Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2018 Release Schedule

2018 Releases

 

January:

• 1/19 – Various Artists – Classic Delta and Deep South Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

A 20-song collection that celebrates the evolution, diversity, and dissemination of the southern blues, from its origins in the Delta to its migration northward. Features tracks from Son House, Big Bill Broonzy, Clifton Chenier, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and many others.

 

• 1/26 – Hermanos Herrera – Sones Jarochos y Huastecos y Más

Supercharged son huasteco and son jarocho music from five Mexican-American siblings. The group’s Folkways debut marks the 46th Latino music album in the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions Series, produced with support from the Smithsonian Latino Center.

 

February:

• 2/16 – Barbara Dane – Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs

This 38-track, 2-CD retrospective reflects over 60 years of Barbara Dane’s eclectic musical history –singing for peace and social justice in folk, blues, and jazz idioms. Includes 14 never-before-released recordings, featuring collaborations with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Doc Watson, Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, and more.

 

• 2/16 – Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers – Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers vinyl reissue

Vinyl reissue of Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers’ seminal 1966 Civil Rights Movement album.

 

March:

• 3/22 – Dom Flemons – Black Cowboys

GRAMMY-winner and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons explores and re-analyzes an important part of our African-American identity in the American West. The album pays tribute to the music, culture, and complex history of their musical and cultural contributions to building the Wild West.

• 3/30 – Anna & Elizabeth – The Invisible Comes to Us

Anna & Elizabeth’s The Invisible Comes to Us taps into their imagination-fueled arsenal to present an extraordinary work of unique, genre-bending storytelling and sonic exploration. Rarely does an album based on traditional folk music resonate so strongly in modern times.

 

April:

• 4/6 – Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz – Tú eres mi flor: Songs for Children en Español

Tú eres mi flor is a sunny collection of songs sung in Spanish by beloved children’s artists Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz. Features many well-known American folk songs that have been adapted for the enjoyment of both Spanish- and English-speaking children.

 

• 4/27 – Rahim AlHaj – One Sky

On One Sky, oud virtuoso and composer Rahim AlHaj makes a crucial artistic appeal to each of us: to make a positive difference – in whatever way we can – towards a better world. AlHaj, an Iraqi immigrant, joins Iranian santūr player Sourena Sefati and Palestinian-American percussionist Issa Malluf in a sonic statement of friendship.

 

May:

• 5/11 – Los Texmaniacs – Cruzando Borders

GRAMMY-winning Tejano conjunto group Los Texmaniacs continues to cross borders of all kinds – generic, geographic, and historical. Lyle Lovett and Rick Treviño guest on the album, which honors the tragedies, triumphs, hopes, and humor of Mexican-American life along the border.

 

• 5/25 – Grupo Mono Blanco – ¡Fandango! Sones Jarochos from Veracruz

Since 1977, the grassroots Mexican band Grupo Mono Blanco has breathed fresh life into the sounds of fandango community celebrations. On on ¡Fandango! Sones Jarochos from Veracruz, they dig deep into the cultural history of Veracruz and bring it to the forefront of contemporary musical innovation.

 

June:

• Various Artists – Epilogue – A Tribute to John Duffey

An all-star cast of bluegrass artists including Sam Bush, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, Bruce Molsky, Tim O’Brien, and Don Rigsby pay tribute to influential figure John Duffey, best known for his tenure in The Country Gentlemen and The Seldom Scene.

 

July:

• Smithsonian Folkways Vinyl Reissue Series – various titles

Starts this summer! Revisit Folkways’ most impactful and influential recordings with a long-awaited vinyl reissue series, featuring iconic LPs from Lightnin’ Hopkins, Woody Guthrie, Dock Boggs, Mary Lou Williams, and more, sounding and looking better than ever.

 

Summer 2018:

• Laurie Anderson and Tenzin Choegyal – Bardo Songs: From the Tibetan Book of the Dead (title TBA)

Laurie Anderson’s iconic voice blends with instrumentalists Tenzin Choegyal and Jesse Smith on readings from the Tibetan Book of the Dead – a unique and utterly mesmerizing sonic experience.

 

• Mariachi Las Reynas de Los Angeles – TBA

Unmatched all-female mariachi group from Los Angeles.

 

2018 and Beyond:

• Various Artists – The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap (December 2018)

As a musical, cultural, and social force of the last 40 years, hip-hop is taking its place in the Smithsonian — an institution devoted to preserving and documenting our nation’s heritage.

 

• Various Artists – The Social Power of Music

A massive box set that celebrates the ways that music has changed and can change our world.

 

Rhiannon Giddens – Songs of Our Native Daughters (Title TBA)

Songs of Our Native Daughters pulls from 17^th- , 18^th- , and 19^th-century sources to shine new light on African American stories of struggle, resistance, and hope. The album confronts the ways we are culturally conditioned to avoid talking about America’s history of slavery, racism, and misogyny.

 

• Pete Seeger – Pete Seeger: The Centennial Collection

An extensive and career-spanning look at one of America’s most quintessential, celebrated, and influential musicians and one of its strongest voices for social and environmental justice. Features hundreds of pages of essays and commentary, alongside 6 CDs of both classic and unreleased music.