Here's what's in fRoots, No. 311, May 2009

THE EDITOR’S BOX

Ian Anderson’s comment column.

fROOTS PLAYLIST

Recent stuff we like.

CHARTS & LISTS

Specialist and general roots music album sales and airplay charts.

REVIEWS

Our key section reviewing all the latest CDs and more - loads bite the dust. No punches pulled!

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: Scotland's Burns-singing Eddi Reader; multi-media project The Gainsborough Packet; US songwriter Anaïs Mitchell; Ireland's Heidi Talbot; Rachael McShane's solo project, and Mauritania's Daby Touré in the Rocket Launcher.

ALL DIRECTIONS HOME

English folk music is no longer the preserve of a small, enclosed scene. There’s something happening here but the establishment doesn’t know what it is. Colin Irwin profiles some leading lights of the continuing tradition – Ian King, Nancy Wallace, Mary Epworth, Olivia Chaney and Stephanie Hladowski.

LOCAL BULGARIANS

The glorious sound of Bulgarian a cappella singing can be heard regularly right here in the UK. Jamie Renton profiles the London Bulgarian Choir, the Dessibelles and the Perunika Trio.

GYPSY FIREWATER

His career started in Sarajevo strip joints, he was the communist world’s biggest rock star, and he now composes for the world’s orchestras – but he’s at his happiest playing with Gypsy musicians in his Wedding & Funeral Band. Elizabeth Kinder meets Goran Bregovic.

MOUTH ORGANISMS

If you’re going to be a novelty act, do it with panache. Andrew Cronshaw meets the four Finns with harmonicas who make up Sväng.

BLUES IN EUROPE PT.2

Paul Vernon continues the saga he began in fR294, picking up the story in the spring of ’63. The blues is here to stay…

PUNJABBERING

Established 133 years ago, Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan is India’s longest running music fesival and all the greats have performed there. Ken Hunt gives us some of the flavours.

BIFF!

Our exclusive cartoon goes backpacking in India.