This month’s issue
Here’s what’s in the current issue of fRoots, No. 326/327, August/September 2010
- THE EDITOR’S BOX
- Ian Anderson’s comment column. Read it here
- fROOTS PLAYLIST
- Recent stuff we like.
- CHARTS & LISTS
- Specialist and general roots music album sales and airplay charts. Sample them here
- REVIEWS
- Our key section reviewing all the latest CDs and more - loads bite the dust. No punches pulled! We’ve got some here for you to read now
- COMPETITIONS
- Win Morris: A Life With Bells On DVDs and Rob Young’s Electric Eden books.
- ROOTING ABOUT
- What’s happening: packed pages of festivals, gigs, tours, radio, CDs and all kinds of roots-related stuff. The most you’ll find anywhere…
- ROOT SALAD
- A cross-section of featurettes: Canadian songwriter Leah Abramson, young Iraqi oud master Khyam Allami, fast-rising spook-folkist Jason Steel, the recent Kate McGarrigle tribute concert, Sheffield’s amazing Pecsaetan Morris, Afro-popsters The Very Best, and Curacao’s Oswin Chin Behilia in our Rocket Launcher.
- POETRY IN MERCHANT
- With a double album and epic live shows which both more than justify their length, Natalie Merchant’s six year project has more than born fruit. Elizabeth Kinder hears about the inspiration.
- WOMAD ABU DHABI 2010
- Jak Kilby thumbed a flight and took his camera to the United Arab Emirates.
- CUTTING CORNER
- To say that Andy Cutting’s solo album is long overdue would be to indulge yourself with one of this century’s great understatements. Colin Irwin asks “why?”
- MEDIUM MESSAGE
- Spirit Talk Mbira have released one of the best albums of Zimbabwean roots music you’ll hear this year. Leader Chartwell Dutiro has a few things to say about European attitudes to his band, reports Zuzana Novak.
- MAGICK MOMENTS
- Rob Young’s massive book Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music is published in August: here’s an extract from the chapter that centres on early folk rock adventurers Bob & Carole Pegg – Mr Fox.
- MARRAKECH EXCESS
- If you go looking for Gnawa musicians in Marrakech, you might get the wrong impression. Luckily Jon Lusk went armed with the right contacts.
- THE AUTOMATIC LUTE
- Just over 80 years ago, a reformed arms manufacturer in Izmir, Turkey, invented a folk instrument. Patrick Jered tells the fascinating tale of the cümbüs.
- THE CROW SHOOT
- Ireland’s Dervish recently hit 21. Colin Irwin heads to Sligo to catch up with their story and ponder the current state of Ireland’s traditional music scene.
- THE PIRANHA MAN
- From the Berlin student protests of 1968 to directing an unpredictable world music label. Robert Rigney traces the interesting life of Christoph Borkowsky.
- BIFF!
- Our exclusive cartoon strip.
Plus dozens of pages of essential adverts.