Roots Music Report

With her first album since 2015’s Looking Up At The Sky, Yumi Kurosawa takes the iconic Japanese koto with her trio in bold new directions on Metamorphosis (March 24, 2023, ZOHO Records). Yumi renews a 1300-year-old musical tradition, weaving traditional Japanese forms with threads of Afro-Latin, Jazz, Middle Eastern and Western neo-classical forms to create something entirely new. Production by Latin Grammy award winner Kabir Sehgal helped Yumi fulfill the long-held goal that brought her to New York from... Read More

Unite is Ogun Afrobeat’s new album, where the band keeps on expanding its musical horizons without losing touch with the roots of Afrobeat and Nigerian music. In this album Ogun’s music goes East, with Ethiopian and Middle Eastern influences, and West, to America, focusing on the African diaspora in the Caribbean. You can also feel the presence of Afro-American music: jazz, funk, R&B. The result of blending these ingredients is a party where you can't stop dancing. Unite features some very special guests, from Nigerian... Read More

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is the latest album by New York-based jazz vocalist and radio host MARY FOSTER CONKLIN. The project features mostly women writers in a savory mix of lesser-known jazz and pop tunes, all beautifully rendered by Conklin’s distinctive contralto voice and affective delivery. THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is her fifth album and follows Crazy Eyes (1998), You’d Be Paradise (2001), Blues for Breakfast (2006), and Photographs (2016). Cadence Magazine said, “As someone who values freshness over music that appears... Read More

INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTIST, MOTU TO RELEASE HIS LONG-AWAITED 22ND AMERICANA/BLUES ROCK ALBUM, “THE WATER IS HIGH”-Release Date: May 2, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Multi-discipline singer-songwriter/band leader Dr Richard Michelson (stage name: MOTU which is Music Of The Universe) is best known for his ability to play any string instrument with expertise as well as being a prolific poet and master engineer. Past SEMI-FINALIST WINNER in both the ISC and IBC, the NY-based multiple BEST OF LONG ISLAND WINNER has... Read More

LIBBY YORK is not the kind of jazz singer that needs vocal pyrotechnics to engage an audience. Whether she is singing a ballad or swinging a standard, her deep connection to the lyrics and subtle improvisations on the melody convey an intimacy that makes each song feel like she is telling a story about her own life. On DREAMLAND, York’s newest recording, she once again plies her rich, expressive voice to a set of mostly lesserdone standards that highlight her ability to cut to the emotional core of a song. DREAMLAND was... Read More

“If humankind could live by the principles of voodoo, of community and tolerance and sharing, we could go so far.” So says Erol Josué, singer, dancer, and one of Haiti’s most vital and beloved artists. Josué invokes the spirits known as Iwa to invite healing and tolerance as he explores his country’s uneasy journey – and his own – in his sophomore album, Pèlerinaj (Pilgrimage), available March 24 on Village Hut Records. Produced primarily by New York City-based... Read More

Emmy® Award Winning composed and internationally renowned recording artist Michael Whalen had an idea about creating a group of composers and players to collaborate on Our April Tigers, a new instrumental recording that would defy style or genre. He wanted to use musicians who had careers in soundtrack global ambient alternative and beyond: Bassist Michael Manring, guitarist Michael Brook, trumpeter Jeff Oster and percussionist/remixer Karsh Kale, with Whalen starting the tracks collaborated on seven songs and the... Read More

Plena Libre celebrates 30 years of bringing the iconic sounds of their Puerto Rican homeland to stages worldwide w/the release of new album Cuatro Esquina (Four Corners) and worldwide tour dates Puerto Rico’s multi-Grammy–nominated musical masters, Plena Libre have consistently been enthralling audiences around the globe over the course of their storied 30-year, 16-album career with their original sound — one that infuses the traditional plena and bomba rhythms of  Puerto Rico with a fresh spring mix of... Read More

  The music on Better Days is expansive and varied, toying with fusion, prog rock, jazz, and classical elements, but never settling into a singular musical style. Mr. Chair’s dynamic and fresh sound abounds in the nine sweeping journeys that comprise the record. Much of the music was written between January 2020 and... Read More

  The entire city of New Orleans becomes one big party during Mardi Gras, but Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra know that there’s no place to be quite like Uptown on Mardi Gras Day. With their latest album, due out February 3, 2023, the UJO provides the ultimate soundtrack for Carnival Time in the Crescent City with a spirited collection of Mardi Gras classics and buoyant new originals. Under the leadership of trombonist, composer, NEA Jazz Master and native New Orleanian Delfeayo... Read More

