - drums, Justin Showah - bass, Papa Assane M'baye - percussion, Jeff Callaway - trombones Listen
BBB - Mr Diagonal and the Black Light Orchestra
$18.99
(cdRoots# hrbe-6041)
A marriage between 2 unusual traditions: British music-hall and Belgian surrealism. OK, what more can I say than that?! Daniel Barbenel (piano, voice); Grégoire Tirtiaux (saxaphone, bass, voice); Eric Bribosia (keyboards, voice); Yannick Dupont (drums, vibraphone, glockenspiel, electronics) and Quentin Manfroy (flutes). Listen
Fřlg oss hjem, Ole Paus - Leieboerne
$18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-322)
Leieboerne (The Tenants) take a selection of songs by a legendary Norwegian songwriter, add a classic 70s folk-rock sound and ask Fřlg oss hjem, Ole Paus (Take us home, Ole Paus). The band says 'If you are a tenant you rent, you don't own. The nice thing about renting is that you can rearrange the furniture a bit and then pretend that you own... Renting from Ole Paus brings you into a fascinatingly huge house full of cellars and attics... But we do want to mention all the fabulous stuff we found in the attic that we dragged down into the living-room, that's why there are many songs from Oles earliest period.'
Taxidoscopio - Kristi Stassinopoulou and Stathis Kalyviotis
$18.99
(cdRoots# res-stassi07)
These Greek artists are producing global pop without peer, mixing local roots with international sounds and modern technology to create, over the course of the last few years, a completely unique aural pallette that relates to almost no one else. fRoots says: '…a completely unique, utterly recognisable and forward-looking style of their own. And in that distillation, it seems to have become more distinctly Greek - a strange, other-worldly Greekness, for sure, but a 21st century Greekness that's modern within its own culture, out there, ahead and rooted rather than just banging off some local language version of what the globised industry dictates. No predictable Greek rock, Europop or hip-hop here then.'
Power of the Moon - Talking Water
$17.99
(cdRoots# wp-talk)
Kerstin Blodig and Ian Melrose's latest project has quite a pedigree including Clannad, Sally Oldfield, John Lord, Farfarello, Norland Wind and Kelpie. These two musicians, well-known in the Celtic and Scandinavian world-music scene, are here a true pop-rock band at last, with no apologies.
Taxidoscopio - Kristi Stassinopoulou and Stathis Kalyviotis
$18.99
(cdRoots# res-stassi07)
These Greek artists are producing global pop without peer, mixing local roots with international sounds and modern technology to create, over the course of the last few years, a completely unique aural pallette that relates to almost no one else. fRoots says: '…a completely unique, utterly recognisable and forward-looking style of their own. And in that distillation, it seems to have become more distinctly Greek - a strange, other-worldly Greekness, for sure, but a 21st century Greekness that's modern within its own culture, out there, ahead and rooted rather than just banging off some local language version of what the globised industry dictates. No predictable Greek rock, Europop or hip-hop here then.'
Will There Be Spring - Maria Solheim
$17.99
(cdRoots# kkv-309)
Norwegian pop, pure and simple, from a fine female vocalist with a quirky sense of timing and arrangement. (Lyrics in English)
Nĺr engle danser - Lunau
$16.99
(cdRoots# go-lunau1)
Danish folk-rock and acoustic pop with a little edginess, played by Katrine Munk Rasmussen on cello, Peter Sund on acoustic guitar, dobro and harmonica and Trine Lunau on accordion and vocal.
Grum - Instinkt
$16.99
(cdRoots# go-instinkt06)
Hard hitting folk-roots-and-rock from one of Denmark's hot young bands, grinding it out on fiddles, bass, drums, flutes, drejelire, bratch, jewsharp and more.
Basque Fire - Betagarri
$17.99
(cdRoots# jaro-betagarri)
Basque ensemble performs an energetic, regional version of ska, punk, rock.
Sha - Peeni Waali and Schildpatt
$16.99
(cdRoots# mensch-sha)
The 2006 brainchild of the amazing Fizze of Switzerland. He says: 'Sound-stalking through Alpine and Persian inflections, drum n' bass oriental improvisations, remixes, dubs, ambiances,collages and genuine creations...' Features santur master Alan Kushan.
OuterRail - ZetaBoo
$16.99
(cdRoots# aito-zeta2)
ZetaBoo arrives for a second round with this down to earth CD, a unique blend of pop, jazz and folk-roots. Composer Jarmo Saari offers songs that are melodic and folky, spontaneous and intuitive. Marko Timonen provides the swinging percussion that is at the heart of this new recording, driving a more relaxed band of vocals, accordion, keyboards, guitars, cavaquinho, trombone, lapsteel, keyboards, citara, and bass (Pekka Lehti) , a bit more subtle than their previous releases. The theme of the disc is the outer rail and homesickness. Says Saari: 'This is like a series of traveller’s landscapes. The journey is more important than arriving. The traveller prefers to follow a flitting butterfly or the advice of a stranger than a tourist map. Boldness and spontaneity are rewarded.'
