Womad Taranaki 2019 festival runs from 15-17 March - that's soon!
Every year defies expectations so guessing who could capture my heart this year is a challenge but I am looking forward to seeing Sona Jobarteh - the first female African kora player to visit New Zealand.
Sona Jobarteh at Brave Festival 2013 Photo: Supplied
A woman defying tradition in a male-dominated, 700-year-old hereditary tradition, is remarkable for starters. Jobarteh sings original songs and plays any number of instruments; last year she was named Africa Festival Artist of the Year.
Wellington Gypsy brass band Niko Ne Zna also plays Womad this year.
Niko Ne Zna has been going ten years and has built up a reputation as a party band. Like a typical Roma band, Niko Ne Zna roams through the crowd as it plays, giving the audience a chance to join in their dancing, singing, clapping and stomping.
Wellington Gypsy brass band Niko Ne Zna Photo: Supplied
They will be hard to resist at Womad when the nine-piece will play their original songs, as well as beloved tunes from the Balkan States.
WOMAD musician Maarja Nuut is impossible to pigeon hole.
Estonian electronic group Maarja Nuut & Ruum Photo: Supplied
A singer and violinist with a compelling stage presence, she uses technology to rework Estonian folk styles into very original music working with Ruum, another Estonian electronic musician who provides an abstract framework for her vocals.
She uses texts from the old tradition of village folk music in Estonia that was supressed during the Soviet era, surrounded by techniques from contemporary electronica to create a compulsive sound world that really sucks you in.
Pick and Mix is a Radio show broadcast every Sunday at 11am on RNZ Concert. Also featured on the show this week:
Marc-André Hamelin is a true cross genre artist.
The French Canadian pianist is in the top rank of living classical pianists. In 2008 he went off piste and put out an album called ‘In a state of jazz’, a recording where the influence of jazz is grafted onto classical forms.
The Grammy nominated album devoted to escaping convention is sheer brilliance, and it’a no exaggeration to say there is no other pianist who could come close to Hamelin in such music: a very good reason to listen to it.
The 2019 Grammy winners are out and include several albums featured on Pick and Mix.
Best Bluegrass winners The Travelin' McCourys band is made up of bothers Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), who learnt bluegrass playing with their Dad in the Del McCoury Band.
The Travelin' McCourys Photo: Supplied
Their challenge as a contemporary group was to take the traditions in their DNA, and imagine how traditional bluegrass could modernise while retaining its history.
Their debut self titled album The Travelin' McCourys blows all the cobwebs away.
Tiny Ruins' new album Olympic Girls is out.
New Zealand songwriter Hollie Fullbrook has released her highly anticipated third album Olympic Girls.
She works under the name Tiny Ruins with Cass Basil on bass, Alex Freer on drums and Tom Healy on electric guitar, who also produces the recordings.
Olympic Girls has picked up some favourable reviews barely a fortnight after its release.
Music details for Pick and Mix broadcast 17 February 2019:
GULDA: Exercises 1, 4, and 5 from Play Piano Play - Marc-André Hamelin (Hyperion CDA 67656)
HARTFORD: Natural to be gone - The Travelin’ McCourys (MCCOURY PROMOTRAVELIN)
GARCIA: Loser - The Travelin’ McCourys (MCCOURY PROMOTRAVELIN)
JOBARTEH: Saya - Sona Jobarteh (West African Guild Records)
JOBARTEH: Mamaké - Sona Jobarteh (West African Guild Records)
CURAC: Lemon, honey and Rakija - Niko Ne Zna (BANDCAMP)
TRAD: Fez - Niko Ne Zna (MONKEY 850490)
TRAD/NUUT: Õdangule - Maarja Nuut (Fat Cat Records)
TRAD/NUUT: Mahe - Maarja Nuut (Fat Cat Records)
FULLBROOK: Holograms - Tiny Ruins (BANDCAMP)
TRAD: Armnopolskan - Gunnar Idenstam & Johan Hedin (Caprice CAP 21807)
TRAD: Diptyque II - Gunnar Idenstam & Johan Hedin (Caprice CAP 21807)
