Bassekou Kouyate is one of the true masters of the ngoni, an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa. He has collaborated with many notable musicians in and outside of Mali, including Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté, Taj Mahal and Béla Fleck. Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba is an ensemble with unusual instrumentation, including three…
Archives
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin is among the most consequential singer-songwriters of her generation, a quintessentially American artist whose wide-ranging canon incisively explores the intimate moments and universal emotions that bind us together. Over the course of two decades, the Grammy Award winner has crafted a remarkable body of work that prompted The New York Times to hail…
Leo Kottke
A self-taught guitar player and songwriter, Leo Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia. A stint in the US Navy was followed by a move to Minneapolis, where he found a nurturing environment in the city’s thriving folk scene. Kottke’s breakthrough came in 1969 when his mentor, legendary guitarist John Fahey, invited him to record for…
Regina Carter: Gone in a Phrase of Air
Trying to fit Regina Carter into a neatly defined musical category is futile. Carter enjoys performing many styles of music, including but not limited to jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop and African. In each she explores the power of music through the voice of the violin. The MacArthur “Genius,” Doris Duke Artist Award…
Ger Mandolin Orchestra
MIKE MARSHALL, MUSIC DIRECTOR David Benedict Sharon Gilchrist Caterina Lichtenberg Josh Pinkham Dana Rath Eric Stein Joe K. Walsh Jeff Warschauer Tony Williamson Radim Zenkl Conceived by Israeli-American Avner Yonai, whose ancestral research led him to a tattered photograph of his relatives playing in a pre-WWII Jewish mandolin orchestra in Góra Kalwaria, Poland (Ger in…
Sam Bush plays John Hartford / The Jerry Douglas Band
Best known for his award-winning mandolin playing, Kentucky-born Sam Bush is a multi-instrumentalist and bandleader who has influenced generations of American acoustic music artists. Growing up with American fiddle tunes and bluegrass music, Bush eventually looked to expand upon these traditions, helping create what became known as newgrass. He has won four International Bluegrass Music…
S.G. Goodman / Aaron Lee Tasjan
A songwriter and guitarist from Hickman, Kentucky, S.G. Goodman’s hard-hitting songs are anchored in the complexity and beauty of the rural South. Having recently recorded her second album in Athens, Georgia (following a critically acclaimed debut produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket), Goodman’s music ranges stylistically from southern indie rock and Appalachian balladry,…