KOKOKO! originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This musical force of nature includes instrument inventors from the Ngwaka neighborhood, electronic producer débruit, and dancer/choreographer Makara Bianko, whose dancers come from...
Korean master drummer Kim So Ra is an award-winning traditional percussionist, composer, and ambassador of Honam Province Jeongeup folk music. Kim is a charismatic performer on the Janggu (Korean double-headed drum), combining Korean traditional sounds with creative,...
The four women of Kardemimmit play the Finnish national instrument, the kantele, which is similar to a zither or dulcimer. Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius, and Leeni Wegelius have mastered both the 15-stringed and 38-stringed kanteles, and they sing with...
From classical piano, to bass, to jazz improvisation, to the sitar: this was Josh Feinberg’s path to deep knowledge of North Indian classical music and its signature string instrument. Josh’s primary training has been with sitar maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and his...
Stemming from Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project – which focuses on songs collected by folklorist and field recording pioneer Alan Lomax – Folklife treats old field recordings not as time capsules, but as heirloom seeds passed down from a bygone generation. Planting these...
Last year's Lotus Festival sensation returns! Overflow crowds testified to Guilhem Desq’s charismatic mastery of the hurdy-gurdy, a deep-barreled, lute-shaped string instrument whose sound is generated by turning a crank. Desq, who has electrified this usually...
Frontera Bugalú pays homage to music unique to the long Texas/Mexico border that stretches from Brownsville to El Paso: high-energy cumbia blended with the “border folk” of traditional accordion-fronted Mexican music and of other Latin rhythms. The band began as a...
The remarkable Çudamani ensemble of musicians and dancers is based in the village of Pengosekan, Bali, a district known for its traditional arts, craft, and dance. Its full gamelan orchestra (including metal gongs, xylophones, metallophones, drums, and bamboo flutes)...
The nine-member Lucero family performs modern Latino mariachi. The band’s name comes from a quintessential mariachi song, and the Lucero children are the fourth generation in their family to learn this traditional music of western Mexico. Mariachi, with its exuberant...
The Balan Fanga Project showcases the West African balafon: think xylophone, but made from wood and gourds, with a richer, earthier sound. Born in Mali, Balla Kouyaté has an unparalleled knowledge of traditional repertoire and has been a member of the Ensemble...