Reaching number one on both the Billboard and Amazon charts, The Wexford Carols stars celebrated Irish singer Caitriona O'Leary alongside Grammy winners Sir Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, backed by an all-star band. Produced by four-time Grammy winner Joe Henry, the album presents Ireland's greatest Christmas music-much of it recorded for the very first time-through a magical blend of traditional Irish, Americana, Blues, and Gospel. With lyrics by Luke Waddinge and William Devereux set to popular 17th- and 18th-century tunes, these musically sublime, spiritually rich, and emotionally powerful carols offer listeners a fresh and compelling way to experience the story of Christmas. Reaching number one on both the Billboard and Amazon charts, The Wexford Carols stars celebrated Irish singer Caitriona O'Leary alongside Grammy winners Sir Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, backed by an all-star band. Produced by four-time Grammy winner Joe Henry, the album presents Ireland's greatest Christmas music-much of it recorded for the very first time-through a magical blend of traditional Irish, Americana, Blues, and Gospel. With lyrics by Luke Waddinge and William Devereux set to popular 17th- and 18th-century tunes, these musically sublime, spiritually rich, and emotionally powerful carols offer listeners a fresh and compelling way to experience the story of Christmas.

Dan Evans is one of the leading Appalachian dulcimer players, a consummate & stylish guitarist and prolific composer, specialising in nature-themed music. He plays almost exclusively fingerstyle with considerable classical skill and his unique style incorporates elements of folk, classical & jazz genres. On this new album Dan uses a number of tunings, keys and modes on the dulcimer to evoke a wide variety of moods and he plays guitar in the rich and resonant Open C tuning. A Waltz Through The Woods is Dan's sixth studio album, superbly recorded and produced by Angus Wallace at Far Heath Studios in Northamptonshire. Here Dan is joined again by English actress and classically trained singer Rebecca Hallworth on vocals and international Jazzman Andy Crowdy on bass, guitar and percussion. New friend and violinist Sharon Sullivan completes the line up. The much-admired artwork is by Yorkshire artist Ian Scott Massie - himself, by coincidence, a dulcimer player, This new CD album holds seven waltzes, five folk songs, two modal dulcimer pieces, two guitar pieces and five new compositions by Dan. The fifty-minute album has nineteen tracks in total, running through the year's four seasons. A Waltz Through The Woods was not recorded to a click track; The songs need space to breathe, some of the pieces have time signature changes and several the pieces have timing variations. There is also a general relaxation and freedom of timing in some of Dan's music, known as rubato. Dan's thirty years' experience as a professional musician clearly shows in the calm, mature nature of this production. Manufacture was coordinated by Pure Music Manufacture in Manchester, UK and the replication was undertaken by Profact International BV in Holland, Europe. The 4 page digisleeve is devoid of plastic and the card is made from 70-90% recycled board. Hardcopy and digital distribution is courtesy of The Divine Art Recordings Group to all the usual internet channels. "With his own distinctive fingerpicking style Dan blends together an evocative and expressive mix of Folk, Pop, Classical and Jazz. The sound quality and mix of this recording is outstanding. Dan is backed beautifully by his regular accompanists; Rebecca Halworth on superb vocals and Andy Crowdy on double bass, guitar and percussion. They are joined by Sharon Sullivan who adds some perfectly placed violin. I thoroughly recommend this excellent album. It most certainly left me with a warm comfortable feeling of having journeyed a nature filled Waltz Through The Woods. " Paul Crocker for Nonsuch News magazine, UK For more information, please visit Dan's website: www. English-dulcimer. #com

À la croisee de deux grandes civilisations, les pays d'Indochine en Asie du Sud-est nous invitent au reve », nous ecrit Dominique Menguy, docteur de l'INALCO, l'Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales. Francis Engelmann, conseiller de l'Unesco et historien de l'art à Luang Prabang au Laos, nous explique que « Si les musiques du Laos et du Cambodge ont beaucoup en commun avec des racines indiennes, la musique du Viet Nam appartient à une autre sphere culturelle plus proche de la Chine ». Francois Jouffa, qui enregistre des musiques populaires et traditionnelles en Asie depuis plus d'un demi-siecle, a reuni dans ce coffret de 3 CD les tresors de ses recherches in situ. Alors que l'Histoire de l'Indochine, si liee à la France, a traverse tant de drames, les artistes y rythment toujours en musique apaisante les evenements de la vie sociale et religieuse. Patrick FReMEAUX At the crossroads of two great civilizations, the countries of Indochina invite us to dream", wrote Dominique Menguy, Doctor of the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO). Francis Engelmann, UNESCO adviser and art historian in Luang Prabang, Laos, explains that 'while the music of Laos and Cambodia have much in common with Indian roots, the music of Vietnam belongs to another cultural sphere closer to China'. Francois Jouffa, who has been recording popular and traditional music in Asia for over half a century, has brought together the treasures of his in situ research in this 3-CD boxed set. While the History of Indochina, closely linked to France, has gone through so many tragedies, their artists still provide the soothing musical rhythms to all the events of social and religious life. Patrick FReMEAUX DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE : FRANcOIS JOUFFA & SUSIE JUNG-HEE JOUFFA CD 1. CAMBODGE / CAMBODIA CD 2. LAOS / LAOS CD 3. VIeT NAM / VIETNAM

