3/3/2023Die Harfenistin Monika Stadler feiert 60. Geburtstag und 30jähriges Bühnenjubiläum
Mit ihrem letzten Album „Diary From Within“ hat Monika Stadler mittlerweile 13 Tonträger im Spannungsfeld von improvisierter Musik, Jazz, Folk und Klassik veröffentlicht. Dabei hat die Österreicherin ihrem Instrument wie kaum eine andere Musikerin ein zu Hause in den verschiedensten Genres gegeben. Neben Solo-Kompositionen stechen besonders zahlreiche Duo-Kollaborationen heraus, in denen sie die Techniken des Harfenspiels ständig zu erweitern versucht und den musikalischen Tiefen der Seele nachspürt. In genialer Weise verbindet Monika Stadler dabei höchste Musikalität mit technischer Brillanz.
2/1/2023World Music Charts Februar 2023
Das Album „Ears of the People: Ekonting Songs from Senegal and The Gambia” steigt gleich auf Platz 10 der Transglobal World Music Charts im Februar ein. Der Sampler von Smithsonian Folkways beleuchtet die faszinierende Tradition der westafrikanischer Banjo-Musik und erweckt die Geschichten von Musikern aus Senegal und Gambia zu neuem Leben. In den World Music Charts Europe ist im aktuellen Monat weiterhin das Album „Interconnectedness“ von Carmen Souza mit ihrer musikalischen Sichtweise zwischen World Music und Jazz auf persönliche und globale Veränderungen der letzten Jahre.
MalasañersVenceremosRelease datum: 4/21/2023Cat-Nr: GMC101
Punk, folk and rock are the roots of Malasañers, formed in 2011, which singer/guitarist and band founder Carlos del Pino brought to Bamberg from the Spanish capital in 2014. The band name is a reference to the young dressmaker Manuela Malasaña from Madrid, who was shot by French soldiers in the Spanish fight for freedom in 1808. Their music lies in the area of tension between ska, country, punk, folk, rockabilly/rock'n'roll and rock with the special feature that the groove is supported by a double bass instead of the typical electric bass. With "Scheiss Drauf" the band has now also released the first German language song. In addition to play tips like "Rise And Fall", "Serenata" and flawless poppunk on "Shine", the band also has music for quiet moments ready on their self-produced third album, as the ballads "Put A Light In Your Window" and "Troubles" impressively prove. More
Noga RitterImaRelease datum: 3/8/2023Cat-Nr: SDGMC102_1
Mighty PoplarMighty PoplarRelease datum: 4/21/2023Cat-Nr: DIRT-CD-0111
At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. This spirit of spontaneity is ever-present on the self-ti- tled record from Mighty Poplar, a new all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings). Across 10 songs that include bluegrass and folk classics and deep cuts from the Carter Family to Leonard Cohen, the fivesome captures the fierce and playful energy of a late night jam between old friends. Regarded as some of the finest players of their generation, the playing is never showy and always in service of the song. Careful reworkings of Dylan’s “North Country Blues” and Martha Scanlan’s “Up on the Divide” sit comfortably next to a rip-roar- ing pass through the fiddle tune “Grey Eagle.” Mighty Poplar’s mem- bers, known for pushing American acoustic music in progressive direc- tions, wanted to return to their roots to make a bonafide bluegrass record to celebrate the music they hold so dear. Recorded with the band sitting knee-to-knee in a woodsy studio outside Nashville, the band eschewed the smooth production style of contemporary bluegrass in favor of the methods and spirit of their most cherished classic bluegrass recordings. As a whole, the songs are as immediate and emotionally impactful as the playing is tasteful. This is bluegrass music at its zenith: thoughtfully crafted by players with off-the-charts chemistry. On Mighty Poplar, they've captured lightning in a bottle. More
La Marisoul / Los TexmaniacsCorazones and CancionesRelease datum: 4/14/2023Cat-Nr: SFW40598
In Corazones and Canciones, two Mexican American musical powerhouses join forces to create an album overflowing with heart and imagination. L.A.'s Marisol Hernández—La Marisoul—and San Antonio-based Tejano conjunto Los Texmaniacs draw from a repertoire of cherished canciones rancheras, and boleros. "Everything is done with heart and soul, because of the passion and love we have for this music," asserts Texmaniacs leader Max Baca. Adds Marisol, "It’s just as American as it is Mexican; that’s one of the special things about living in the United States." Special guest Little Joe Hernández adds his trademark vocals to the melody of "Las nubes," the song he propelled to the forefront of the Chicano Movement. More
Jinn / Alberto N.A. Turra / Peppe FranaJinnRelease datum: 4/14/2023Cat-Nr: FY8267
Jinn is the debut album of the homonymous duo born from the musical encounter of two well known artists in the Felmay catalog: ALBERTO N.A. TURRA (Blumenkranz, Roy Paci-Corleone, Capovilla) and PEPPE FRANA (Vinicio Capossela, Daniele Sepe) respectively on electric guitar and oud. A memorable encounter between two plectrum instruments exploring the musicality of the Middle Eastern sound universe. An original and unusual instrumental combination that of the duo (electric guitar and oud), born from a musical and even more personal and spiritual affinity, between ALBERTO N.A.TURRA and PEPPE FRANA, artists already present in the Felmay catalogue with different projects. On one side the frequentations of downtown New York (John Zorn and his acolytes) and on the other the musicality of the Middle Eastern sound universe in its various historical branches up to and including our Middle Ages Mediterranean. More
Sarah Jane Summers & Juhani SilvolaSølvstrøkRelease datum: 4/21/2023Cat-Nr: HCD7384
Powerful & beautiful folk music with a star-studded chamber orchestra!

Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola have created their own chamber orchestra Sølvstrøk (Silverstroke), consisting of a dream team of Norwegian folk & classical musicians, with a punchy & nuanced sound.

Each track takes a tune as its starting point (5 self-composed & 5 traditional), which Summers/Silvola recomposed & expanded into refined string arrangements, focusing on the rhythmic drive & distinctive melodies of Scottish & Norwegian folk music, classical harmonies, and contemporary music colour.

The album opens with Tune For Alistair, illustrating the day of an energetic toddler. Number 81 is a 400 year old 6-bar reel that we call Baroque-Techno, while Christmas Day I Da Mornin’ is a Shetland Christmas meditation. Owerset II, a Scottish-Norwegian pols by Summers, has an extended contemporary music section. Morning Prayer is a prayer that was finally answered. Donald Morison & Miss Mary MacDonald are driving dances, the latter reusing the opening of Mozart's 25th Symphony. Call & Response is inspired by the unique psalm tradition from The Isle of Lewis, which was visited by the Vikings and has many Norwegian place names. Finally, In Dispraise Of Whisky’s energy belies the sober title!

"I always dreamt of ‘super-sizing’ our music for chamber orchestra, and when I was heavily pregnant, we went to see Oslo Chamber Orchestra. Afterwards, I said I wanted to write for them. So, we did! We played together at Oslo World Festival; what a joy! Førdefestivalen then got in touch and suggested we create a chamber orchestra of primarily traditional musicians for the 2021 festival, and Sølvstrøk was born,” explains Sarah-Jane.

Summers & Silvola is an internationally acclaimed Scottish/Finnish duo, who celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2021. All three of their duo albums received Top of the World from Songlines; their latest was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy in 2022.

Summers is one of Scotland's foremost fiddlers & a tradition bearer of the old Highland style. She has a master's degree in Norwegian folk music & improvisation from the Norwegian Academy of Music, has released five solo albums & played with GRIT Orchestra, RANT & Quatuor Bozzini. Silvola is a sought-after guitarist, renowned composer of electro-acoustic contemporary music, and record producer. He has released five solo albums, toured with the Nils Petter Molvær Group and plays with Susanna Wallumrød and Frode Haltli's Avant Folk.