Merging ancient Indian, Chinese, Persian and African music with an exquisite Jazz backbone, they deliver what film director Jan Pinkava says, “is an exceptional creation.” Discover a deep existential jazz journey to the stars as time and space evolve. DIGITAL ONLY RELEASE ON JANUARY 6, 2023 PREVIEW AT THIS LINK. Available From All Major Streaming Services New Release DIGITAL ONLY LOUIS SICILIANO “ANCIENT COSMIC TRUTH” RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 6, 2023 Artist: LOUIS SICILIANO Title: ANCIENT... Read More

With over two dozen albums as a leader and multiple Latin Grammy and Grammy nominations, pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader ANTONIO ADOLFO is an internationally recognized Latin jazz star. More than 200 of his original compositions have been covered by artists like Sergio Mendes, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick. Several of his albums pay tribute to great Brazilian and American jazz stars, like Antonio Carlos Jobim (Jobim Forever, 2021), Milton Nascimento (BruMa: Celebrating Milton Nascimento, 2020),... Read More

  Announces Brand New Studio Album Down Rounder Due Out February 17, 2023 on Second Prize Records Down Rounder album pre-order Unveils “Mystic Light” Single + Video Available across platforms here "Cat Clyde is a musical force to be reckoned with” - NYLON   Photo Credit:... Read More

The ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND has released SYRIA MOSQUE: PITTSBURGH, PA JANUARY 17, 1971  ON OCTOBER 28 VIA ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND RECORDING COMPANY LIVE SHOW RECORDING RESTORED AND REMASTERED FIRST OFFICIAL RELEASE FOR RECORDING WIDELY TRADED AS A BOOTLEG AND MISTAKENLY... Read More

A new book called "Rock on Film: The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen" by Fred Goodman is now available, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season.  Buy Now: Amazon Apple Books Barnes & Noble  Google Play Ebooks.com Kobo   For rock music and film buffs alike, this is the ultimate guide exploring the electrifying, entertaining, and often daring marriage of rock & roll and cinema. When the use of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the... Read More

Ukubonga [Gratitude], the new recording from South African singer Lorraine Klaasen and South African guitarist, composer, arranger, musical director and producer Mongezi Ntaka is a collection of songs from the Southern Africa’s Township music songbook and features songs written by some of Southern Africa’s celebrated singers and composers. Lorraine & Mongezi decided to show gratitude to the dedicated artists who endured and survived some of the most brutal and humiliating experiences a human can experience while pursuing their... Read More

With his signature world-weary, raspy vocals and a penchant for epic, power-ballad guitar licks, Florida-based singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Scott Hongell is a salt-of-the-earth artist who sings about what he knows and writes from his life experiences, which include those of a Marine, a mail carrier, personal trainer, and of course entertainer. The result has been a solid lifetime of songs that tell the familiar stories of the human heart and remind listeners to focus on the things that really matter in... Read More

Oslo-based American-Norwegian trio Buster Sledge released their first studio album Call Home in May 2022, following up on their self-recorded and self-released debut Spirit (2020). Fiddle, banjo, guitar and three voices are the vehicle for lyrical storytelling against an orchestral background anchored in the acoustic music traditions of the United States. Hailingfrom northern California, lead vocalist and songwriter Michael Barrett Donovan mixes themes from personal experience with folk and country music archetypes to breathe new life into... Read More

PIONEERING INSTRUMENTAL SYNTH-POP BAND DELAY TACTICS REUNITES FOR 2022 ALBUM “ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE” FIRST SINGLE “VIOLA’S ASCENT” RELEASED IN JULY 2022   After three decades 2022 marks the return of techno-pop trio Delay Tactics, featuring Walter Whitney (synthesizers, guitars), David Udell (guitars, keyboards) and Carl Weingarten (acoustic and electric slide guitars).  With guest Michael Manring (bass), a new single “Viola’s Ascent” is now streaming on all... Read More

Austin, TX - Of course, Lone Star State honky-tonkers The Western Express are aware of the renewed interest in the eras of country music that inspire them—and the major-label artists who are leading that surge in popularity with radio-friendly hits—but they’re not chasing trends. “My first real concert was the Judds at the Houston Rodeo in the late ‘80s. I sang George Strait songs at every talent show I could enter as a kid,” says Stephen Castillo, one half of The Western Express, along with... Read More

