Here’s what’s in the Summer 2019 (40th Anniversary!) issue of fRoots, the latest in our new bigger! better! quarterly format.
THE EDITOR’S BOX
Ian Anderson’s comment column. Read it here.
RANTING AND REELING
Tim Chipping’s column. Read it here.
THE ELUSIVE ETHNOMUSICOLOGIST
Elizabeth Kinder’s column. Read it here.
fROOTS PLAYLIST
Recent stuff we like. Take a look 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.
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…
fROOTS 73
Your free download compilation album. Find out what’s on it here.
Twa Corbies (photo: Elly Lucas). Crow Jane (the big one!) created by Alex Merry and Steve Rowley.
ROOT SALAD 1
Katie Spencer, Burd Ellen, Johannes Hellman, Roland Van Campenhout, Cellarful Of Folkadelia, Minyo Crusaders, Ben Walker…
NOW WE ARE 40!
Where did those decades go? As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we indulge ourselves by looking back at our formative years. Our Editor remembers how it all began…
FROM JACK TO KING
For more than six decades, English folk guitar hero Wizz Jones has always been there, a source of inspiration, royalty. He celebrated his 80th birthday recently, still on fine form. We salute him by re-publishing an interview from 1980.
A SUDDEN BRAGG
It’s Spring 1984, and Colin Irwin interviewed Billy Bragg, the Man Of The Moment, discovering a Born Again Folkie!
ZIMBABWE GOLD
Folk Roots 28, October 1985, saw the first African artist on the cover. Ian Anderson wrote about the folk roots of Thomas Mapfumo, and we shortly afterwards got fan mail about it from Pete Seeger, no less! Here’s that original feature…
THE FRESHEST BREEZE
When Folk Roots held a Readers’ Poll at the end of 1985, Kathryn Tickell won ‘Most Promising New Artist’ by a mile. A year later, she was on the cover with this interview by Colin Irwin.
ACCORDEON TIMES
Amy Thatcher is stepping out from The Shee, the Monster Ceilidh Band and being ‘Kathryn Tickell’s right hand woman’ with a first solo album. Sara Barnard finds out why now.
THE REAL THING
Accept no substitute: if you want proper job authentic bluegrass, look no further than David Davis & The Warrior River Boys. Cara Gibney talks to a genuine heir to Bill Monroe’s legacy.
THE BIG MAN
Jumbo Vanrenen, who died last year, was a key figure in the 1980s explosion of interest in music from Africa. Elizabeth Kinder explores those times.
SHOWCASE FRENZY!
Folk Alliance International kindly gave fRoots a Lifetime Achievement Award this year, so our Editor went to their annual conference in sub-zero Montreal to receive it. With a photo spread by Monica Mansfield.
LIVERPOOL STYLE
From traditional fiddling to psych folk songs to adventures in Campania, Mikey Kenney doesn’t fit anybody’s mould. Which is why he’s rather special, explains Sophie Parkes-Nield.
BERT IN THE BUSH
The untold story of how folk singer A.L. Lloyd influenced one of the greatest pop stars of the modern age. Tim Chipping does the digging into the Kate Bush early years.
NAVÁGATION
Two Irish and two Persian musicians combine together to produce the skilfully unique sound of Navá. Cara Gibney finds out how it works.
THE SABRI INHERITANCE
In their heyday, the Sabri Brothers were one of Pakistan’s most celebrated qawwali ensembles. Thomas Brooman looks back at their story.
ROOT SALAD 2
Chris Green, Folk On Foot, Denmark, Festival des Nomades
MAGHREB BASS
Sofyann ben Youssef is the figure behind banging North African collaboration Ammar 808, Tunisian mountain musicians Bargou 08 and Niger’s Tuareg rockers Kel Assouf. Jim Hickson gets inside his head…
PETERLOO: THE MUSICAL
A trio of accomplished folkpersons – Brian Peters, Laura Smyth & Pete Coe – have created a show based on the events of two centuries ago. Derek Schofield hears all about it. As Lord Buckley used to say, “This is history, dig this jive…”
THE RECORDING MAN
Check the small print on many of the classic folk rock and singer songwriter records from the ’60s and ’70s and you’ll find John Wood at the deskface. Colin Irwin meets the master.
A BETTER WORLD
Not your usual awards bash. Elizabeth Kinder went to Lisbon to see the Aga Khan Music Awards, where tolerance, pluralism and collaboration are celebrated.
SWIFTLY ONWARDS!
There’s a veteran singer-guitarist who has never once been featured in fRoots in all its forty year existence, for reasons which may or may not be obvious. Jeanette Leech thinks it’s about time. His name’s Ian A Anderson…
BIFF!
Our exclusive cartoon strip.
Plus dozens of pages of essential adverts.
What was in last month’s fRoots.