Traditional Sicilian culture, from its language to various coded systems of myth and ritual, from its techniques of expression to their practiced forms, is the result of a stratification of elements attributable to each of the diverse ethnic stocks which in turn dominated this great island, located in the center of the Mediterranean (Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Islamic Berbers, Normans, Swabians, Frenchmen, Spaniards). The forms and styles of its traditional music, affected by these processes of hybrid growth, were also in one way or another marked by the archetypes of Sicily’s successive civilizations. As Ottavio Tiby stated, 'People listened to Greek nomos, the Byzantine hymn, the Arab maqam, the courtly troubadour ballad and the lied of the Minnesänger down to the opulent polyphony of the 16th-17th century!' (Studio introduttivo to the Corpus di musiche popolari siciliane by Alberto Favara, Palermo 1957).

This CD presents an anthology of the most remarkable vocal and instrumental typologies of traditional Sicilian music.

Ménestrel-the Canadian early music ensemble of soprano-violinist Janelle Lucyk and tenor-lutenist Kerry Bursey-mix ancient repertoire with Canadian oral folk traditions. In an age defined by acceleration and artifice, their debut album, Ménestrel, reaches backward, not to escape the modern world, but to examine it's emotional roots. They gather songs drawn from several centuries and traditions, from the luminous melancholy of John Dowland to the ardent intimacy of Barbara Strozzi, from the refined contours of French Renaissance chanson to the rugged sincerity of Celtic and English folk ballads. The name ménestrel refers to the medieval minstrel, a musician who moved between written and oral traditions and carried songs across regions and generations. Janelle and Kerry draw on that lineage as they bring early music and folk repertoire into close conversation. Their approach highlights the continuity between these traditions, focusing on clarity, text, and the shared expressiveness that links courtly song with vernacular melody. Formed in 2019, Ménestrel bridges historical performance and Canadian oral folk traditions, and the ensemble has given performances and collaborated with singers and choirs in all of Canada's 13 provinces and territories. Janelle Lucyk is a singer and producer among an emerging generation of Canadian artists specializing in early music and historically informed performance, taking ideas from conception to the stage. Kerry Bursey is a tenor and plucked string instrumentalist whose voice is appreciated for it's luminous quality, and as a sought-after lutenist, he is also invested in the rare practice of self-accompaniment in early and folk music of northwestern traditions. Their concerts aim to demystify early music, juxtaposing it next to folk songs, which are songs of the people.

Ode & Ballade by Skye Consort & Emma Björling brings stories of medieval saints and sacred wells, fair maidens outsmarting presumptuous knights, beautiful or boisterous drinking songs, thieves meeting their fate, heartbreaking love songs, groovy dance tunes, and celebrations of the return of Spring. The album combines elements from world music and classical traditions to narrate poems, tales, legends, and sonnets from Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, France and more.

Skye Consort was formed in 1999 to bring an art-music aesthetic to folk music from different world traditions. They have performed and toured extensively with various collaborators and released seven full-length albums. In November and December of 2018, in collaboration with Emma Björling, Skye Consort created a new repertoire sourced from Scandinavian, Québecois, and Celtic roots. Skye Consort & Emma Björling won the OPUS award for Best World Music Album 2019.

Listen to Ode & Ballade wherever you stream your music.

In this recording, Brú explores repertoire from the folk dance and song heritage of Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Traditional tunes are blended with musical elements as diverse as baroque, contemporary, and a pinch of heavy metal. Tales about magical beings, spells, hope, and deceit unfold against the alluring backdrop of Nordic nature. The contrast between life and death, love and despair, is sometimes resolved tragically, but at other times with a more humorous, down-to-earth outlook.

This live recording captures all the good humor, energy and musical insight of these 2 Grammy-nominated musicians. With 2 versatile sidemen, a dozen great new songs and a handful of seasoned chesnuts McCutcheon and Chapin serve up a generous helping of folk music old and new.