Features
Chouk Bwa: Deep Roots, Borderless Energy
Doug DeLoach immerses himself in the ecstatic and positive music of Haitian band Chouk Bwa, who are about to embark on their debut UK tour
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Best New Albums
Best New Albums – May 2021 (Ballaké Sissoko, Peggy Seeger, Piers Faccini, Jon Boden)
Outstanding new releases from Frente Cumbiero, Ballaké Sissoko, Peggy Seeger, Piers Faccini, Jon Boden, Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola and more. Tracks from all of these albums are included on the free cover-CD with the May 2021 issue of Songlines
A Beginner's Guide
The Chieftains: A Beginner’s Guide
Nigel Williamson looks back at the enduring global popularity of the Irish musical ambassadors
Features
Rapa Nui: Keys to the Island
Charis McGowan visits Rapa Nui to find out how the arrival of the isolated island’s first piano led to a music school and a re-energised approach to learning about the island’s traditions
Features
“Part of the story of this album is to bring a sense of hope for the entire Indian subcontinent” | Purbayan Chatterjee interview
Indian sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee’s new star-studded album, a go-getting synthesis of South Asian and Western elements, is a creative response to the limitations of lockdown. Simon Broughton reports
Features
Stewart Lee interview: “Stand-up is a duet with the audience. It doesn’t mean anything unless people are laughing. Or booing”
The comedian and writer tells Julian May about a childhood fascination with the past and the parallels between stand-up and the music he loves
Features
Heart and 47SOUL
Tipped as one of London’s hottest new groups, 47SOUL talk to Yousif Nur about the stresses and challenges of being a touring band from the Middle East, and how they’ve become pioneers of shamstep and champions of the Palestinian cause
A Beginner's Guide
Dervish: a beginner's guide
The Irish supergroup have long been the benchmark for traditional music. Michael Quinn examines their impressive catalogue and achievements to date
A Beginner's Guide
Alim Qasimov | A Beginner's Guide
Simon Broughton surveys the impressive career and beguiling back catalogue of the classical Azeri singer Alim Qasimov, including his extensive collaborations with his daughter Fargana Qasimova
Features
Orquesta Akokán: “If you went to a music industry person with this idea, some marketing asshole in New York… forget it”
A new Cuban big band are making waves. All the more surprising for the fact that Orquesta Akokán are a collaboration of first-class Cuban and American musicians. Kim Burton tells their story so far
