Songlines is the definitive magazine for world music – music that has its roots in all parts of the globe, from Mali to Mexico, India to Iraq. Whether this music is defined as traditional, contemporary, folk or fusion, Songlines is the only publication to truly represent and embrace it. However, Songlines is not just about music, but about how the music fits into the landscape; it’s about politics, history and identity, and the artists who incite change through their music. Through its extensive articles and reviews, Songlines is your essential guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture, whether you are starting on your journey of discovery or are already a seasoned fan.
Songlines
On the comeback trail
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE
TOP OF THE WORLD • On your free CD – the editor’s selection of the top ten new releases reviewed in this issue
WHATS NEW • Views, news and events from around the world
GRAMMY WINNERS
NEW RELEASES
Guessing game
Curlew recovery
Abror and the machine
Keiko’s opera ambitions
Can’t stop the music
OBITUARIES
OBITUARIES
FOLK FOCUS • What’s happening in the folk world
Haya Zaatry • Jo Setters talks to young Palestinian singer-songwriter Haya Zaatry, for whom dialect is local, but language is universal
Tarta Relena • The young Catalan duo explain how their polyphonic folk creations bridge the divides of space and time. Gonçalo Frota reports
Songlines Encounters Festival 2022 May 18-25, Kings Place, London • After a cancelled year in 2020 and the involvement of only UK-based groups in 2021, the Songlines Encounters Festival returns in full force this May, presenting some of the finest musicians from around the world. Tying in with Kings Place’s Voices Unwrapped series, this year’s Songlines Encounters Festival will feature some of the finest global proponents of the vocal arts, with appearances from, among others, Julie Fowlis, Liraz, San Salvador, VOLOSI (pictured) and the London African Gospel Choir. kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/songlines-encounters-festival
SPOTLIGHT Congotronics International • A new album, Where’s the One?, captures a riotous collision of Congotronics and avant-rock that is as chaotic as it is infectious. Russ Slater reports
SIMON SAYS… • Simon Broughton gives the lowdown on his new documentary about Hungary’s folk revival and its most famous practitioners
FEEDBACK • Letters, shout-outs, comments, tweets, emails and everything in between
READER PROFILE
SONGLINES MUSIC AWARD 2022 The Winners • We’re delighted to announce the winners of the Songlines Music Awards. For 14 years the awards have shone a spotlight on the excellent artists who have been featured in the magazine. Here, we reveal the winners of the Best Artist and Best Group categories as well as the five geographical awards – Africa & Middle East, Americas, Europe, Asia & Pacific and Fusion. The Newcomer and World Pioneer award recipients will be announced later this year.
Prairie Fires • The death of their co-founder and lead harpist, Carlos Rojas, gave Colombian joropo group Cimarrón cause to reflect on musical roots and gender roles. Chris Moss talks to dynamic frontwoman Ana Veydó about their new album, La Recia
LA TRADITION • During lockdown Oumou Sangaré took time to contemplate the current state of her native Mali. She speaks to Andy Morgan about how music and mogoya may be the only things that can save it
Big Bang • The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers have been introducing international audiences to traditional Ghanaian drumming for decades. John Owoo drops in on a rehearsal to find out more about their educational mission
UK FESTIVAL GUIDE • It’s a been a long and quiet two years without the...