With the release of his sophomore album, Noli Me Tángere, saxophonist, composer and educator Matthew Muñeses magnifies the revolution in the Philippines on an impassioned and vigorous set of original compositions. Due out June 3, 2022 via Next Level, Noli Me Tángere is an auditory exploration of the half-Filipino bandleader’s heritage as he pays tribute to the late 19th-century Philippine national hero José Rizal. Provoked after reading Rizal’s novel of the same title, Muñeses began writing... Read More

George Lernis is a drummer, percussionist and composer whose unique musical influences and upbringing meld to create a sound and vision that stands unparalleled in the present-day jazz and creative music scene. Born and raised in Cyprus, Lernis’ musicianship was inspired by the traditions of the Mediterranean and Middle East and continued to flourish as he developed a passion for the heritage and performance of jazz. Now, following his album Shapes of Nature, Lernis presents a profound musical and societal statement with Between Two... Read More

Drummer and composer Clemens Grassmann’s latest creation, Grass Machine, is a tale of the strength of community and support amidst the unprecedented disunity wrought by the pandemic. Featuring an atypical septet of three saxophones and a trumpet, Grass Machine showcases intricate arrangements that strike a careful balance between highlighting melody and shining a light upon the inner machinations of the band. The album is a testament to the intersection of hard work and creativity that’s ushering in the rebirth of the New York... Read More

Elsa Nilsson is a flutist, composer and educator from Gothenburg, Sweden currently residing in Brooklyn, New York where she can often be found playing at The 55 Bar, Bar Bayeux and other New York Jazz venues. She is Faculty at The New School College for Performing Arts where she teaches Rhythmic Analysis. Nilsson approaches music with an attitude of inclusiveness. She believes there is a space to be found in music that gives us the freedom to be exactly who we are. This leads her to make some unconventional choices in her compositions. The... Read More

Trumpeter and composer Kalí Rodríguez-Peña blurs the lines between genres as he pays homage to the 21st-century mindset with his hard-grooving debut, Mélange, out March 4, 2022 via Truth Revolution Records. Drawing from bebop and post-bop; Cuban timba, salsa, and rumba; and world music from India and the Caribbean, Mélange creates an eclectic yet seamless blend of musical traditions and heritages that, when combined, shine with a mosaic ebullience. Trumpeter and composer Kalí... Read More

Cantodiscanto has come out with a new album entitled Pandemusica. There are significant collaborations with artists, old and new fellow travelers who have given their contribution by working at a distance, when conditions did not allow to meet. The basic quintet composed of Guido Sodo (string instruments and voice), Frida Forlani (voice), Ivan Valentini (sax), Giovanni Calcaterra (double bass) and Paolo Caruso (percussion, drums, berimbau and santoor). They are joined by the vocalist Maria Anadon (Lisbon), together with cellist Davide... Read More

Visage Music is a record label founded by Claudio Carboni and Riccardo Tesi, focused on the production of world music and Italian songwriting. UPGRADE is a new album by Andrea Piccioni e Francesco Loccisano and is a new production by Visage Music. It is a CD composed of original songs in which tradition renews itself in search of new languages and musical frontiers. Tradition is a living process, in transformation, that renews and regenerates itself thanks to the incessant work of its bearers. This is the meaning of the meeting between... Read More

Bologna - On 7th April 2022, neapolitan musician Peppe Aiello released his solo debut CD on the Visage Music label. Taking inspiration from the theatrical show Male Doce, given with great success during the summer review of the Baraccano Theatre of 2019, the album ‘Na stanza chiena ‘e ’ncienzo comes to fruition in 2021 produced by Visage Music of Claudio Carboni, Riccardo Tesi and Simona Capecchi, a discografic label that treats world music, always attentive towards new talents and presenting musical propositions that... Read More

“This new album is about letting my all of my electronic influences out for everyone to see!” laughs two-time Emmy® award winning composer and international recording artist Michael Whalen discussing his forthcoming electronic album: Imaginary Trains, due April 22, 2022, via MWM/Spout label through Six Degrees Distribution/INgrooves/UMG. “Since I completed my album ‘Sacred Spaces’ in 2019, my evolution as an artist, synthesist and sound designer has made it essential to create a whole new... Read More

The Jazz Journalists Association has announced its 2022 class of Jazz Heroes – 28 “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz” from 26 U.S. communities -- to be celebrated for their energy, imagination and resilience in supporting and sustaining jazz artists and audiences in their local communities and beyond. See full portraits and profiles of the Heroes at JJAJazzAwards.org. Simultaneously, the JJA debuts The Buzz: The JJA Podcast, available at all... Read More