Risastova - Kristian Blak and Yggdrasil
$15.99
(cdRoots# tutl-risa)
The ensemble Yggdrasil embarks on its 25th year with an ensemble of musicians from Faroe isalnds and Estonia, and featuring Kari Sverrisson. They perform modern interpretations of traditional Faroese skjaldurs, ballads and hymns. There are also unusual compositions by Kristian Blak.
Rautavaara - Ville Ojanen
$16.99
(cdRoots# seita-009)
Ville Ojanen is a chameleon in the field of Finnish folk music. He plays his fiddle like a Finn but creates his own contemporary music out of various local and global elements, where traditional acoustic instruments interact with modern technology, creating a contrasting tension. In one moment the colors of Ojanens fiddle and viola are Arctic and archaic, the next they turn beautiful like a frosty night in the Finnish winter. This is uniquely Finnish contemporary pop and folk.
Amore e Odio - Banda Bassotti
$17.99
(cdRoots# matson-bassotti)
Heavy ska, roots and rock from an Italian band of guitars, bass, drums and horns - they're political, passionate and loud (think Negu Gorriak, Les Negresses Vertes and The Clash). If you have the 'need for speed,' this is the band for you.
Da questa parte del mare - Gianmaria Testa
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-testa06)
The 2006 recording by the Italian troubadour with echoes of Paolo Conte and Leonard Cohen in his vocal delivery and his poetry. Musicians featured on the album include guitarist Bill Frisell, Gabriele Mirabassi on clarinet, Greg Cohen on bass and Paolo Fresu on trumpet. The booklet contains English translations of the lyrics.
1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CDs, 1 DVD) - Richard Thompson
$28.99
(cdRoots# sst-1000)
Thompson presents what he considers the great songs of the millennium, from 'Summer is icumen in' and 'King Henry' to 'Cry Me A River' and "Oops I Did It Again.' An acoustic pleasure, with Thomson on guitar and vocals, Michael Jerome on percussion and Judith Owen on vocals. 2 CDs and DVD (NTSC - North American format)
Every One Tells a Story - The Real Stormin' Norman
$14.99
(cdRoots# sn-1)
Best known for his work in the 70s are the pianist, composer and second voice in the legendary NYC band Stormin' Norman and Suzy, Norman Zamcheck returns with his 2006 solo release of new songs.
Top Quality Bones And A Little Terrorist - Britta Persson
$17.99
(cdRoots# amigo-2042)
A curious Swedish pop recording (sung in English) by a unique voice with a unusual song writing style. She accompanied by a mostly acoustic ensemble that is equally comfortable with rock, pop and jazz.
Empires and Us - Steve Skaith
$17.99
(cdRoots# wp-skaith05)
Former Latin Quarter frontman Steve Skaith leads a politically charged folk-rock ensemble with Javier Gámiz - Lead guitar and backing vocals, Beto Tenorio - Bass, and Ricardo Serrano - Drums.
Flesh and Armor - Liam Bailey
$15.99
(cdRoots# bok-mr01)
Pure pop with American roots - not my usual catalog addition, but I make exceptions for musicians with a wry outlook, an unusual voice and a certain sense of production restraint. Liam and his team of musicians have all of this working for them, so if you have the occasional, selective soft spot for intelligent pop music like I do, you might want to give this one a listen.
Soul of a Man - Knut Reiersrud
$17.99
(cdRoots# kkv-soul)
The Norwegian guitarist's 1998 take on soul, blues and gospel is, as always distinctive and surprising. Always a step ahead, Knut employed samples of legendary blues performances together with rock-solid band of Paolo Vinaccia, Auden Erlien, Bugge Wesseltoft and Reidar Skĺr. The album is more of a band album with Knut's electric guitar virtuosity in focus. Three of the songs were written exclusively for him by Mac Rebenack and the late Doc Pomus, and the most convincing song on the recording, the title track, is an original. Completely unique and different.
Orgia - Jaume Sisa
$17.99
(cdRoots# medi-sisa)
Jaume Sisa was an important part of Musica Dispersa and is a folk-rock artist with a very idiosyncratic style. His first album Orgia was a prime example of psychedelic rock - the Spanish way - with Sisa followings his whim much like Incredible String Band. The vocals and harmonica playing is a little indebted to Bob Dylan, but a lot stranger. Elsewhere there are kazoos, piano, tablas, recorders, snippets of tapes, and even occasional strings and brass. The same year, 1971, that Musica Dispersa was released, he also put out this great solo album. Crazy acid folk with lots of humour and weird vocals by Sisa himself.
list of lights and buoys - Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
$17.99
(cdRoots# rune-2034)
Norwegian duo of Susanna Wallumrřd (vocals) and Morten Qvenild (keyboards) features nine low key, sparse and austere original songs (sung in English) plus highly personal interpretations of Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' and Leonard Bernstein's 'Who Am I'. Unique contemporary pop music from Scandinavia.
