Smithsonian Folkways

Announcing ¡Puritito Michoacán!, the new album from renowned arpa grande (big harp) ensemble Los Originarios del Plan, out on CD and digitally on October 31.

Led by harpist Leonel “La Chona” Mendoza Acevedo, Los Originarios del Plan are known for their vibrant performances of arpa grande music, an older, all-string musical cousin of the modern mariachi with centuries of roots in western Mexico. Based in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the group has become one of the genre’s leading voices, connecting farmworkers and immigrant communities from Michoacán to the West Coast through music that celebrates joy, faith, and belonging.

Today, you can preorder the album and listen to the lead single, “Mi tierra linda” (My Beloved Land): https://youtu.be/6m-8yTJnsds?

In the liner notes, Smithsonian Folkways director emeritus and album co-producer Dan Sheehy describes the song: “Composed in the fast-paced rhythm of the regional son, ‘Mi tierra querida’ is an ode to the hotlands of El Plan, particularly to the son planeco and conjunto de arpa grande. It features the tamboreada ‘drumming’ in which one of the musicians kneels next to the harp and strikes the face of the harp with both hands, adding a rhythmic accompaniment to the singing.”

Photo by Michael G. Stewart / Cover Design by Cooley Lab Design

1 month ago | [YT] | 19

Smithsonian Folkways

Today we’re thrilled to share a digital collection of previously unreleased, rare, and classic songs by Clifton Chenier drawn from the landmark box set ‘Clifton Chenier: King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco.’ These selections span a quarter century and offer a glimpse into Chenier’s world, including unreleased music from his historic 1976 performance on Austin City Limits, where he shared the stage with Townes Van Zandt for the television series’ third-ever episode, and that year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as the earliest-known live recording of Chenier circa 1959/1960.

Arriving February 6, the 67-track box set is the first ever release of this scope and breadth to be dedicated to the zydeco icon, whose fusion of blues, R&B, Afro-Caribbean, Cajun, and Creole traditions defined the sound of the genre, and who played with and influenced artists including The Rolling Stones, Etta James, Little Richard, and Ray Charles. The 4-CD/6-LP set comes with a 160-page spread of essays, photos, and other graphic artifacts, including a wealth of material from the Arhoolie Foundation’s archive, as well as the Arhoolie Records catalog, which became a part of Smithsonian Folkways in 2016.

Stream the selections out now & preorder the box set:

youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4...

orcd.co/clifton-chenier-king-of-louisiana-blues-an…

2 months ago | [YT] | 35

Smithsonian Folkways

Take in the sounds and histories of New England with this field guide to the region curated by singer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon. Born and raised in a musical family in Vermont, Amidon grew up around shape note singing, contradance and New England fiddle music, Francophone music, and other styles that populate the greater New England area. In an interview with Folkways, Amidon discusses the sounds and people he grew up with, as well as his work on “The History of Sound,” a new film that centers on a ballad collecting trip in rural Maine in 1920.

Listen to the playlist and read Amidon’s Q&A on our website! Now available to stream on TIDAL, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and our YouTube channel: folkways.si.edu/playlist/a-field-guide-to-new-engl…

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 19

Smithsonian Folkways

John R. Miller is a West Virginia-raised, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist crafting his own intimate blend of laid-back country blues and folk. Fresh off a recent tour with Tommy Prine, as well as new solo releases this year on Rounder Records, we’re thrilled to have Miller curate this People’s Picks from the Folkways collection. His selections focus on favorites from across the American folk music canon, including traditional old-time fiddle, bluegrass, and blues pickers and songwriters: “These are ephemeral treasures, to which we are very fortunate to have enduring access. I am grateful that Folkways exists as an interactive window into our rich creative past, while holding space for our present as well. It is as anthropologically essential as it is exciting and inspiring.”

Listen to the playlist & read more from Miller here: folkways.si.edu/playlist/peoples-picks-john-r-mill…

3 months ago | [YT] | 18

Smithsonian Folkways

“Abebayehosh,” the second offering from Meklit’s upcoming album ‘A Piece of Infinity,’ is out today.

