Smithsonian Folkways

For this month’s edition of our People’s Picks series, North Carolina folk singer-songwriter Anjimile curates a beautiful playlist celebrating the varied musical traditions of Malawi.

“Finding these recordings of Malawian music in the Smithsonian Folkways library was exciting and emotional, to say the least,” he shares. “I’ve included music from a variety of ethnic groups in Malawi—namely the Yao, Chewa, Tonga, Henga, and Tumbuka peoples, in order to include the most varied musical traditions that distinguish the indigenous cultural groups that make up Malawi... I was reminded that I am proud to be a Malawian musician.”

Anjimile has forged a distinctive musical path characterized by unflinching introspection and deep honesty, captivating audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that feel like prayer and celebration. His latest album, ‘You’re Free to Go,’ is out in March on 4AD.

Read more and listen to Anjimile’s picks: folkways.si.edu/playlist/peoples-picks-anjimile

3 days ago | [YT] | 5

Smithsonian Folkways

Brooklyn-based sound artist and multi-instrumentalist more eaze kicks off this year’s People’s Picks series with a playlist rooted in the memories and sonic connections she traces through the Folkways archive.

“This playlist ends and begins with songs by Flaco Jiménez—a name and a figure who is ubiquitous within my hometown of San Antonio. I grew up hearing Flaco’s music all around me, and it’s something that I wish I’d actively engaged with more as a teenager and seen as the extraordinary gift it is. Nowadays, I deeply love this music and it instantly transports me to certain places and times in my life in Texas. As I worked on this playlist, I thought about how I was engaging with Folkways records growing up in a city that’s so synonymous with Flaco’s presence and connections. Most of the music I included is deeply tied to specific memories that I connect to the disparate and vast Folkways archive.

In a way, this playlist is a sort of personal reckoning with history, memory, influence, and taste in a manner similar to how I often compose and conceptualize my work as more eaze. A few memories I associate with this music: Stumbling into an Anna and Elizabeth show at Secret Project Robot in 2018 on an off day on tour and being profoundly moved by their music; developing an intense obsession with ‘Whoa, Back, Buck’ by Lead Belly in high school because the ‘Take This Hammer’ compilation was the only CD of his I could find for sale anywhere in San Antonio; having my mind blown in college by the forward-thinking music of Todd Dockstader and Jon Appleton; Craig Kupka’s ‘Trombones of Lithia’ making a mind-numbing office job feel less painful; Mary Lou Williams’s ‘Black Christ of the Andes’ emotionally wrecking me on a flight back from a long European tour; the lyrics to Lucinda Williams’s ‘Howlin’ at Midnight’ hitting me so hard when I first moved to New York City with just a few gigs; and most recently, marveling at The Freeborne’s DIY innovation while taking my dog on a long walk through the city at night.

I hope that this music conjures up listeners’ own memories and associations and makes people think about how all this work exists under the umbrella of Folkways and America in general.”

—Mari Maurice

🔊 Listen now on your preferred platform: folkways.si.edu/playlist/peoples-picks-more-eaze

Graphic by Darryl Norsen / Photo by Laura Brunisholz

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 6

Smithsonian Folkways

Midway through Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic speech at the 1963 March on Washington, a voice rang out from behind him: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” That voice belonged to Mahalia Jackson, King’s close friend and one of the most revered gospel singers of the 20th century. Kronos Quartet’s new album ‘Glorious Mahalia,’ out April 3 on Smithsonian Folkways, uses that moment as a springboard to explore the depth of Jackson’s musical craft, her impact on the civil rights movement, and the friendships she forged throughout her career.

The album features new works by Stacy Garrop and Zachary James Watkins that incorporate archival audio of Jackson singing and speaking with WFMT radio host and oral historian Studs Terkel, as well as a new interview with King’s lawyer and speechwriter Clarence B. Jones recorded for this release. Kronos Quartet also performs Jacob Garchik’s new arrangement of the Antonio Haskell composition “God Shall Wipe All Tears Away,” inspired by Jackson’s 1937 recording of the gospel masterwork.

Today you can hear the fourth movement of Garrop’s piece “Glorious Mahalia,” which sees Kronos playing along to Jackson’s performance of the spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” accompanied by pianist and collaborator Mildred Falls. Listen to the recording and preorder the album on CD and LP formats through the link here: orcd.co/kronos-quartet-glorious-mahalia

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 15

Smithsonian Folkways

¡Salud!, sláinte, prost, and cheers! This new playlist is full to the brim with drinking songs, offering “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer,” “Whiskey, Rye, Whiskey,” “So Much Wine,” and plenty more. Whether you’re dancing the polka, hoisting a sail, or ready to fathom the bowl, there’s something for all to enjoy.

🍻 Now streaming on YouTube, Apple Music, TIDAL, Spotify, and Pandora—listen with us here: folkways.si.edu/playlist/drinking-songs-from-smith…

1 month ago | [YT] | 12

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

3 months 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…

4 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…

4 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…

5 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

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5 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

6 months ago | [YT] | 26