A Billie Holiday tribute from James Carter; Malian story-song guitarist Habib Koite; Scottish folk electronica from Martyn Bennett; Canadian fiddle player April Verch; and Polish folk from the Warsaw Village Band. Featured Artist: R. Crumb's rare 78 rpm records.
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R. Crumb, Habib Koite, Warsaw Village Band
Tambor de la Alegría
This is a collection of obscure recordings of women singers from all over the world, mostly from the 1920s and '30s, culled from R. Crumb's personal collection of 78rpm records.
I'm in a Low Down Groove
Jazz saxophonist James Carter here performs a track from the Billie Holiday songbook.
Batoumambe
Habib Koite comes from the Khassonke griot tradition in Mali, an inherited caste of musicians who perform story songs to preserve the history of their homeland.
Chanter
Martyn Bennett fuses traditional Scottish folk with modern backbeats.
Reg and Irma's Waltz
A fiddler from Ottawa Valley, April Verch draws on the sounds of Appalachia, bluegrass, Celtic and French Canada on this mix of waltzes, airs, reels, and polkas.
I Had a Lover
The sheep-herding mountaineers of Poland used a style of singing called "bialy glos" or "white voice" -- a type of powerful, melodic screaming used to communicate across long distances. The Warsaw Village Band revives this musical style on this CD.