A song deeply rooted in seasonal tradition, “Abebayehosh” is sung each September by young girls in Ethiopia to mark the New Year, when the highlands bloom with adey abebay, the yellow flowers of Ethiopian springtime. With the holiday just around the corner on September 11, we wanted to share this song in anticipation of the celebrations ahead.

Meklit’s soaring vocals combine with vibrant Gurage rhythms and horn lines, bringing the traditional melody into vivid contemporary form alongside Kibrom Birhane (keyboard), Sam Bevan (electric bass), Colin Douglas (drums), Marco Peris Coppola (tupan and percussion), and Howard Wiley (alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone).

Described by Songlines Magazine as “a work which contains multitudes,” Meklit’s latest album is steeped in Ethio-jazz and reimagines traditional Ethiopian songs, highlighting the cultural power of traditional music, the beauty of women and girls songs, and the artistic impact and resilience of immigrant communities.

You can stream “Abebayehosh” now and pre-order ‘A Piece of Infinity,’ arriving September 26, through the link here: orcd.co/meklit-a-piece-of-infinity

Photo by Alexa Treviño

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

3 months ago | [YT] | 14

Smithsonian Folkways

“People often associate the harp with Celtic or Western European classical music, but it’s one of the world’s oldest instruments, and its presence spans the globe… I hope this playlist offers a glimpse into the wide-reaching beauty and versatility of the harp—from Cameroon to Scotland to the United States, its voice is as varied as it is powerful.”

Brandee Younger, harpist, composer, and bandleader known for blending spiritual jazz, classical training, and the soulfulness of R&B and hip-hop, curates this People’s Picks playlist exploring the harp’s many voices. Recently, she brought her dazzling artistry to Meklit’s new single “Tizita” on Smithsonian Folkways.

Take a sonic journey and read more from Younger: folkways.si.edu/peoples-picks-brandee-younger

4 months ago | [YT] | 26

Smithsonian Folkways

Today we celebrate the release of the album ‘Songs of Truth: Music and Song from the Kobzar Tradition of Ukraine’ by Ukrainian American musician Julian Kytasty, one of the world’s premier players of the bandura.

On ‘Songs of Truth,’ Kytasty brings expressive clarity and vibrancy to the centuries-old kobzar repertoire through skillfully retold historical epics, timeless philosophical songs, biting satire, and joyful dance tunes. The album illuminates the legacy of the kobzari—blind bards who traveled the Ukrainian countryside until the early 20th century, sharing news and history through sung storytelling accompanied on the bandura, a plucked-string instrument that has become a symbol of Ukrainian identity and culture.

As a performer, recording artist, composer, and band leader, Kytasty has redefined the possibilities of the bandura. Serving as the musical director of the New York Bandura Ensemble, he also founded and curated ten years of Bandura Downtown, an innovative music series based in New York’s East Village that provided a home for creative explorations of traditional and contemporary sounds and themes. He has performed and recorded as a soloist, with the ensemble Paris to Kyiv, and in his own Experimental Bandura Trio, bringing his passion and artistry to stages and studios worldwide alongside musical innovators like John Zorn and Derek Bailey, as well as such artists as Chinese pipa player Wu Man, klezmer revivalist Michael Alpert, and others.

“It was my good fortune to be born into a family and community of these players, who had come to Detroit as displaced persons in 1949,” Kytasty writes. “Among the bandurists I grew up with, performing songs from the ‘kobzar’ repertoire was a mark of prestige and conveyed a sense of connection to an ancient tradition. I was captivated by this music and went on to explore the tradition documented a century ago and to seek out its echoes in later recordings and the work of living players.”

To learn more about Kytasty, the history of the bandura, and the kobzar tradition, see the ‘Songs of Truth’ liner notes on our website. Now available on CD and digital formats, you can listen to the album and pick up your copy here: orcd.co/julian-kytasty-songs-of-truth

‘Songs of Truth’ marks the second release in our Sound Communities recording series, a collaboration between the Centre for Sound Communities at Cape Breton University and Smithsonian Folkways that highlights artists who tell stories of the lands, waters, and peoples of Turtle Island.

