Sponsored by Accordion music from around the world Support RootsWorld with a small contribution? What did you miss? Probably nothing... it's all in the ARCHIVE! Looking for our friends at Free Reed Records, UK? Click Here!

The RootsWorld (Virtual) Free Reed Festival There will not be a month long festival for a while. But we will be doing special things throughout the year. Watch this page, or sign up for the Festival E-mail List. "The street taught us a lot: flair, ability of solving problems, being pushy. It is very important because nowadays being a musician means being a businessman, so to get a result you need to be very creative," says Janusz Wojtarowicz of The Motion Trio.   Marty Lipp talks with Polish accordionist Wojtarowicz and Argentine boxster Chango Spasiuk about freereeds in the 21st century.   Feature Reviews Basque virtuoso accordionist Kepa Junkera has kept his fans waiting for a new studio CD since 2002. But he'll make them happy with this exploration on the theme of "City," Hiri in Basque. Junkera has not broken a whole lot of new ground, but is sticking with what works; Basque diatonic accordion with lots of txalaparta and alboka, Basque lyrics by respected writer Xabier Amuriza, and non-Basque elements added by Bulgarka and other guests from around the globe. This lack of radical change is in itself is a departure for Bilbao's best-known master of the trikitixa. On previous discs, Junkera practically reinvented a centuries-old genre. Junkera's sound has always evolved, but here he seems content to stop innovating for the moment and simply play in the groove he created. Read More | Listen | Buy the CD Finnish harmonica virtuoso Jouko Kyhälä is part of a new generation seeking to expand the expressive range of that instrument. A member of the eclectic harmonica ensemble Sväng and a doctoral student in harmonica at the Sibelius Academy, Kyhälä is accompanied on this outing by a sympathetic quartet of players (fiddle and kantele, bouzuki, bass, and percussion). The largely improvised sessions heard on Saalas were recorded live without overdubs, resulting in a loose, playful feel. As Kyhälä explains in the Finnish and English liner notes, "I want to hear what people discover at the very moment they play music." Read the complete review | Listen CD available from cdRoots Jean-Christophe Renault and Didier Laloy Hors-piste Homerecords.be (www.homerecords.be) Jean-Christophe Renault's music defies easy categorization. The composer and pianist straddles the boundaries between classical, folk, and minimalism to create works that combine the textures of French impressionism (Erik Satie is a notable influence), the atmospherics of post-rock ensembles like Rachel's, and the creative use of repetition characterized by Harold Budd. Despite his impressionist bent, he shares with the Romantics a restless exploration of folk musical forms.... While Renault's sublime previous release, Là est la Question, consisted of solo piano pieces, Hors-piste showcases his collaboration with the prolific diatonic accordionist Didier Laloy. The result is a series of compelling chamber pieces performed by two master players.... Read the complete review | Listen CD available from cdRoots

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