Ustad Naseeruddin Saami is a classical vocalist of rarely heard depth, power, and presence. He is a master of both khayal (which roughly translates to imagination) and qawwali, and the very last living practitioner of a mesmerizing and ancient 49-note microtonal vocal scale that dates back over 800 years. Join…...
The East Coast gets “Swanktified” —A conversation with Swanky Kitchen Band’s Samuel Rose
We are still abuzz after producing this summer’s East Coast Tour of the Cayman Island’s cultural guardians, the Swanky Kitchen Band. The group knocked out audiences at the Lowell Folk Festival. They performed to a full Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress and then were interviewed for the Archive…...
Join us at the 20th Annual Richmond Folk Festival
Time truly flies. It’s hard to believe, but the Richmond Folk Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this September 27-29th along the city’s beautiful riverfront. Each of CCV’s principal staff has been connected with the festival since it first came to Richmond as the National Folk Festival in 2005. CCV associate director Josh…...
Presenting Ustad Noor Bahksh, Master of the Balochi Electric Benju
This coming September and October, Noor Bakhsh, a legendary instrumentalist from the Makran coast of Pakistan will bring the electric benju to U.S. audiences for a rare performance of a unique and fascinating sound. The Markan coast is the semi-desert coastal strip of Balochistan on the Gulf of Oman. Noor…...
5th annual Baltimore Old Time Music Festival charms Charm City
This overview of the 2024 Baltimore Old Time Music Festival is a contribution from photojournalist and writer Casey Vock. All photos are copyright Casey Vock. More than 1,500 people from 26 different states made their way to the fifth annual Baltimore Old Time Music Festival, bringing pickers, fiddlers, and players…...