Skip the Carousel

1 2

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 28

Smithsonian Folkways

The world-renowned vocalist, songwriter, composer, and cultural strategist Meklit will release her new album and Smithsonian Folkways debut, ‘A Piece of Infinity,’ on September 26.

‘A Piece of Infinity’ is an invitation to think, to love, and to groove. Celebrating the rich musical traditions of Ethiopia, the Addis-born, San Francisco-based artist molds folk tunes from a multitude of communities and cultures throughout Ethiopia into jazz-inflected fantasies imbued with warmth and reverence. At its center is Meklit’s voice, which soars and whispers, intoning strength and devotion in Kembatigna, Amharic, Oromigna, and English.

From songs of longing and love to children’s riddles and original compositions, Meklit traverses expansive sonic ground that offers just a glimpse at the beautiful complexity of Ethiopian culture.

Today, Meklit has shared a dreamlike original video for the album’s first single, “Tizita,” directed by Sophiyaa Nayar. Meklit’s “Tizita” recasts one of Ethiopia’s most popular traditional songs as a poignant jazz ballad, featuring the expressive harp playing of composer and performer Brandee Younger.

Listen now, watch the video, and pre-order the album:
orcd.co/meklit-a-piece-of-infinity
https://youtu.be/RQ05UI0cAlc?si=rBfUW...

Photo by Alexa Treviño / Design by Caroline Gut

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 21

Smithsonian Folkways

Long before modern communication and before the days of highways and railroads, ships and waterways connected communities near and far. As sailors traveled from one port to another, they brought their songs with them and learned new ones from the people they met, spreading maritime folklore and traditions across the world.

Folkways Goes… to Sea features songs from the English-speaking maritime world, with origins in the United States, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the United Kingdom. Lyrics commemorate shipwrecks and storms, famous figures from maritime history, the indignities of shipboard life, the loneliness of being far from loved ones, the follies of sailors in port, and the joys of being homeward bound.

These are songs sung by sailors, whalers, fishermen, shipyard workers, and more, including singer-songwriters and broadside balladeers who may never have set foot on a ship. Some are true sea shanties—work songs that set the rhythms for maritime labor—while others are songs that would have been enjoyed during sailors’ leisure time at sea and ashore. Whether centuries old or contemporary, all tell us something about the seafaring cultures from which they came.

Read more about the playlist and listen on your preferred platform → folkways.si.edu/playlist/folkways-goes-to-sea

4 months ago | [YT] | 15

Smithsonian Folkways

Julian Kytasty is celebrated around the world as a master of the bandura. This plucked-string instrument has become a symbol of Ukraine through its association with the deep tradition of the kobzari—blind bards who traveled throughout the Ukrainian countryside until the early 20th century, sharing news and history through sung stories accompanied on bandura.

On ‘Songs of Truth: Music and Song from the Kobzar Tradition of Ukraine,’ Kytasty’s 2014 album being reissued by Smithsonian Folkways on August 1 and available for pre-order now, he brings expressive clarity and vibrancy to the centuries-old kobzar repertoire through skillfully retold historical epics, timeless philosophical songs, biting satire, and joyful dance tunes.

Released digitally today, the title track “Про Правду (Song of Truth)” is at the heart of the kobzar tradition. The song likely originated in the late 17th century, a time of widespread turmoil and social upheaval in Ukraine. Kytasty’s arrangement draws on the 19th-century transcription by Ostap Veresai, who was arrested for singing the song in public after performing for the tsar’s family in St. Petersburg, and on the performance of Heorhiy Tkachenko, one of the most respected traditional bandurists of the mid-20th century and a direct link to the music of the blind kobzari.

As Kytasty reminds us with this song, “it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between truth and falsehood, and sometimes, those with power try to convince us that a lie is actually the truth.”

This album marks the second release in our Sound Communities recording series, a collaboration between the Centre for Sound Communities at Cape Breton University and Smithsonian Folkways that highlights artists who tell stories of the lands, waters, and peoples of Turtle Island.

Pre-order ‘Songs of Truth’ and listen to the first single on YouTube or your preferred platform → orcd.co/julian-kytasty-songs-of-truth

4 months ago | [YT] | 20