Every Mardi Gras, a blur of costumed Cajun and Creole revellers in Louisiana head off in search of gumbo ingredients. When an ingredient is offered, such as a live chicken, the race is on. David Simpson has been documenting this unique tradition for over 25 years, with a new book capturing the centuries-old celebrations
Russ Slater Johnson hears from the DJ sharing cutting-edge global and electronic sounds. “I wanted to be your alternative Black show,” she confesses
Diane Coetzer talks to the South African band BCUC who are exporting their traditional Soweto music across the globe and mesmerising audiences, one transcendental show at a time
Billy Rough picks out some choice new folk albums from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi revisit classic folk songs on their latest release. The pair talk about the continuing relevance of folk music, the concept of home and life during lockdown
A selection of essential releases from the US and Canada including new albums from Creekbed Carter Hogan, Abigail Lapell and Reyna Tropical
Margareth Menezes, an icon of Afro-Brazilian music and Salvador’s carnival, talks to Oleno Netto about her European tour and her plans as Brazil’s new Minister of Culture
Another year, another full season of festivals to revive the soul and please the senses! Where better to plan your summer of culture than with our annual guide to the best festivals in the UK?
Izzy Felton visits an inclusive training ground for the next generation of England’s folk musicians
Fiona Talkington unpacks the harmonica quartet’s trajectory, from the mind of Finland’s first mouth-harp graduate to an internationally acclaimed troupe with a repertoire ranging from Radiohead and Harry Potter to tango and Chopin
Criminally castigated and distinctly uncool, bagpipes are a mainstay of many traditional musics and are also increasingly finding favour as an experimental instrument of choice. Chris Wheatley picks out ten albums filled with more than just hot air
After years of listening to traditional music and protest songs, Björk and Portishead, one of Portugal’s most exciting new singers tells Gonçalo Frota how she created a world all her own
With Cowley Road Carnival returning for the first time in five years, Fred Waine takes a trip to Oxford’s melting pot
The Guatemalan singer-songwriter tells Catalina Maria Johnson about her determination to represent women and carry the knowledge of her Indigenous heritage through music. “It’s a revolutionary act,” she confides
Olivia Cheves speaks to composer and musician Laura Cannell about her compulsion to make music, why she had to find her own traditions and why she’d love to record an album in an aircraft hangar
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