Sentimental Streak - Catherine Russell
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-crsentiment)
A collection of songs that hightlight this jazz singers vocal range. 14 tracks of jazz, blues and torch songs recorded at Levon Helm Studios by producer Larry Campbell (who has recorded Dylan, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and Abbey Lincoln and adds his own mandolin, guitar, resonator guitar, violin, and pedal steel). Matt Munisteri on guitar and banjo, Lee Hudson on acoustic bass, and Larry Ham or Mark Shane on piano with guest musicians include Byron Isaacs of Ollabelle on acoustic bass, Rachelle Garniez on accordion, James Wormworth on drums, Howard Johnson on tuba, and from the Levon Helm Band, Steven Bernstein on trumpet, cornet, and slide trumpet, Erik Lawrence on saxophones, and Brian Mitchell on piano.
The Transports - Peter Bellamy and friends
$16.99
(cdRoots# sst-free11)
One of the late Peter Bellamy's most ambitious projects is now available on CD, his 'folksong opera' about the plight of those sentenced to exile in Australia, first populated as a penal colony. Originally a 2-LP set, this is a cycle of original songs strung together in a coherent narrative, and it includes some of England's finest traditional singers: June Tabor, Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, the Watersons, and Bellamy himself. Highly recommended, limited quantity available
Seventh and Trade - Clare Fader and The Vaudevillains
$16.99
(cdRoots# fader2)
Singer and writer Clare Fader and company are back with their second release, and it is, if anything, weirder, darker and more quirky than the first. It's part cabaret, part Jaques Brel, perhaps a skittering dose of The Doors without the amplifiers and leather. The Vaudevillains: Aaron Bachelder, drums; Andy Mabe, upright bass; Brad Cokendolpher, guitar; and Mary K. Elkins, cello.
Zumbi - Andrea Marquee
$17.99
(cdRoots# st-marquee-zum)
High-tech Brazilian pop by great singer interpreting contemporary songwriters like Caetano Veloso and Jorge Ben, with a strong African element.
Deliveren - Seven Aksu
$temp out of stock-17.99
(cdRoots# ada-deliveren)
2001 release from the Turkish diva usually performs purely pop contempory music, but on Deliveren she manages to find a bit of the roots-influence she had many years back. Not for those with a need for real roots, but for those who just love a great vocalist no matter the source, this might be for you.
Elementary Level of Faith - Gabriel Yacoub
$out of print
(cdRoots# elf-elf)
1987
Les cathedrales de l'industrie - Malicorne / Gabriel Yacoub
$out of print-18.99
(cdRoots# elf-cath)
Cathedrals of Industry is the recording that turned the tide in French folk-rock, a high-tech experiment that infuriated some old (folkie) fans with its electronics and sometimes calculated mechanisms. But it is also the recording that placed Malicorne in the new European avant garde, bringing the nation into the 'new roots' movement that Britain had already started.
Sett - Tonje Unstad
$temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-305)
Pure pop music from a great young Norwegian voice, this 2006 release is her debut recording. Lovingly constructed and produced by KKV's Erik Tillsted with a small band of guitars, bass, drums, piano and horns.
Fel es Egesz (2 CD set) - Transsylvanians
$temp out of stock-19.99
(cdRoots# wp-trans06)
Fél es Čgesz is the 6th CD by this powerful Hungarian roots'n'rock band. They describe the 2 CD set as 'Hungarian Speed Folk - two sides, different pulse frequencies- CD 1 is for stagedivers, CD 2 is for slowfolkers. Bastard arrangements of Bartók and Rimski-Korsakow, an excerpt from a Hungarian rock-opera, Jimi Hendrix' rock-classic 'Fire,' and the infamously legendary film-song "Gloomy Sunday." And the two greatest Hungarian poets of the 19th century, Arany János und Petöfi Sándor, are invited to the party. Tradition revitalised with the power of rock and the freedom of punk.'
Tuttipari - ipercussonici
$temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# rd-ft46)
The "marranzano", Sicilian for jew's harp is the core of this band from Catania. In this project there is all of Sicily, the ancient Trinacria and the modern island as different rhythms and instruments intertwine with the sound of an electrified jew's harp and the beat of primitive drums. Dum dum and didjeridoo become the drum n' bass for the syncopated, psychedelic raids of the electric jew's harp; tambourine and djembč create African-Sicilian rhythms, with the voice switching between sea and urban chants, serenade and ragamuffin. Sicily is celebrated and criticized with energy, involvement, collectivity and passion.
Spektakel - Spektakel
$temp out of stock-16.99
(cdRoots# tutl-83)
This Danish ensemble plays seriously crooked music inspired by traditional folk music from the Nordic countries to the Balkans, medieval ballads, moonstruck poetry and with a pinch of rock'n'roll, performed on a hodgepodge of instruments including guitar, nyckelharpa, cello, recorder, mandolin, Hungarian hurdy-gurdy, Australian didgeridoo, double bass, violin and percussion. Last but not least, the vocals are strong, expressive and up front.
Beches Brew - Bengt Berger
$temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# ce-13)
Bengt Berger has pulled together a band together that conveys all his uniqueness as a composer, musician and band leader: The modal, the ethnic, the melodies, rhythms, the old-school, avante garde, odd meters, humour and seriousness, chastity and sex, childishness, wisdom and senility, in a word: Country and Eastern music.
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