Terms like ‘folk’ and ‘world music’ have become so overused in music writing that they risk being robbed of all content. Folk music is correctly applied only to music traditions developed over time by specific communities, although it certainly also includes contemporary revisionists in those traditions. World music? We probably shouldn’t use that one at … Continue reading Ronan Skillen and Dave Ledbetter defy labels in Deep South’s Heartland

Saturday (April 30th) is the Fifth International Jazz Day, celebrated worldwide and with a flagship gala concert hosted by Barack Obama at the White House. If you check the map (http://www.jazzday.com/event-map-2016 ) you’ll see satisfying clusters of jazz-themed events springing up all over the globe, with Latin America particularly well represented. South Africa is bidding for Johannesburg … Continue reading International Jazz Day – South Africa can host it with talent to spare