“magnificent…absolute masters of their instruments" (5/5, Songlines, Top of the World)

"Great music, grand arrangements & gorgeous playing ... another terrific album from this prodigious pair of musicians" (The Living Tradition)

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PJEV / Kit Downes / Hayden ChishomMedna RosoRelease datum: 5/5/2023Cat-Nr: RH1003

Witness Medna Roso, a testament to transcendent musical communion. This particular recording features BBC Jazz Award-winning and Mercury nominated solo artist Kit Downes on organ, New Zealand saxophonist Hayden Chisholm–known for his distinct microtonal tuning system–contributing on alto saxophone, shruti box, analogue synthesizer, throat singing, and vocals from PJEV, a female a cappella vocal quintet from Zagreb that preserves and cherishes traditional vocal music from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The stars began to align when PJEV’s director Jovana Lukic fittingly first crossed paths with Chisholm, who now calls Zagreb home, at a kafana–a restaurant with smoking and live music– in Dorcol, an old part of Belgrade, Serbia, for which the Turkish name of Dort-yol translates to crossroad. “You don't meet people like him everyday, especially in Belgrade. He is a true artist and lover of life, so I embraced and appreciated this, and I was truly inspired by this encounter, too,” explains Lukic.

capella singing that he became enchanted by when moving to Belgrade in 2016. Soon after PJEV and Chisholm began experimenting, by adding saxophone as he gradually began to learn more about the songs and styles of performance.

“The first qualities which caught me were the emotional directness, close harmonies, pure intervals, and the raw physicality of the sound,” he says. “Then began the journey of learning more about the meaning of the lyrics, where and how the songs are sung, and how the tradition has been gradually fading away from cultural prominence in the last decades.”

The eight traditional songs here represent different regions of the Balkans, reflecting the distinct vocal styles that have developed over the passing centuries. Included in the recording are extensive notes with titles, lyrics and translations of the songs to guide the curious listener through the wondrous music.

“Even to this day I am not sure what happened there in Cologne. During the rehearsal we were struggling with the church acoustics and didn't quite understand how we would fit into the concept,” admits Lukic. But the next day when the concert began they just flew off the ground. “It felt from the very first moment that we’d suddenly received big wide stork wings. Their strong and deep music gave us so much support and powerful wind in our backs, so we just had to carefully surf on it. The exciting feeling of flickering and daring organ harmonies of Kit and the image of church space filled with many colorful butterflies of Hayden’s unique improvisations are something to remember.”

As Downes attests, the night captured on this recording was not only magical, but a really beautiful example of what can happen when strong musical personalities from different worlds embrace the adventure of improvising together. For Downes, one of the newer musical encounters was the grand 3-manual Rieger Organ, that he describes as “a large instrument with a very generous acoustic to play in, booming 32' reeds in the pedals, twinkling Cymbelstern, glass-like Nazard and Tierce partials and soft ascending strings on the swell.”

The combination of sounds echoed mightily and timelessly in the ancient acoustic of the Agneskirche in Cologne, where the ensemble performed this spellbinding concert for a sold-out concert at the Cologne Jazz Week Festival in September 2021, which lives on now thanks to this pristine live recording issuing on Red Hook Records.

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Scott McLemoreThe Multiverse: KnowingRelease datum: 4/21/2023Cat-Nr: SSR741

Following up his 2018 album The Multiverse, the Icelandic-American drummer Scott McLemore continues with a two-guitar driven quartet with bass and drums. This music was recorded during a European tour at Sono Studio near Prague and consists of 10 tracks of new originals written specifically with these musicians in mind.

Longtime cohort Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson carries over from the last album and is joined this time by Czech guitarist David Doružka, who played with McLemore when they both lived in New York. Another newcomer to the project is French bassist Nicolas Moreaux, who is currently living in Iceland. Four of the pieces are part of the Separation Anxiety Suite which is about living through the pandemic. The title track, "Knowing" is about McLemore finding out that he is on the autism spectrum and the clarity that provided him.

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The Human ElementEPRelease datum: 4/21/2023Cat-Nr: FLD003
Stefan GrasseMusic for five guitarsRelease datum: 3/17/2023Cat-Nr: Xolo1056